April 17, 2017

Meet Meg Taylor of Koru Therapy in Back Bay

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meg Taylor.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Meg. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Koru is the brainchild of myself and Carrie Stevens. We met as massage therapists employed by a (now non-existent) company in Downtown Crossing. We met a lot of wonderful bodyworkers there, and forged some professional relationships that we value highly, but we had some fundamental disagreements with the owner about how the place should be run, and how clients and staff should be treated. We left that office and, together with a business partner, opened Koru Therapy in 2010. Our aim was to create a relaxed, welcoming environment where people can get quality therapeutic bodywork at a reasonable price. We added acupuncture in early 2012, and encourage our clients to try both modalities. Our business partner left Koru in 2016, giving Carrie and I (now also a married couple) full control over the business. Our office is small and homey. We are friendly and laid back with our clients, and bring our dog to work with us.

Has it been a smooth road?
No, not at all. Bodywork is generally a difficult profession to make a living in, as it’s hard to predict how the economy and other things will affect people’s desires/abilities to spend money on what they might view as a luxury. It’s uncommon for both members of a (life) partnership to be bodyworkers, so that’s been a personal struggle. It’s hard to weigh our need for financial solvency against our unwillingness to charge people more than we think is reasonable or fair. We had a business partner for a while who was a good person, but who was stretched too thin and couldn’t focus on this company as much as was probably needed- and I personally had a difficult time allowing anyone else’s vision of what Koru could be to take control. There was talk about franchising or other locations, and I firmly am not interested in that.

Finding employees who live up to our standards and expectations has also been difficult. We have been lucky to have some amazing acupuncturists, but it’s difficult to find other massage therapists whose work is similar enough to ours that our clients will be comfortable and happy seeing them when we aren’t available.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are predominantly a therapeutic massage and acupuncture office, and that kind of work is where we shine. We are certainly capable of and willing to do relaxation work, but it isn’t what we’re best at and it isn’t how we can best serve our community.

Carrie is heavily focused on athletes of all kinds, from runners to ironmen (or women) to rowers. The kind of people who push their boundaries and are committed to their sport really inspire and interest her, and she loves to spend her time keeping them in prime condition. I too, am always happy to work on athletes, but I tend to trend heavily towards helping people who are spending too much time at their desks. Headaches, neck and shoulder problems, and sitting related hip issues- the stuff that everyone lives with and works through anyway- that’s what I love to work with. I love to send people back out to their lives and jobs feeling like they can focus on what is in front of them again, instead of what is hurting them. Our acupuncturists are amazingly capable people who treat everything from migraines and muscle problems to fertility and autoimmune issues.

I’m not really sure what we’re known for, aside from offering really high quality work in a super relaxed environment. I think if you asked our clients they’d tell you we’re known for making them laugh and genuinely caring about their lives. That also is sort of what I’m proudest of. That we have kept our integrity as people while trying to sustain a financially successful business. We never lose track of the fact that our clients are PEOPLE who have lives and problems beyond their aches and pains.

As far as setting us apart goes- well, we try to provide good conversation here as well, so we’re the people to turn to for an in-depth analysis of the latest Star Wars movie, or information about our favorite podcasts, or details on keeping chickens. You never really know what kinds of conversations you might be party to when you’re here.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Honestly, it’s a very hard market for MTs in Boston. There are a lot of us, and it’s difficult to find the space and clients you need to survive.

I’m not sure that that is something that the city of Boston can really have any impact on though- a flooding of the market is sort of out of their control.

Pricing: