Meet Nikkee Payne | LMT

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

Hi Nikkee, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Work-life balance is something that is very important to me. I value my time so much as well as my health. I am lucky that I can set my hours in such a way that I am able to live my life fully as well as care for my clients in the way I enjoy.
I think it is important to work hard but also have a life that brings you joy; it shows in the way you show up in work. For me, my life and work are equally important. I want to be able to go to the gym, play softball, and care for myself while also showing up fully to care for the people I get the privilege to work with.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
In Boulder, there are so many great bodyworkers, I have been blessed to be surrounded by this greatness and still create a thriving business here alongside them all. If you had told me as a little girl I would one day own my own business and get to help so many people feel better in their bodies, I would have thought you were crazy. I am so lucky that my clients trust me to help them find balance and work through hard things so they get to do the things they love most in life.

Covid actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise for me. It started out with me thinking I wasn’t going to be able to work for a good while, but it eventually gifted me with the ability to open my own practice with a great clientele already built up from my previous employer, Massage Specialists. It took time and effort to build the wonderful practice I now have. It was never easy but always worth it.

Enlightened Bodyworks has been a dream since massage school — a small town Nebraska girl who has built a beautiful life and business in Boulder, Colorado, where she gets the opportunity to push people and their bodies. There are moments where I truly think my clients might cry, but then they get up off my table and feel pretty spectacular. It’s such a gift to be able to help people feel better (even if in the moment it might not feel the best). I am strong yet empathetic and can understand people and their limits. I think my understanding of people gives me an extra gift to be able to help them in massage as well.

Due to my success, I now get an amazing opportunity to grow my business with AMO, a collective of alternative medicine practitioners in Boulder that are coming together in a space to offer our talents to help people feel better in their bodies. I will be one of the massage therapists in the space, along with some chiropractors and an acupuncturist. It’s an exciting move for me to be making this October.

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.
There would be hiking for sure! I usually take my friends to Sanitas or to Chautauqua, which is pretty standard for Boulder, really. I also usually drag them out to the trail behind the Boulder Reservoir just so my dog can go swimming.
Tacos and Mexican food are a must, like Wapos in North Boulder. My favorite pizza is in Longmont at Urban Field, or if we don’t want to drive that far, Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage is a great alternative. Walking over to Rayback and hanging out with the dog is a given, too, as it’s close and the vibe is wonderful. A rooftop will probably happen down off of Pearl St., either that or we will go out to Upslope to sit and bask in the beauty of Boulder. Honestly, there are so many great trails and places to stop that I think any of my friends would be happy with whatever we end up doing.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I have had the honor of working for some great people over the years. Amy Williams, a close friend, licensed massage therapist, and Access Consciousness practitioner, has continuously guided me through it all. I am so grateful to call her a friend and mentor. She is really just one of the many people who have supported me and pushed me over the years. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the help of many people.

Website: https://enlightenedbodyworks.com

Instagram: nikkeep