Massage therapy studio opens in City Square - Wausau Daily Herald

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Massage therapist(Photo: USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)Buy Photo


WAUSAU - When Katie Smogoleski started having problems with her jaw, there wasn't anything that helped with the pain like massages did.

The skilled hands of a massage therapist helped her to relax and let her body heal itself — and eventually, massage inspired Smogoleski. It helped her gain normal function in her jaw, after suffering tension headaches and teeth grinding at night.

Smogoleski graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point with a degree in English and writing, which led her to a corporate job in Wausau at Eastbay/Footlocker.com. But working a job in an office wasn't what Smogoleski envisioned for her life. She's always wanted to help people directly.

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"I had always been kind of interested in science and anatomy ... well-being and health," she said. "So I just explored different career possibilities I might be interested in."

Smogoleski's corporate job was creating so much stress in her life that massages were the only thing that helped. But that wasn't the only example of the good massages could do. She had seen massage therapy work for other members of her family as well, so she decided to enroll in some courses and see if massage would be a good career fit.

"I was 36 when I switched over, so I'm not a kid right out of school, doing this for the first time," she said. "It was definitely a learning curve to go from board rooms into working on strangers."

Massage therapy has experienced huge growth as a profession over the last several years, and is projected to keep growing at a rate of 22 percent through 2024, which is higher than most careers, according to the National Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the southern part of central Wisconsin, there are about 150 massage therapists. Smogoleski said competition can be tough in Wausau, but because her business is a bit different than the conventional spa or massage chain, she thinks her business has a solid place in the community.

And she feels like she has finally found her calling in massage therapy. Not only was she able to make a difference in other people's lives, but also the job allows her more flexibility to spend time with her own family.

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Now and Zen Massage may be small, but that's what Katie Smogoleski likes about her job. (Photo: Laura Schulte/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)


Smogoleski opened her own practice at the beginning of April after 700 hours of hands-on training and schooling. Her massage studio is located in the City Square building at 500 N. Third St. Suite 208 in downtown Wausau. She calls her studio Now and Zen Massage, and it inhabits a small one-room office on the first floor of the building. The space is just big enough for Smogoleski, a massage table and a small set of drawers that's home to essential oils and other tools used by massage therapists. Massages at Now and Zen range between $30 and $85, with chances to add additional time or essential oils.

Smogoleski said even though the City Square building may be an unconventional choice for a massage studio, she knows firsthand that business workers need massages close to work.

"I wanted to be smaller entity but still be accessible to people," she said. "There's not a lot of foot traffic back here, but people who know me know how to find me."

At her studio, Smogoleski offers the typical types of massages, like relaxation massages, Swedish massages and deep tissue massages.

"Physical touch is one of those things we're losing in society," she said. "Touch is the first sense to develop and the last you lose. It's the first thing a baby realizes. ... It's nice to be able to provide that for people. I leave my office at the end of the day feeling like I did something."

Contact Going Out reporter Laura Schulte at 715-297-7532 or leschulte@gannett.com; on Twitter @schultelaura.

Need a massage?


Contact Katie Smogoleski to find out more about Now and Zen:

Phone: 715-301-8805

Email: nowandzenhealinghands@gmail.com

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