Leveraging Massage Into a Wellness Future

16 Sep 26

with Kelly Hander

How does a massage therapist evolve from practitioner to business owner, build a thriving team, and then expand beyond a labor-dependent business model?

In this episode of StarrCast Podcast, host Lisa Starr talks with Kelly Hander, owner of Be Well Body Works in Longmont, Colorado, about her 25-plus-year journey in massage therapy and the lessons she learned while becoming an employer, leader, and wellness business owner. Kelly shares how she built a financially healthy business, created a culture that supports therapist career longevity, and recently expanded Be Well with private contrast therapy rooms and red light therapy.

What You’ll Learn

Why being a talented practitioner does not automatically prepare you to run a successful wellness business
How financial health can support better jobs, training, equipment, and client care
Why workload, compensation, culture, and career longevity matter when attracting and retaining massage therapists
How Kelly created consistency without asking every therapist to deliver an identical massage
Why Be Well added contrast therapy and red light therapy as a way to expand services and create growth that does not require therapists to physically do more
How memberships can encourage clients to use wellness services consistently and support recurring revenue

Episode Highlights

03:27 – How clinical massage shaped Kelly’s approach to therapeutic care

08:49 – The transition from skilled practitioner to business owner

11:38 – Why a financially healthy business supports better care

13:42 – Creating a workplace where massage therapists can build lasting careers

18:28 – Building consistent guest service without creating cookie-cutter treatments

24:36 – Recognizing when the original business had reached its growth limits

25:04 – Adding contrast therapy and red light therapy to the business model

33:45 – Growing revenue without asking therapists to physically do more

40:38 – How to evaluate new wellness equipment and modalities before investing

47:06 – Evolving from a massage studio into a place designed to help people feel better

Meet the Guest

Kelly Hander is the owner of Be Well Body Works in Longmont, Colorado. With more than 25 years in massage therapy, Kelly began her career with extensive therapeutic and clinical training before building Be Well into a team-based wellness business. Her newly expanded facility combines six massage rooms with five private contrast therapy rooms and a red light therapy bed.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned

Kelly discusses therapist mentoring and ongoing training, management structure, massage and contrast therapy memberships, private sauna and cold plunge experiences, red light therapy, and the importance of researching new modalities based on client needs, business culture, and long-term goals.

Closing Insight

Kelly’s story is a reminder that sustainable growth in a spa or wellness business requires a willingness to keep learning, adapt the business model, invest in the team, and stay focused on the experience you want to create for clients.

As Kelly puts it, “If you’re willing to keep going, the door will keep opening.”

Subscribe to StarrCast Podcast for more conversations with spa and wellness professionals about leadership, operations, guest experience, team development, and building stronger wellness businesses.