Meet Dejanae Bankhead | Licensed Massage Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dejanae Bankhead and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dejanae, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
It all starts with the individual. Caring for myself empowers me to show up fully for my community. I am so grateful for the opportunity to use massage to help my clients lower stress levels and manage pain. My clients leave sessions feeling rejuvenated and empowered to better support themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. The ripple effect self-care initiates, changes the world one person at a time.

What should our readers know about your business?
I had a five year plan after graduation. Work, save money, gain experience, and eventually build a business model. Life, and an amazingly uplifting community fast tracked me with an opportunity to rent a beautiful space and start my own business. So I jumped on board. I received my massage license in January 2024 and started employment in spa and chiropractic jobs. I worked a lot, probably too much, and saved a significant sum of money to invest in the practice I was set to start up in October of 2024. Designing my own spa room and buying the curtains, linens, furniture, hot stones, and other spa luxuries was so fun, and well worth all the hard work.

I started completely from scratch! I was able to create an LLC, a website, payment processing, and booking site, including intake forms and waivers. Now, back in 2020 I went on a side quest to sell my art. It went about how you’d imagine, but I’d spent the time to learn how to create a website and payment processing. So this time around was not nearly as difficult or frustrating. It’s amazing how the “unsuccessful” ventures of my past have buoyed my success in my current career path.

I believe that I am successful as a Licensed Massage Therapist because the position lies at the intersection of what gives me purpose, what helps others, and what is financially fruitful. I absolutely love being an LMT! My love of the work has really been the make-or-break factor of venturing out of employment and going solo so early on in my career. It has been a huge push to get my business off the ground, and it is still a work in progress, but it has all been on my terms. It is incredibly rewarding to base my practice around my client’s needs, rather than corporate greed.

Building my business has shown me how to trust myself. I truly do not know what I am doing. I don’t have any formal business training. But I’m here! I stay teachable. I keep an open mind, trust my gut, and I don’t let fear get in the way of opportunity. My intention is to create a safe, client centered business that benefits me and my community. That intention is magnetic. Marketing, I’ve done my best. Business planning, done my best. Book keeping, I’ve hired someone because my best is not good enough and I needed to get that one right. Nothing is perfect, and when I finally accepted this, I was able to move forward rapidly.

Magnetic Soul Massage has developed into a thriving practice because as much as I’ve strived and worked hard, I’ve also trusted the process, relaxed and allowed everything to flow into place.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Welcome to Greeley! It’s a connected and diverse community. Get ready for a full weekend! Lets take a lap around Bittersweet Park before we have lunch at Sala Thai. The Armory downtown is a great place to have coffee, catch a show, or visit a gallery opening. We can visit mendnoco.org to take a class on composting, bee keeping, or even volunteer to pick up trash around town. We can go rock climbing at the Greeley Climbing Collective. Let’s take some time for self-care and go to a hot yoga class at Balanced Movement. An excellent way to recover and revitalize awaits at my spa, Magnetic Soul Massage with a head to toe treatment, full body relaxation massage. You’ll sleep great tonight!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Jessica Montoya is my friend, landlord, and inspiration. She held out her hand to me a year ago, an invitation to start my own massage practice and join her in the collective space, Alexandra Jane and Company. Jessica has multiple years of experience running her successful esthetics spa, Jane Says Esthetics. We love our swanky collective, one stop shop for hair, skin care, lashes, permanent makeup, and massage.

Website: https://Magneticsoulmassage.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/magneticsoulmassage?igsh=MTQ4YTVhaXhjeHp4cQ==

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1J6GVfaYxt/