It is always risky to open a new business, but even more difficult when a world-wide pandemic hits a couple weeks after you secure a lease on your business location. “It has always been my dream to have my own business,” said Samantha Ballantyne, current owner of the Aloha Spa located at 273 West 500 South, #17 in Bountiful. When she graduated from the Renaissance Massage School in Bountiful and took her first job at a local spa, she was not impressed with the small wages and long hours offered. She resolved to reverse this trend by opening her own business where employees are more “taken care of” with good compensation and a great working environment. She first obtained further training in Tennessee, learning manual ligament therapy, and in Hawaii, learning the ancient art of Manalomi massage. Regular massage is more broken up, focusing on certain areas, while lomi strokes are long and fluid. Clients love this technique and feel extremely relaxed and lightened emotionally when experiencing it. She also researched different healing methods that would complement massage. Some electrical impulse equipment that gently awakens nerves, for example, and a couple of hyperbaric chambers that have long been used in hospital settings to speed healing. She has one very large hyperbaric chamber that allows the client to sit in a comfortable chair while being brought from “Summit to Sea” simulating the pressure of the deep end of a pool allowing to body to thoroughly oxygenate.

Ballantyne comes from a family of healers, with a mother that learned energy work, an accepted technique taught by massage schools nationwide. She loved being able to go to her mother when things were difficult and get body/mind work done. Three of her sisters have attended or plan to attend massage school. “Your body talks,” said Ballantyne. “I often have people cry or release other emotions as massage and energy work helps release everyday stress and old trauma.” No stranger to trauma herself, Ballantyne believes that her challenges help her understand her clients and how they might “work through it.” 

Surviving during COVID took courage and resourcefulness. All the rules required of businesses created anxiety for Ballantyne. “You could be assessed a $10,000 fine for failing to wear a mask in your business,” she said, “even if you were alone doing cleaning or book work.” As restrictions let up, she was able to convince people to come in capitalizing on being the only client in the newly minted spa – no crowds and plenty of cleanliness. Despite these efforts, it took about 18 months for the spa to start making a profit. Looking to the future, Ballantyne hopes to move to a larger facility, so she can employ more therapists and serve a larger clientele. “Aloha means the breath of life,” said Ballantyne. “That is what my business is all about, working through difficulties to awake to a better life.”