In 1992, Jack Hayes went for the first massage he’d ever had. That one hour changed his life. He left the massotherapy center determined to devote the rest of his life to helping others attain and maintain health and wellness using the healing power of touch.
After 18 months of training to become a licensed massage therapist, Hayes ended his 25-year career as a telephone installation technician, just a few years shy of retiring from Ameritech with full benefits.
Armed with a panoply of ideas for exemplary customer service, he formed Connecting Touch Therapy & Wellness Center Inc. in Cuyahoga Falls. In four years, he’s earned a reputation not only for the healing services he and his staff provide, but for his uncommon approach to pampering his patrons. It is that extraordinary level of care which has made his business a success.
“People come here for all kinds of reasons, whether to escape stress from everyday life, to heal from a sports injury, a muscular disease, or just for a little peace and quiet. They expect a professional, high-quality massage and that’s what they get. But they also get a lot more amenities and they’ve grown to expect that from us,” Hayes says. “So I’m always devising new ways to improve on that quality service.”
Connecting Touch customers are greeted at the door by a smiling therapist, clad in khaki pants and a polo shirt, who immediately offers a warm Aromatherapy neck wrap and complimentary herbal tea or gourmet coffee. If it’s a new client, a brief medical history form is completed, followed by a guided tour of the center.
Massage treatments take place in immaculate therapy rooms that boast top-of-the-line massotherapy equipment draped with crisp, high-thread-count linens. A chocolate mint on the pillow, soft lighting and background nature music are niceties that set a soothing, stress-free atmosphere. When patrons leave, each is presented with a fresh carnation and a personal thank-you note. When it rains, Hayes or another staff member holds an umbrella and escorts customers to their cars.
The welcome treatment extends beyond appointments. Clients are invited to stop in anytime to relax in the center’s “quiet room,” with its bubbling fountain and potted plants. Many drop in to shop for Aromatherapy products, oils, lotions, relaxation music and massage and health-related books and videos. The gift shop showcases StrongLite massage equipment (of which the center is one of the top 10 distributors in North America) and serves as a classroom for reiki and yoga instruction.
Massage therapy is a healing art that’s been used for thousands of years, with benefits that have long been recognized in many cultures throughout the world. But it’s a practice that has been pooh-poohed as frivolous by many, and the creditability of massage centers as businesses has come under attack by cynics. Therein lies the challenge Hayes has had to overcome.
How did he do it? By establishing himself as a serious business owner and an individual committed to the health and welfare of his community. In addition to serving on boards of directors—such as the Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital Community Health Advisory Board, Cuyahoga Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Akron Regional Development Board’s Small Business Council, among others—Hayes gives back by way of his business profits.
Each month, one dollar from every massage is donated to a chosen charity. Connecting Touch Therapy has contributed to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, American Heart Association, Battered Women’s Shelter, Akron Child Guidance Center, Victim Assistance, YWCA’s Rape and Sexual Assault Services, among other charitable organizations. For that reason, Hayes was selected as one of the winners of the 1998 Medical Mutual Pillar Award for Community Service sponsored by SBN.
Hayes says it helps that people are finally disconnecting from presumptions that every business offering massage therapy is a “massage parlor” where questionable practices go on behind beaded curtains and green doors.
“People are accepting massage therapy as a modality of health and wellness,” Hayes says, noting that the practice has gained such respectability that more than 25 million Americans make 60 million visits to 85,000 massage practitioners each year. He points out that, in Ohio, massage therapists are required to take extensive training and become licensed by the State Medical Board—licensing which requires at least 600 hours of hands-on training and detailed studies in anatomy and physiology, similar to studies required of nurses.
“Insurance companies are also recognizing that the patients are turning to massage, with or without the insurance. This adds more validity to the fact that this is an accepted mode of health and healing. It gives this industry credibility,” Hayes says.
As for his hands-on approach to customer service, Hayes says that taking care of his customers by not taking them for granted has promoted the health of his business.
“I don’t think of the people who come here as ‘my clients,’ because they are not ‘mine.’ They are free seeking individuals who have chosen to do business with me. When business owners forget that customers can choose to go someplace else, that’s when customers will take their business elsewhere.”
How to reach: Connecting Touch (330) 945-9354