Spa shifting emphasis to massage therapy

For the past year, Jane Muthart has been contemplating making a very big change.

“We were turning massage clients away because we didn't have the room or the staff,” said Muthart, the owner of Polished Image Day Spa, “and then the light bulb went on.”

And so, beginning in July, Polished Image Day Spa will shift its business model from a salon that offers pedicures, manicures, facials and other beauty services to something different: Massage Yuma.

“We realized that transitioning to a spa that focuses on massage was where we needed to go.”

Muthart and her husband moved to Yuma almost 20 years ago from Tucson. Soon after settling in town, she realized that Yuma didn't have a salon with a true pedicure chair, so she launched Polished Image Day Spa. Since then, the boutique spa has been a fixture on the pampering scene — playing host to big-city beauty services like facials, waxing and massages — all with a small-town feel.

Within the past few years, however, nail shops begun cropping up all over town, eventually “saturating the market,” said Muthart. And because of the inexpensive cost for a pedicure and the sheer volume of customers who can buzz in for a quick manicure sans an appointment and for pennies on the dollar, Polished Image simply couldn't compete.

That's when Muthart saw an opportunity that integrated graduates from Arizona Western College's massage therapy program, a growing number of young, local folks looking for a solid career here in Yuma and a population devoid of a walk-in location for a much-needed massage.

Massage Yuma will offer the following: deep tissue, Swedish, pregnancy, and hot stone massages for just $42. In addition, folks can pop in for a 20-minute head and neck rub. And with extended hours, days (Monday through Saturday), online booking and walk-in appointments, Yumans will have ample opportunities to work out those sore muscles and pesky neck kinks.

For Muthart, it's been a bittersweet evolution from spa to massage salon — but she says she's confident that the community will “help us with this transition.” And Muthart is making it easy for current clients who have established relationships with their beloved hair and nail coiffeurs. Desiree Porter, an aesthetician, will begin offering her services in the cottage located behind Polished Image, and Angelica Morales, a cosmetologist, will funnel her clients to her new salon: Angel's Hair Studio (2540 S. 4th Ave., Suite 1).

Besides making sure clients are taken care of, Muthart is excited about some of the intangible aspects that come with Massage Yuma's renaissance. “With the economy faltering, we have all been working so hard. It's time to start treating ourselves.

“Yuma is ready for it.”