Graceful massage therapy in Roseville

The term “grace” can have different meanings for different people. For Tish Tensley, massage therapist and owner of Roseville’s Grace Healed Me, it is the necessary ingredient for her clients to find the healing they seek. While the name is a draw for customers, the word defines her business practice, as explained on her website - “You can trust that your healing will be done with Grace.”

“I remind my clients they have the power to reaffirm themselves with positive thoughts,” she said. “By grace, there is a higher power within you to help heal yourself.”

Tensley offers her massage therapy with spiritual, mental and physical healing. But starting the business was also her attempt at finding the healing she needed personally. In 2016, she visited My Salon Suite near the Rosedale Mall on a whim.

“I had thought about starting my own business, but I first visited My Salon Suite on a weekend with a friend to get a gift card,” she said. “But when I went to work on Monday, I knew it was not for me, so I walked out and called My Salon Suite. It all started from there.”

Her business started slowly, with just a few clients keeping her afloat while she continued to work at her old job. Despite the slow start, she knew she did not want to quit.

“I would not give up because being a business owner is a different kind of freedom,” she said. 

She turned to Groupon to jumpstart her business, selling 3,000 coupons in a little over a year. She gained enough customers to have the confidence to quit her old job over Super Bowl Weekend in 2018. She added techniques in Reiki, reflexology, therapeutic massage, kinesiology and Brain Gym to her repertoire. It did not take long for her business to be booked out for three to six months, even missing an opportunity to work with Lizzo when she was in town for a 2019 tour. 

“Things were growing fast, and I was even able to be part of the Oprah tour in January 2020,” she said. “Then the world shut down.”

Having to close for three months could have been a significant setback for Tensley, but she had a different viewpoint.

“I believe the timing was fortuitous because I had never stopped working for longer than a week,” she said. “I used those three months to get my body and mind back together.”

Mind/body connection

After the shutdown, Tensley focused on bringing various services to her massage therapy.

“My clients call me a perpetual learner, and I think that is my thing,” she said. “I try to incorporate learning into figuring out where a person's disconnect is, whether it be mind, body or energy.”

One of those techniques, Brain Gym, is a family of reflexology techniques utilizing 26 specific movements to realign the body and open up the neural pathway, said Tensley.

“When a person is under stress, their mind and body separate,” she said. “Brain Gym helps a person connect to their body again.” 

Today, Grace Healed Me is located on Rice Street in Roseville, just off Highway 36. Tensley could not imagine a better business experience than what she has received from Roseville.

“Other businesses nearby help each other and the city staff understands how to showcase local, small businesses,” she said.

But Tensley said that while she does have some customers who drive up to two hours to see her, the people of Roseville have made the most significant difference in her business success. 

“They have been more confident in me than I have been in myself,” she said.

Today, business is back to pre-COVID-19 levels and Tensley is focusing on expanding the client base and mentoring other therapists and estheticians with their goals. But even more importantly, she feels good about her future as a business owner.

“Stress brought me to massage therapy, but there was plenty of doubt and stress about starting a business,” she said. “By grace, I have been able to help myself by running this business to help others.”

The Roseville Economic Development Authority (REDA) coordinates and administers economic development and redevelopment initiatives for the City of Roseville, MN. It serves as a comprehensive resource for businesses seeking to startup and grow in the area. In addition to prioritizing business retention and expansion, the REDA connects area employers with the dedicated and talented workforce they need to succeed and thrive.

Grace Healed Me LLC
2353 Rice Street
Roseville, MN 55113
(651)968-4411
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