Meet Hannah Grindstaff of Vital Balance Massage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Hannah Grindstaff.

Hi Hannah, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
I originally worked in healthcare as an NA2 going for my RN on LTAC and nephrology as well as working home health. I started having struggles with my own health issues in childhood and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at 20. I tried every medicine, diet, immunotherapy possible and just kept getting worse, weighing 87 pounds until I had to have emergency surgery at UNC at 22 years old where they removed part of my intestines and colon and placed a temporary ileostomy that was reversed 4 months later. My health struggles and reactions to different medicines or their effect in my quality of life made me want to find natural alternatives to managing my health and stress. I was burnt out working in health care and had little drive to keep pursuing it and had a charge nurse mention pursuing massage therapy.

I ended up pursuing it as I happened to be on my way to my home health office to drop off patient notes when I was hit at a stop light and unable to continue working at the hospital as a result. This led me to finding a private in-home job where a school had opened up nearby and I spoke with them about their massage therapy program. I applied and got in. I spent the next two years working several jobs and attending night school full-time. I graduated the program in 2014 and was licensed in 2015. I mentored under a Korean Medical Massage therapist and learned a lot about traditional medicine and massage.

I moved from my hometown of Fayetteville, NC to the triangle and began learning as much as I could in different modalities and clinic settings to see what kind of massage therapist I wanted to be. I love the medical/technical side of massage therapy, but I think emotional and mental health are big contributors to our physical health and vice versa. I went to my first traditional Thai massage course in 2017 with Jill Burynski of Living Sabai and found everything I was looking for. I fell in love with everything in traditional Thai medicine. Over the years, I continued working for franchises, spas, and clinics where I didn’t feel I could really incorporate all the skills I had. In 2018, I opened Vital Balance Massage part-time and spent my free time off gaining new clients. By February of 2020, I announced I was opening Vital Balance Massage full time, but it was postponed due to the pandemic. By July 2020, I opened and have been busy ever since. In 2022, I completed all of my Thai training with Living Sabai and really immersed myself into incorporating it into my practice. I truly believe it helps body, mind and spirit. In 2023, I was accepted to study abroad in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I left for a month in January of this year and was able to train at the world renowned ITM school in Chiang Mai as well as study with herbal medicine doctors, and really amazing Thai Massage masters. I love the ability to connect with my clients and try to understand what’s ailing them whether it’s physical or emotional, and providing them a calm place to help facilitate healing themselves and learning ways they can help themselves in their everyday lives. I plan on continuing to learn everything I can in traditional medicine and making Traditional Thai massage and shiatsu main components of Vital Balance Massage and introducing them as well as the culture to my clients to be able to maintain better life balance.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely wasn’t smooth by any means, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. There was a lot of health struggles, financial for sure, as I was struggling to make ends meet while going to school. I also felt like I couldn’t really make it in my hometown and had to move out to the Triangle for more job opportunities. I learned a lot about the industry and all aspects of how things work. I’m strictly against franchises of the industry for how they exploit their licensed professionals and encourage everyone to open a private practice or find a reputable clinic/spa that treats their employees well. I was scared when the pandemic hit and used all of my savings to invest in supplies and equipment, but it paid off. I’ve been so grateful to be able to have Vital Balance Massage five years in because I definitely had to fight for it.

As you know, we’re big fans of Vital Balance Massage. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
I started Vital Balance Massage in 2018 to be a place where I could really help my clients and work on my terms. Vital Balance Massage is all about finding balance in mind, body, and spirit. I want it to be a laid-back environment where clients can be themselves, not feel judged about their bodies, what they’re going through, or just need a place to decompress in our hectic society. I provide a lot of different modalities that I group under therapeutic because it’s subjective to each client’s goals/needs such as: cupping, myofascial work, trigger point, deep tissue, Swedish, hot stone, sports, etc. but my most favorite is traditional Thai massage. It’s been practiced for thousands of years and personally speaking, I feel actually helps my body in every system (nervous, lymphatic, circulatory, muscular, skeletal) , mind and just helps me feel overall balanced. I have had so many massages of varying kinds and usually I feel like I’m right back to where I was a week later. With Thai, the effects last longer, my sleep is improved, and I feel like I’m actually better! It’s known as “lazy man’s yoga” in the states, it’s done fully clothed on a mat and is compared to seeing your acupuncturist, massage therapist and chiropractor all at once. I just got back from Chiang Mai to study with some amazing masters in Thai Massage and have plenty of new techniques to incorporate! Overall, my goal is to help any and every one that trusts me to and feel safe with their care in my hands. Try traditional Thai if you feel like standard Western massages haven’t worked for you.

www.massagebook.com/biz/VitalBalanceMassage

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love how much diversity we have in businesses and culture. I think it’s really great to see new small businesses opening and to support any and everything creative! We have so much to offer for all walks of life, and I think that’s just amazing!

I really dislike seeing any franchise/big box stores/restaurants /etc. And absolutely love to see more private/small businesses, whether it’s the service industry retail, or even spas! I highly encourage people to support small, local businesses over any of the larger companies.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.massagebook.com/biz/VitalBalanceMassage
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vitalbalancemassage?igsh=YnluYTRkaHZsdTJl&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/vitalbalancefv?mibextid=LQQJ4d