HOW I STARTED MY MASSAGE PRACTICE IN ZUIENKERKE

I MYSELF LIKE TO BE MASSAGED

In the Philippines, back in 2012 when I was still a student at one of the big universities in Manila, I used to go to local massage parlors with my ex-professor who became a life-long friend. He introduced it to me. I like to be massaged because there is something about touch that made me feel better.

Since then, I continued frequenting massage parlors (centers) to find relaxation and escape from the stress and pressure of the corporate world. I would go with my friends or alone to nearby ones in the heart of financial center of the Philippines, Makati, where I had worked as an external auditor.

A SILLY IDEA

In 2017, I took an opportunity to work as an auditor in Malta. I decided to entertain the idea of offering massage to others.

While I was travelling to Paris for vacation, I had missed the train to Switzerland, where I was supposed to meet my friend. I had to pay around CHF150+ for the following train.

It was my motivation to earn it back. I was surprised to find out that people are interested with my massage.

I earned around a hundred euros. But more than earnings, I discovered connections and networks. And I realized: maybe this is a gift I can share to the world. 

“It’s a silly idea,” I told myself. It was 2018 or so when I began to dream about having my own business: a massage salon. I and my colleagues were tired at work and we wish we could be something else. I found the idea silly, but fascinating, as if it’s freedom.

WHAT IS MY PURPOSE?

Then the pandemic came to Europe in the beginning of 2019. In that time, I found an opportunity and was just started in Luxembourg as a senior officer in a service provider in the asset management industry.

Everybody stayed at home. Restaurants and shops were closed. People died. I realised that life is short, that I don't like my job anymore. I was trapped.

In 2021, I was travelling with my friends in Bruges when I met my partner. Things began to turn around. We instantly clicked. After 1 year of knowing one another and going back and forth to my partner's home in Zuienkerke where I can telework, I realized that I want to start a new life with him and leave everything behind in Luxembourg.

 "So what do you want to do?” asked by a woman. I was being interviewed  by someone from an organisation in Belgium to help new comers get started on finding the right job and work. It was the beginning of 2023. I really wanted to study further. Maybe get another degree in IT. 

 “But I also like to do massage,” I confessed to her.

 “…do what?” She asked, trying not to laugh, as if there was something silly about what I just said. I explained about what my plans are and she summarized everything that we had discussed and put into a paper for me to sign: learn Dutch, maybe apply for a master diploma in IT, and few sites and resources here and there to help me. She did not forget to include a short line: John also likes to do massage.

TAKING A LEAP OF FAITH

It was not easy to find the right path for me. My savings are slowly being depleted. I go every weekday to Bruges from Zuienkerke, about 40 to 50 minutes by bike to learn Dutch. Thankfully, my partner was there to support me. His family and friends were also very supportive. I tried to volunteer to social activities organised by Zuienkerke, like the local theater. I also tried to help with my partner’s business.

In July 2023, the migration department denied my application for residence, despite trying to abide by the law properly. We had to find and pay a lawyer around 4,000 EUR. I had to find a job so I would not use my savings. I practiced Dutch day and night.

In September 2023, I went to a Job Fair. I decided to return to accounting. I immediately found a job and worked for 2 months. “I need to be practical,” I told myself. However, there was this same feeling again: I felt boxed, I felt caged. I was not free.

So even if I get paid a fixed salary, I decided to resign and continue finding a new path for me - maybe IT or maybe massage. I also tried other jobs, just to check where I would be really happy in.

I tried working in a chocolate factory for a week. I also tried a part-time job washing dishes. The work in the chocolate factory was worse than I thought: it was routinary, and boring. But the part-time job, I enjoyed because it was just 4 hours per day, and I have the free time to spend the rest of the day however I want it. 

In that time, in the year 2024, I was already advanced in Dutch. I rediscovered writing: but this time, I wanted to revisit my past by writing in Dutch. I continued to write whenever I found the time, until I was able to write up to 100,000 words in Dutch.

I realised that flexibility and freedom are very important to me: to be able to do what I want without having bosses or people dictate me what the rules are. But also creativity, the ability to do my own processes and improve those processes on my own.  

LEARNING THE CRAFT

I kept doing massages for free. This was something that naturally came to me. I searched for connections, and one of the ways to do it is through massage.  I massage my partner regularly.

Everytime I see how I could brighten people’s faces, and make a difference in their lives, it makes me also feel better. I see people as humans. Nowadays when I see people working, especially in the corporate world, I sometimes see people who have blank (or sad expressions).

(You are not supposed to “take things personally” at work. Showing emotions at work is a sign of unprofessionalism. And then, it builds up until one day, you are no longer able to work. It is easy for the companies, because they can always hire somebody else. What kind of world are we building?)

When my Dutch was good enough, I then decided to enroll at Syntra West.

There I have learned the theory, the basic techniques used, the effect on the body and the mind, and how to handle clients professionally. But most importantly, I learned that I can be myself.

“I want to be authentic,” I told my massage teacher. The theories are theories, but I wanted to have my own style. My own way of massaging.

In the Philippines, we do have our own rituals and traditional treatments. We use coconut oil and banana leaves. We have our own shaman, called “Manghihilot”, the town doctor. Back then, before medicine was even called medicine, people rely on “Manghihilots” to treat certain tensions to relieve pain, without science, all based on intuition.

BECOMING INDEPENDENT

When I got my certification in the beginning of 2025, my partner immediately helped me get started as an independent. His mom helped me set-up the room to make it look more cozy. 

I can have my own marketing strategy related to massage, and saunas, and I have the freedom I want to conceptualise. One of my networks from Filipinos in STEM,  also helped me build the first website, and gave a me a few ideas on how to design the customer experience flow online (such as creating an online booking system and linking it to my site). 

But it also comes with several disadvantages: my income is not fixed, and I have to pay taxes and submit taxes on my own. I have to pay my own social security, and even if I don’t earn, I need to pay something at a minimum.

I doubted whether I should just remain part-time self-employed and work with a company at the same time.

I realized that I wanted full freedom to do what I want. In the long-run, it will grow. So I am also investing, in a way, my time and efforts to make it grow. If I need to borrow money, then I would. I will not do work anymore that does not make me fulfilled. 

This was a perfect set-up for me, because when there are no customers, I do other things that I am passionate about, like writing, and research.

GROWING THE BUSINESS

I did not expect that I will take this path seriously. I really did not want to make a business of out of massaging. But this is where faith has led me . Two years ago, I used to massage only family and friends.

I am now almost 10 months with full-time self-employment. I have my own tax number. I have already finished two courses in massage. I have done it all in Dutch. I have my own studio (or house or salon or meditation room, whatever you call it). I have partnerships with a massage team for a 4-star hotel and a sauna.

My income is still below minimum, but it has been - surprisingly- steadily growing. I get a lot of good feedback that keeps me going, and I am supported by a lot of people. Now I have my own website.

More importantly I do what I like.