BizBeat: Shelly Poe finds passion through new massage therapy business

Shelly Poe poses at Massage Wellness, located in Jefferson City inside Wheat Chiropractic on Diamond RIdge.
Shelly Poe poses at Massage Wellness, located in Jefferson City inside Wheat Chiropractic on Diamond RIdge.

Shelly Poe has come a long way in nine months, from waiting tables to kickstarting her career with a new massage therapy business, Shelly Poe Massage Wellness.

Poe opened Shelly Poe Massage Wellness in late January inside Wheat Chiropractic and Wellness Center, at 1001 Diamond Ridge, Suite 900, in Jefferson City.

Poe currently offers Swedish and deep-tissue massages, and she hopes to soon offer sports massages.

"I feel like my hands can kind of hear the muscle fibers just kind of move and crack," she said.

Poe said she was unsure at first if massage therapy was the right career for her. But after a friend convinced her to pursue it, Poe fell in love with the field.

Poe graduated from Metro Business College's massage therapy program in December 2019 and opened her business shortly after.

"I'm so proud of myself. I think sometimes I sit back and I want to cry," Poe said, fighting back tears while looking around her business.

Knowing she's making a difference in people's lives is the most rewarding part of her job, she said.

One thing Poe is looking forward to is her husband, Robert, seeing her new business. He was deployed to Baghdad last spring and will return next month.

"I've taken on a lot since he's been gone," she said. "When he left, I was serving tables, and when he comes home, it's flipped. I completely changed my life in a matter of nine months."

Many patients at Wheat Chiropractic schedule massages with Poe before they go to their chiropractic appointments, she said. Since Poe is an independent contractor inside Wheat Chiropractic, her clients do not have to be patients at Wheat Chiropractic to book appointments, she added.

Clients can call 573-353-5741 or email [email protected] to make an appointment.

Shelly Poe Massage Wellness is normally open 9:15 a.m.-4:30 p.m., but Poe said the hours are sometimes flexible.

She currently offers an introductory rate of $35 for a 50-minute full-body massage for new clients. She also offers 60-minute, 90-minute and two-hour massages, along with hot towels and salt scrubs.

Know of any business happenings around Jefferson City? Let us know at [email protected].