massage envy — for a better, happier you
The story begins back in 2002 when 29-year old Eugenia Tzoannopoulos packed up and moved to Scottsdale, Arizona on a whim. She had visited Scottsdale in the past and had fallen in love with it. An Executive Director of Marketing at the time, Eugenia had been gifted a couple of guest passes to a Massage Envy there. It wasn’t a well known, nationwide brand as we know it today—locations were limited to Arizona, Nevada and California, but she fell in love with the concept of continuous, affordable self care and kept going back. What she realized was that these once a week visits were doing wonders for her physical health, but also her mental and emotional health. It became clear that this company concept was going to boom, so in 2007, the entrepreneur at heart jumped at the opportunity to open up her own franchise on the East Coast, eventually owning two locations—one in Fairfield, CT and one in Stamford, CT. She knew that the East Coast, fast paced lifestyle could really benefit from these services. The days of hanging out in a spa for a full day seemed impossible, and Massage Envy really brought affordable, therapeutic “me time” that accommodated everyone’s busy schedules.
Photo Cred: Marta Muryn Portrait
Eugenia hunkered down. Finances were tight, but then she pulled every string to find the backing she needed to build out the Fairfield location. “I think it really goes back to, if you love and you’re passionate about something, you make it happen, and you’re always going to be successful in it.” With 500 customers lined up before opening their doors, the investment was well worth it. In fact, Eugenia did such a great job that she was quickly retained developing the New England market, now managing 55 locations under her.
Even with Eugenia’s hectic life, her dedication to her staff is undeniable. Three of the original therapists from day one are still there and the average tenure of her therapist team is about 10 years! It’s all about teamwork and instilling an inclusive, family culture that radiates positivity at her Massage Envy locations. She makes it a point to help her staff grow in their craft by supporting continuous education and providing extensive training both in-house and out. Scheduling is determined by therapists availability. “We never want to make a therapist injured or or hurt, it’s a very physical job. It’s mental and it’s physical. So that is what they determine, and we work around that.”
Eugenia continuously instills the importance of developing relationships with their customers and fostering a clean, comfortable and safe environment for all parties. Plainly, they take care of their people, staff and customers alike.
While the pandemic last year impacted their business, their clients have been excited to come back. Working from home, juggling so many new responsibilities, customers old and new are more and more suffering from lower back pain, but there’s good news: it’s fixable! You don’t have to live with the discomfort. Last month the Fairfield location did about 1900 services and back in March they did over 2000 services. These numbers are a clear indication that people need this! Everyday stress, the madness that was 2020… you need to allow yourself to feel what it’s like to relax. Just for one hour, take care of yourself. It’s not a luxury. One of their first clients who is 89 years old, has been with them for 14 years and goes in twice a week. “She says we keep her vertical!”
Photo Cred: Marta Muryn Portrait
Photo Cred: Marta Muryn Portrait. From L to R: Megan Sarita, Eugenia Tzoannopoulos, Darius Fogle, Stephanie Johnson and Henessy Figueroa.
For now they’re abiding by safety standards and protocols such as calling or texting upon arrival, temperature checks at the door (on your wrist, which is pretty cool), air filtration systems in every room that kill bacteria, viruses, and contaminants including COVID-19 in less than seven minutes.
After 14 years in business, Massage Envy has grown to offer so much more than just massage therapy. You can enhance your massage in numerous ways including hot stone, aroma therapy, rapid tension relief with the use of a percussion gun, full body stretch, and even skin care services using medical grade product lines for effective, visible results—it is all catered to you and your needs. They’re also certified in prenatal massage, so wherever our pregnant ladies are, get ready for some much needed pamper time! Services also include chemical peels with PCA that are extremely gentle, unlike other peels that leave you looking super red and untouchable. Microderm Infusion not only removes unwanted layers of dead skin, but infuses hydration back into your skin to nourish and plump it up. Younger clientele as well as adults can transform their skin with a short Acne Series, not to mention indulging in a Total Body Stretch to lengthen and realign.
Remember, being a better, happier version of yourself isn’t a luxury. Releasing physical and emotional tension from your body is necessary, and Massage Envy invites you to pop in or join their Membership as the first step to a better you. “We customize all of our services here and we’re affordable so that our customers can come in more frequently for their self care needs.”