Four years ago Karen McVean branched out with her own massage business after working as a contractor for someone else. While she started initially in her house, followed by a retail space, she eventually discovered the support of a group of wellbeing practitioners at the Abbotsford Convent.

When asked about what drew her to the convent, Karen said, "My vision was to build my own successful business. I was confident with the quality of my massage service (but) I didn’t know where to land for a few years until I lived near the Convent... It’s a wonderful area, plenty of positive community, great places to walk, close to a bubbling creative urban vibe and surrounded by paddocks, river and gardens. Wow!"

The Abbotsford Convent is unique as a business location in that it's a destination attraction that attracts locals as well as visitors from interstate and abroad.  She says, "Clients are a mix of locals and visitors (drop ins) who may be coming for a few hours or for a few days." As well as its unique location, the wellbeing wing pool of practitioners pool marketing resources together to promote as a group, aiding in cross promotion and making life a little easier for a growing business.

Massage was not Karen's first occupation, and she delayed her career move from a librarian and business indexer for over a decade. She explains, "KM grew out of a purposeful life change. Out of curiosity I took a course in Swedish massage. Then I put the thought of becoming a massage therapist on hold.... (but) in 2013 I started study."

She moved on to study both remedial massage and Bowen therapy. She says, "My philosophy is about keeping it simple - merging regular massage with therapeutic healing techniques to tailor a massage experience for each client." 

For more information you can visit KM Remedial Massage on the Convent website.