New Massage Therapy Businesses are Thriving in South Bruce

South Bruce residents Danielle Luet of Teeswater and Bryce McDiarmid of Mildmay recently opened respective massage therapy practices that have generated an instant demand for services within South Bruce and the surrounding area.
Luet runs Magic Hands RMT out of her home at 36 Clinton St N, Teeswater and Bryce McDiarmid RMT operates out of Namaste Salon and Spa at 60 Elora St, Mildmay.

Both registered massage therapists offer an array of services that assist in relaxing the nervous system and working muscle tissue to promote healing. Luet and McDiarmid note that a core aspect of massage therapy is educating clients on why they may hurt and how and which therapies may help. They go on to state that learning about body awareness and reliable self-help techniques will produce better massage therapy results. As such, they make it a priority to teach clients during their sessions.

Luet and McDiarmid discuss how fulfilling it is to provide an essential service to the community. They acknowledge, however, that there is a need for more registered massage therapists to meet local demand. They also note that having a greater demand for services than what is readily available is opposite to the experience of running a massage therapy practice in a city setting.

“Being in the city [for school] it’s completely different than a small town, we had a lot of courses on social media marketing,” said McDiarmid. “Then I got home, I haven’t posted one thing and I’m already full.”

McDiarmid, a Mildmay native, started her practice in January of 2023 following attending triOS College in Kitchener. As a life-long member of the community, McDiarmid talks about her excitement to not only pursue her vocation but also having the opportunity to work with clients and colleagues she has existing relationships with.

Luet explains that she moved to South Bruce in Nov of 2022 after her parents moved to the area. She describes that when visiting the community her experiences of participating in local events, being welcomed by community members, the friendliness of small-town life, and the opportunities for her children as key motivators to relocate to Teeswater.

“This is an upbringing [my children] will get what I sort of had being from Alliston,” said Luet. “I’ve made friends in the area that I get to hang out with, and they have kids, and our kids hang out. The Library and EarlyOn [programs] have been so good for both of them… there’s so much more help out here.”

She explained that she has been working in massage therapy for over ten years but had never operated her own business. She describes how moving to a community in need of massage therapy services, in a home with the extra space to accommodate her small business and childcare needs was what encouraged her to restart massage therapy.

Luet and McDiarmid talk about how health services in South Bruce support one another to provide the best care possible for clients. Healthcare service providers in South Bruce have attested to the amenities they provide for the region and welcome additional members to join them in providing care in South Bruce.

The two small businesses exemplify retention of community youth and attraction of new residents that is integral to achieve the Municipality’s strategic goal of fostering a vibrant and healthy community.

This article is part of an ongoing Community Revitalization series initiated by the Municipality of South Bruce