Bre’Anna Glynn had built a community at her downtown Vancouver spa, Eucalyptus Lounge, where she’s the owner. But then came December and the latest pandemic wave. Now, her appointment books are nearly empty. To save her business, she did what she didn’t want to do and created a Go Fund Me campaign. Glynn became a licensed massage therapist in 2013 and, up until January 2020, always worked for someone else. But with the birth of her second child and her desire to spend more time with her family, she decided to open her own massage business. Eucalyptus Lounge was born. She was driven to establish a business where customers would feel comfortable in their bodies. “I wanted to create a place that I would want to be,” said Glynn. “I wanted to create a place where anybody could come and just simply relax and be and didn’t have to worry about anything or feel any pressures or concerns about whatever their races or religion or gender preferences or anything like that.” She wanted a place “where somebody could just come in, just relax and be who they are, and feel welcome and safe.”

And that’s what she’s created. Glynn’s business originally opened in downtown Camas before she opened a second location in downtown Vancouver. She now has just one location, at 1314 Kauffman Ave. As her business grew and expanded, it became a family affair, with her mother as her office manager, her brother as the other massage therapist, and her cousin, who has since moved on to open her own business, as the esthetician. Having her family around her has meant everything. “Growing up as a kid, that was something that was really heavily instilled in my brother and I: Family is all you’ve got at the end of the day,” said Glynn. It’s been a gift for her to be able to do what she loves with the people that she loves and for her children to be able to see that. Setting up a business has had its challenges. Massage therapists, Glynn says, are known in the industry to be far stronger at their craft than at running businesses. Despite the many details and unforeseen needs, Glynn was able to pull it off. As she opened her new location in downtown Vancouver in April, business picked up, and the clients who had supported her early on by buying gift cards during the statewide quarantine were coming in to redeem them. As the seasons went on, Glynn’s business became more than a spa. It became a place for community. She had customers coming all the way from Portland and she began serving more people of color.

“A big part of that, I think, is because of that safety factor,” says Glynn. “It’s been really incredible to be able to have those members that feel supported there and safe there.” Massage isn’t like other service industries. It requires vulnerability. “It’s just a big step for anybody to go and get on a table naked,” she said. “I am honored that so many people have come in and that do trust me and trust me with their families or their loved ones.” As a woman of color, Glynn understands the need to prioritize safety. “Everywhere I go, it’s something that I have to think about – one being a woman but also being a person of color,” she said. She must be “really mindful of what environment I put myself in.” Creating that environment has made Eucalyptus Lounge special. “We’ve been told that when people come in, they just feel like they’re a part of the family now, and we definitely want people to feel that way,” she says. Establishing that place has led to Glynn finding fulfillment. “It’s just something that I couldn’t imagine not fighting to continue to do,” she said. And fighting she has had to do.

With the onset of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, things took a turn for the worse in December. Customers called to say they’d tested positive, and that she may have been exposed. Then she’d have to stay out of work and get tested. Then customers would call to say they had to cancel appointments because they were sick, or Glynn’s children couldn’t go to child care because they were exposed and so she couldn’t work. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen my books be as light as what they are,” said Glynn. “It’s almost back to me initially starting for the first time – with the amount of cancellations that happen day to day – and it is really hard, because there’s really no way around it.” That’s when she made a very hard decision: She created a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to save her business. It wasn’t something that she was comfortable doing. Glynn was raised to not ask for help, especially financially. She had to decide whether to feel uncomfortable now and possibly get enough people to help her that she could keep doing what she loves and supporting her community, or she could tell no one and quietly fade into the background. “I kind of had to jump in the direction that made sense,” she said. So far, the community has thrown its support behind the Eucalyptus Lounge and Glynn has been able to raise more than $5,000 to keep her doors open. “I don’t think I would have thought I was making as big of an impact, especially within the Black communities and downtown Vancouver,” said Glynn, gratefully. “It just tells me more and more, that there is a need for my business. That’s what we provide.”

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