Jeanna Mead is one of the most compassionate and caring people you will ever meet. Rockwall Body and Soul massage has been around for six years and they have just moved into the historic Cade house located at 925 N. Goliad. Her story is one that should be heard.
“I have always been one of those people that touched others to communicate, to offer support, and to show compassion, however my reasons for becoming a massage therapist are many,” Mead said. “My mom was deaf and radiation during her fight with cancer made her lose almost all her vision, and the only way she felt any relief from pain was when she was being stroked and touched. She, in turn, would touch our faces and hair to know who we were and would sign into my hands.”
After her mom passed, she enrolled in massage therapy school. Her intention was to help others while also helping to provide for my family.
“I was also raised by my Mema who would tell me to ‘Feel with both hands’ which was her way of saying that you must hold on with both hands, reach with both hands, give your all and do nothing half way, no half hearted attempts, half way hugs,” Mead said. “She would always lay her hand on the person she was talking to, giving physical connection as well as spiritual and mental attention. So all those things bought me into the art and craft of massage.”
There is one other thing. She is deaf. She does not let that get in her way of going after what she wants though, or anything else for that matter.
“I think hearing people, not all, that’s a broad statement, but most are afraid of silence. If it’s too quiet, something must be wrong, they have to talk to fill the air, you know.”
“My hearing loss is actually one of my greatest assets as a massage therapist. I’m very intuitive and trust my instincts with a person’s body,” Mead said. “I have had so many clients thank me over and over when I tell them that I don’t talk to them during the massage. People appreciate the quietness, the time to meditate and relax during the session. I often tease that I’m really good with my hands since I also know ASL and can communicate with my hands.”
“With the type of bodywork I do, we believe that every time you touch the body, you reach the soul. You have no idea what past experiences people have, whether they have been abused, whether they have been a victim of sexual assault,” Mead said. “You have to be very mindful of that when you touch them.”
Mead specializes in treating those who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. She explained that some military that come to her can’t stand to have any music playing, but others must have something playing.
“Sometimes certain scents trigger certain memories so you have to be very mindful of that,” Mead said. “You can’t just start putting in peppermint oil or lavender oil. We’re taught to hold our breath, look at the person breathing and then breathe with them. Especially with people with PTSD. Then your breath becomes natural with theirs. “
My hearing loss is actually one of my greatest assets as a massage therapist. I’m very intuitive and trust my instincts with a person’s body
“The first thing you do is you touch them to let them know. I always come in and say ‘It’s me, it’s Jeanna,” Mead said. “Normal people, most of the time, they’ll go ahead and put their face in the cradle and all that. Not PTSD clients, not police officers. They keep their head up until they see it’s me that’s coming in the door and I’m the one that shuts the door. They stay alert until my hands are on them. Some of my military guys ask me to lock the door for their safety, for their peace of mind. And I do that. Because I trust the bond and the relationship I have with them.”
Mead explained that it takes time to earn the trust of the military personnel, police officers and other first responders.
“I have a police officer that’s been coming to me since 2007. Every third Saturday, like clockwork,” Mead said. “With another one of my military guys, he’s been in the Air Force for 26 years and he will say, if he goes off on tour, that he’s not home until he gets a massage. He’s been with me since 2009.”
One of her other first responders helped her find her first location on Fannin Street and also helped her find the new location on North Goliad. The logo was also designed by a first responder.
“If they’re in pain, if they have had a really bad shift, I’ll get a text, ‘Jeanna, last night was really hard, can I come in?’ And I say ‘How soon can you be here?’ I might be up here at eight o’clock in the morning massaging someone.
For the past seven months, Rockwall Body and Soul Massage has given a 90 minute First Responder massage to Third Watch Eye on First Responders. You can also find out more about them on their website at thirdwatchlemc.com.
Mead schedules 45 minutes between each and every session so she has time to connect with each person. If you’re on her table, you’re not a number. You are a mind, a body, a soul.
One of her other clients is a breast cancer survivor. She came to Mead, worried that her cancer was back due to a returning back pain. After taking the time to talk, they discovered that it had been the grief and shock that she was dealing with due to her mother-in-law’s recent passing.
“Through the years you start meeting these people that help you build your business and that stand up for you. I have had first responders go to meetings for me, because I couldn’t hear and take notes for me. That’s when you know that it’s not just about a massage; it’s about building a relationship with people,”Mead said
Mead opened Rockwall Body and Soul Massage in May of 2013 at the Fannin cottage as a solo therapist and leased out two of the rooms to licensed professional counselors. After two years, Cari Foote started leasing space in the same space as well and their friendship and partnership developed in such a way that they knew that they wanted to expand both of their practices together.
The search for the right space in February of 2018 and they finally closed on the historical Cade House on July 19, 2019.
“We have done 90 percent of the work ourselves and found most of our furnishings off Facebook marketplace and from thrift stores and vintage finds,” Mead said. “We are dedicated to providing the best services to our clients and providing our staff with a wonderful place to do the work they love.”
Inside of her massage room, there is a full bathroom complete with a bathtub and a shower. One of the stops on the tour of the historic home was the area where the toilet was. Mead talked about how when they first moved in, the idea of going into that tiny 4 by 4 room alone scared her. So much so that she would leave the door open to the area where the toilet was and close and lock the door to the massage room it is in.
“I told her that with the white walls that it looked like a place they would stick people for solitary confinement,” Mead said.
The toilet area is just barely big enough for an adult to use the toilet, nothing else. After hearing this, Mead’s aunt and cousin brought some inspirational signs and hung them up on the walls surrounding it to ease her fear. Now, it’s her favorite room.
Currently, there is one other deaf massage therapist working alongside Mead and one more massage therapist has just joined the team as well.
“My team is growing and that’s another reason we needed to find a bigger space for both of us so that we can continue to offer great work to those that need and want it and b be able to provide a means for our staff to support themselves,” Mead said. “We are so excited about making new memories in this place.”
You can book an appointment with any of the wonderful therapists at Rockwall Body & Soul Massage today at www.TexasBestMassage.com, or come visit them on November 15 during their open house! They are now located at 925 N Goliad.
