Press Room

April 12, 2007
Section: BUSINESS
Rubbing People the Right Way
DENNIS P. CARMODY
Asbury Park Press
By DENNIS P. CARMODY

ASSISTANT BUSINESS EDITOR
THE PAMPERED SPIRIT POINT PLEASANT

Mobile massage business run by Bridget Turnbach, who changed its name from The Pampered Soul after she and a partner split up last year.

She offers massages in the home or office, using a portable massage table that is about the same size as a twin bed.

She also promotes her services to local hotels, catering to tourists staying at bed-and-breakfast inns.

Bridget Turnbach graduated from college with a degree in education, but before jumping into the classroom, she wanted to spend a summer backpacking in Europe. And that's where she got another kind of education. Turnbach pulled a rib muscle from carrying her backpack while in Amsterdam. She asked around for a chiropractor, but locals recommended a masseuse instead.

The effectiveness of the massage was startling. "It cost me $35, which blew my "Europe on $50 a day plan,' but I was sold on it," Turnbach recalled. If that wasn't enough, four weeks later, she and a friend got massages in the German resort town of Baden-Baden. Much to her surprise, after the massage was done, the two were ushered into what was called "the dead room." The whole point was to keep the customers from rushing out the door after a massage, but instead force them to stay in a quiet place for an hour, where they could read, talk or in any other way relax.

It convinced her to pursue a career in massage herself, and now she runs The Pampered Spirit, a mobile massage business in which she travels to clients' homes and businesses to offer rubdowns.

"I believe in following your intuition," Turnbach said. "I know exactly what I want, and I'm heading for it."

It's been a circuitous route to this point, but Turnbach, a 34-year-old Point Pleasant resident, said the business is growing. "I can see the progression," she said.

After returning from Europe, she put her planned teaching career on hold to study massage at the Garden State Center for Holistic Health Care in Lakewood. She went on to work at the Hilton hotel in Long Branch, and later moved to Colorado and Florida, plying her trade in those states. She returned to the Shore in 1999 and opened a massage shop in Point Pleasant Beach, but the following year her landlord sold the building and she lost her lease. Around this time, Turnbach decided to go for a steady paycheck, getting a job as a history teacher at Kearny High School for two years, then going on to work two more years at Freehold Township High School after that. During this period, she did massage work part-time for the Atlantic Club in Wall.

Her time as a schoolteacher convinced her that was not how she wanted to spend the rest of her days. "Teaching in high school was not where I was meant to teach," Turnbach said. "My teaching career has branched into wellness."

So she left teaching and last year partnered with another masseuse, Colleen Jefferis, to start a massage business, which they named The Pampered Soul. From the start, the idea was to make it a mobile business, not one tied to a spa. "Unless I can own the building, I don't want a store," Turnbach said.

Making the business mobile also helps with clients, she said. The massage is done in familiar surroundings (Turnbach brings a collapsible table for clients to lie on), and once their massages are over, they don't have to wipe out the sensation of contentment by hopping in the car and fighting traffic.

Additionally, more male clients prefer massages at home. "Guys don't want to go to a spa and put on a robe and slippers," Turnbach said. Her clients are split about half and half between male and female, she said. The business grew, but Jefferis, who was working at the business part-time, decided she didn't want to quit her day job to help the massage business get bigger. So at the beginning of this year the two parted ways, and Turnbach changed the name of the business.

Turnbach charges $80 for a one-hour massage. Carol Hand, a Wall resident, has been getting monthly massages from Turnbach for years. "She's clean, she's efficient, she's just a pleasure," Hand said. "It worked for my sinuses, and it worked for my shoulder blades." Knocking on doors

When Turnbach isn't giving massages, a lot of her time is spent drumming up business, she said. She promotes her services for corporate outings and also attends bridal expos, promoting his-and-her massages and spa nights for bachelorette parties, where additional workers will come in to offer manicures and other treats. "I still knock on a lot of doors," she said. While she wouldn't reveal her annual revenue, she said the business is growing, and she is confident it will get big enough that she can franchise the concept within a couple of years. Her husband, Edward, works for the Ocean County Juvenile Detention Center, and his salary has helped support the family as Turnbach concentrates on building her business. "I have a 3-year-old son (Dane)," Turnbach said. "If I don't follow my dream, I won't be able to show him that you can do this."

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