April 10, 2017

Meet Niall Carney of TheHealing.me in Venice

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Niall Carney.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I originally began my foray into the massage world well over a decade ago in Ireland, where I hail from. But my chances of advanced education over there were cut short due to a shortage of interest in a course I had wished to take and then, as it would be, life took over, many things happened, I eventually arrived in Los Angeles and four years ago began building my clientele under the sunshine of the westside. Of course, this came after completing my very thorough education and certification process, followed by shifts at various corporate and boutique spas dotted around my locale to gain the experience and knowledge derived from seven to eight hour, back to back days working on the human body. From the very beginning it was my intention to be a sole provider, so I wasn’t long for the spa world and realized from life lessons that word of mouth was to be my best form of advertisement. So, I ventured out, knocked on doors and began to establish myself amongst the clientele I found myself attracting and continue to find on my table to this day. It has been a very interesting journey with a lot of wonderful connections made, my life has truly prospered and blossomed through the power of touch.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing worth its salt is ever handed to you right? No, it hasn’t been an easy ascent. Being a Masseur (at least in Los Angeles) that caters to a female clientele, requires a subtle yet revealing approach to become established. In a spa environment, the client won’t see you until you come out to greet them and by then they have already made a decision on whether they prefer a male or female therapist. 90% of massage therapists at a spa, perhaps more, are female and this cross over into the sole provider realm. In my naivety, I hadn’t completed the requisite intelligence gathering before setting out on my own. Fortunately, I learn quickly and soon discovered the contacts I needed to boost my recognition and put me in the right arena. Considering the nature of the therapy provided, it makes perfect sense to me that a client would wish to see who it is that will be massaging them or at least to receive valid assurance from someone they trust about the male therapist they are about to see. A simple website with adequate information, photos of myself in action with a client and a few other shots that show me as a person as well as a professional, all consolidated to a link on a card with a phone number, email address and certification id allowed my wings to spread and begin to take me higher. This makes it sound simple but even in hindsight I can be an optimist.

TheHealing.me – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a Massage Therapist and I operate as TheHealing.me. I provide massage as a mobile service to your home, or at your location, as well as providing a space in my studio, located in Venice CA. Amongst the modalities I specialize in are Deep Tissue, Shiatsu, Acupressure, Swedish and an augmented Lomi-Lomi technique as well as an actual Lomi-Lomi style massage. For the most part, 9 out of 10, my clients allow me to work on them intuitively and this generally lends itself to deeper work, balanced by soothing strokes and focused pressure where it is required. I am delighted that I have been able to carve out my niche in a market proliferated with many variations on the spa theme. I found by being myself in my approach has been what has allowed me to grow, drawing towards me a wonderful clientele. My clients range from high profile individuals to college students, visitors, to natives of Los Angeles. Massage can be the great leveler, there is always a balance achieved on my table and as TheHealing.me, I am happy to provide that benefit to my clients.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
It is very hard to pinpoint an individual, salient moment in my career. There are many stories to share of back issues, generally related to tensions and untreated stresses that have melted away under pressure I have applied. The nature of the work I do is quite personal and there is a sense that I am a confidante of sorts, which I am wholly honored to be thought of, I treat that with the utmost respect. I will say, that when a session is complete and my client is resplendent in a state of bliss, through the energy and their thanks in the ether, they elevate me to a mutual state of grace that I take with me and which has had amazingly positive effects throughout all areas of my life as a result. The adage, “giving to receive” comes to mind but at the time, truly something more esoteric has occurred.

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