March 20, 2017

Meet Reneé Kimes of Pregnancy Massage Center in Virginia-Highlands

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Reneé Kimes.

Reneé, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I started massage therapy school in 1998 because I was interested in infant massage. Along the way I started to go in the direction of sports and orthopedic massage and graduated with an Associate’s degree from Boulder College of Massage Therapy in 2000. I moved to Atlanta and got a job with a spa. In 2004, I had renewed interest in infant massage and with that came a preoccupation with prenatal/postpartum massage and doula work. I met Julie Howell (now Robbins) who started the Pregnancy Massage Center and rented the office across from her.

In 2007, my best friend (Sarah Tidwell) and I bought the company from Julie who was moving to Florida and no longer wanting to do massage, so she was happy to have her baby in good hands. Sarah passed away in 2009.

In 2016, we opened a 2nd office in Roswell GA.

PMC is a syndicate of pregnancy/postpartum massage specialists focused on women’s relief through massage. Some of us have other specialties including Fertility Massage and Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No.

Well first, I am a massage therapist by nature not a business woman so the business aspect is a constant challenge and while it gets better as time goes by it does not come naturally. Also, losing my business partner (and best friend) during hard economic times was quite excruciating and I don’t feel I served the business well during those times.

The constant, long running issue as we expand is finding great therapists that are properly certified.

Please tell us about Pregnancy Massage Center.
We are the Pregnancy Massage Center. We specialize in fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum. We are not exclusive though and serve non-pregnant women and men also.

I am most proud of the quality of our therapists (myself included). They are incredibly talented, passionate, and caring. We are also committed to educating women about what is happening to their body and promoting self-care.

What sets us apart is knowing we are specifically trained and incredibly knowledgeable about the issues that come with fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum. We also have a special set of bolsters to support a very cozy side-lying position.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
When it comes to thinking about my business it is my sister and I eating chocolate chip cookies on our stairs while we watched my mother teach her Lamaze classes. I have been enamored with pregnancy and childbirth since I was just a child myself.

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