Massage business a handful

Dorcas Barnes loves working with her hands.
After working for 15 years in a children centre in the social services sector, she began researching and planning a business idea.
That plan, for Dorcas Therapeutic Massage, came to fruition when she opened her Timmins, Ont. business in January 2009.
“I want to help people,” Barnes, a Moose Cree band member, said in revealing her motivation for starting her own business. “I have a love for humanity. With therapeutic massage, I know I can make a difference in people’s lives.”
Barnes was recognized with a Nishnawbe Aski Development Fund award for businesswoman of the year during a ceremony in Thunder Bay Oct. 20.
Barnes takes tremendous pride in helping people.
Whether it is relief from the pain of injuries suffered in a motor vehicle collision, chronic issues related to sports or just the desire for relaxation, Barnes can work on whatever ails her clients.
She offers massage therapy and other services which complement the field. These include hydrotherapy (the use of water for pain-relief and treating illness), steam inhalation, salt glow (and exfoliating treatment which leaves the skin feeling silky soft and renewed), paraffin wax (to moisturize and soften the skin), and body wraps to relieve stress.
Barnes said business is steady. She sees an average of five to six people a day.
The longer she’s been in business, the more it has grown.
“I do work with other community agencies,” she said. “I get referrals from doctors and refer my clients to other people in the field I think they would benefit from.”
Barnes works on her own and has no immediate plans to add a second massage therapist.