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EDITOR’S NAME: This story has been updated to clarify the names of several individuals involved with A New You Massage. 

 

Will Wynn was giving his wife, Sarah, a back massage one day when they joked about him becoming a massage therapist.

“The idea just stuck in my head … next thing you know I’m in class learning all this stuff,” said Wynn, a LaGrange native and resident of 35 years. “I think it’s something I’ll be doing for the next 20-25 years.”

Wynn founded A New You Massage Therapy, which hosted its grand opening and ribbon cutting with the Troup County Chamber of Commerce on Thursday afternoon.

A New You is located at 11 N. Lafayette Square. A former emergency medical technician, Wynn also worked for Venucci Chef Tulla White and at the AMC Classic LaGrange 10 movie theater. He described the downtown business community as feeling like family.

“I really wanted to have my business downtown,” Wynn said. “It’s where I feel at home.”

For now, Will Wynn is the sole employee of the business, but a friend, Emily Snider, will start as a licensed massage therapist in September.

Like any business that opened this spring, COVID-19 threw a wrench in the plans. A New You actually opened for business April 27, after Gov. Brian Kemp began reopening the state’s economy, starting with massage therapists, bowling alleys, gyms, barbers, tattoo parlors and nail salons.

The open-for-business date had been scheduled even earlier, but Wynn said the lockdown gave him and his contractors time to finish some construction work and get better prepared for the opening.

“Everybody just really came together to make sure it was perfect and ready to go,” Wynn said. “It wasn’t just me.”

Wynn delayed the opening ceremony and ribbon cutting to July due to the pandemic. However, business has been better than he expected, and he’s glad to have enough customers to need to hire someone else.

“People thought nobody would be coming in … I thought people would be longing for human touch being in isolation so much, and I was right,” Wynn said.

Anyone that comes in with a fever or symptoms of COVID-19 will be asked to reschedule their appointment. The therapist has to wear a mask and everything is sanitized before and after the appointment, Wynn said.

A New You Massage Therapy is open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and prices for a session start at $75.