Rachel LaMay has opened a new massage business, Massage by Rachel, at 130 Genesee St. in...

[massage]

The start of 2017 made Rachel LaMay feel like a little kid getting her own room for the first time. A massage therapist, esthetician and cosmetologist, LaMay has opened her own practice in downtown Auburn, taking her 16 years of experience and finally making it her own.


"It's nice to be able to offer things that I offer, and have my own space," LaMay said. "It's quiet and people are comfortable, and I have more control over things. It takes some confidence to open up your own space and business, so I just had to get that."


Called Massage by Rachel, the studio is located on the lower level of 130 Genesee St. She had a soft opening Jan. 2, but a more formal one Jan. 13 with an open house so potential clients could see the new digs. LaMay has an entryway complete with an area for manicures, pedicures and cosmetology appointments. A second room opens up to a massage table, where candles line the room with a soft glow.


LaMay said she's known for her deep-tissue massages, but she offers a wide variety that also includes hot stone, Himalayan salt stone, Thai, Swedish and even barefoot massages. Barefoot massages she calls Ahhhshiatsu, and instead of using her hands, LaMay uses her feet to give the client a broader, deeper massage.


LaMay is also offering something she calls Massage Bootcamp. Clients will come in once a week for four weeks so, she said, they can train their bodies to feel how they want them to feel. Once the bootcamp is over, clients typically come once a month afterward, she said. Even LaMay gets a massage once a month, and it's something she's done for the last decade.


"The No. 1 killer out there is stress, and massage is stress-relieving and lifesaving," she said. "It improves your health. It improves your workout. It improves your outlook on life."


LaMay enjoys helping people de-stress, too. Massage is something she discovered she was good at in high school, when she found herself giving massages to classmates at parties. After graduating high school, LaMay was one of the first students to train in the new massage program at the New York College for Health Professionals in Syosset in Long Island, she said.


From there, LaMay moved to the Auburn area, where she worked at Mirbeau Inn & Spa in Skaneateles for about eight years. She continued her schooling, getting a degree in professional business management. She's offered her services in other spaces, and besides her studio in Auburn, she will continue to work at Innovation Day Spa in Liverpool.

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Besides massages, pedicures and manicures, LaMay will also be offering things like facials, full body waxing and makeup application. Outside of her studio, LaMay has also done spa parties and makeup for bridal parties. She said she has a good group of other professionals she can call on for help if needed.


But, LaMay said, she feels lucky to have found her passion so quickly out of high school. And with the support of her husband and two children, she's built up the confidence and experience to be able to hold her own.


"It's just always been my passion," she said. "It's always been the base of everything I've done. Even the aesthetics of makeup and what I've done, there's always massage in it. It's my passion, and I'm just lucky to have found it young."


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