Today we’d like to introduce you to Heather Karr.
Heather, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’m a licensed massage therapist in Thousand Oaks, California and found that doing deep trigger point work was very painful to my hands and thumbs. I wanted my clients to benefit from the good deep work, but also wanted to protect my hands. I tried using a golf ball and although a golf ball is perfectly shaped for smoothly and deeply massaging hard-to-reach muscles, it was damaging to the palm of my hand when pushing deeply. I wanted a way to push the ball deeply into muscles but also disperse the pressure of the hard golf ball in my palm, yet still be small enough to allow my hands to glide on the client’s skin so it doesn’t feel like a tool is being used on them.
I made the first SPABALL Massager prototype in my kitchen oven from a mound of Sculpted clay. After many modifications not only did my unique design protect my hands, it made the ball more controllable, and allowed me to remain “in-touch” with the client. This enabled me to perform many deep massages with trigger-point work without injuring my thumbs, a common injury for therapists.
I proceeded to get it patented and manufactured in the USA and was lucky enough to attract the attention of the CBS show, The Doctors. Now they sell all over the world.
Has it been a smooth road?
Since I’m a therapist, and not a manufacture or salesperson, I learned as I was going along, which means it wasn’t a smooth and easy road. Also having enough funds to take each step was always a challenge but somehow it worked out.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
GBM Health is the manufacture of tools that utilizes a golf ball for deep therapeutic massage by therapists, as well as the average person and athletes for self-care.
I’m most proud of the fact that I invented a tool that is now helping another therapist all over the world. When I made the SPABALL I hadn’t intended on manufacturing and selling it … I just made it for myself to help me personally. I still get a thrill when a therapist writes me to tell me how much they love it.
My tool was the first tool to be used by professional therapist for massaging with a golf ball. A “Golf Ball Massage” was virtually unheard of because it was impossible to massage deeply without hurting your hands. Today it’s not uncommon to hear of a spa doing massage with golf balls.
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Manufacturing can be VERY expensive in this area but since the SPABALL is made with injection molding, without assembly needed, it’s cost effective to manufacture. Also, I have opportunities to demonstrate its use in person since I’m so close to so many large cities and the media.
Pricing:
- SPABALL Massager $16.99 (Includes: SPABALL, Golf Ball, Massage Techniques & Trigger Point Guide, and Velour Travel Pouch)
- SPABALL Massage KIT $34.95 (SPABALL, Golf Ball, Training DVD (45 min.), Massage Techniques & Trigger Point Guide, and Velour Travel Pouch)
- KaddyBACK $21.99 (KaddyBACK, Golf Ball, and Massage Techniques & Trigger Point Guide)
Contact Info:
- Address: 100 East Thousand Oaks Blvd., Suite 152
Thousand Oaks, California 91360 - Website: www.GBMhealth.com
- Phone: 805-857-5693
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SPAballKaddy/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SPABALLmassager
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahhhmmmheatherkarr
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