Massage therapy was originally intended to support Juliann Gorman’s pursuits as a trained opera singer. Today, as the owner of Sage Blossom Massage, Gorman said music is her hobby, but massage is her livelihood.
“At some point I realized that massage was actually my career,” she said. “I really excelled at it; it became my passion slowly over time.”
The power of massage to transcend physical pain is what Gorman said ignites her passion and allows her to hone in on a client’s individual needs.
“When you create a relationship with a client, [the experience] dives into more than just their physical pain,” she said. “[Massage] is a healing exchange between two people that can heal in a physical way, but also an emotional way.”
After three years working independently as a licensed massage therapist, Gorman opened the first Sage Blossom Massage location in 2013 inside the Joint Chiropractic Austin Barton Springs. Last October, precipitated by a need for more space, Gorman opened the business’ second location on Manchaca Road.
Across both studios Gorman contracts with 13 licensed massage therapists to provide deep-tissue, Swedish and prenatal massage services.
The studio also offers massage add-ons, such as relaxation wraps and cupping therapy. Often referred to by industry experts as the “inverse of massage,” Gorman said she introduced cupping in May after researching its benefits.
“We use massage to assess where to place the cups; any place where you notice a knot or a trigger point, you could place a cup there as well,” she said.
Exclusive to the Manchaca location is an infrared sauna, which Gorman said she fell in love with after working at another spa in Austin.
“I knew when I had my own space that was big enough, I wanted to put one in,” she said. “Because it heats the body at a core level, it’s great for pain relief and detoxing.”
As her continues to grow, Gorman said she is toying with the idea of opening a third South Austin massage studio.
Sage Blossom Massage
A. 4970 W. Hwy. 290, Ste. 480, Austin
B. 6603 Manchaca Road, Austin
512-826-3550
www.sageblossommassage.com
Hours: daily 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
