Saucon Valley Massage Therapy Brings Relaxation to Hellertown

Many people may still know it by its former name, The Body Bank, but the iconic downtown Hellertown massage therapy business has a new name, a new look and a renewed community commitment.

What hasn’t changed at Saucon Valley Massage Therapy is the caring, professionally trained and licensed family behind the business.

Founded by Joanne Morris, Saucon Valley Massage Therapy has grown to include four massage therapists including her son and now-business partner, Westley Morris, who has been a driving force behind recent enhancements such as a facade improvement that features new signage, an awning and paint that highlights the unique architecture of the 2-story former bank building at 628 Main Street.

Westley’s interest in massage therapy began at the age of six.

“I would watch my mom come home after long days of working and I noticed that she got some relief from it, and I was hooked,” he recalled.

The ability to relax and even heal people was appealing to him, he said.

“Wes is an excellent massage therapist,” Joanne noted. “He has got the touch and the intuitiveness.”

Although he worked in the building trades and lived in Philadelphia for years, “I was completely unsatisfied inside and I wasn’t fulfilling my life’s purpose,” he said. “My natural empathetic nature drew me to the relief of other people” and he ultimately returned to his first love: massage therapy.

The timing of his return proved to be auspicious.

Over the years, Joanne had built a successful business that included many high-profile clients such as prominent Philadelphia Eagles players, who hired her as their head team massage therapist when they held their summer training camp at nearby Lehigh University from 2000 to 2012.

“This was a base for them when they were here,” she fondly recalled.

But with the relocation of the team’s training camp away from Bethlehem and the national economic downturn that roughly coincided with it, she knew it was time to revitalize and reboot the business for the 21st century.

Westley came on board, but as a partner–not a replacement–for his mom.

“Joanne’s not going anywhere,” he stressed. “This whole ‘me coming in’ is so she didn’t have to work as hard in her later years.”

In looking at the state of the business, he said they both decided it was time to redefine what has made it special–and successful–for nearly 30 years.

The defining characteristics that have kept clients returning to Saucon Valley Massage Therapy for that long are “good quality service” and “an affordable price,” Westley explained. Those things aren’t changing.

The focus now is on enhancing the experience of visitors, and to that end many features are being added, such as heated massage tables, electric hydraulic tables, additional aromatherapy products, a new website with convenient online scheduling and gift certificate sales, updated Facebook and Instagram feeds, couples massage and the availability of a wider variety of massage modalities.

Community engagement is also vital to the mission of the Morrises and Saucon Valley Massage Therapy.

Therapists have participated in many popular local events such as the Hellertown Lions’ annual Lehigh Valley Gem, Mineral & Jewelry Show; Hellertown-Lower Saucon Community Day; and the Saucon Harvest Festival.

“We are available to participate in the community and to enhance the community,” Westley said, adding that Saucon Valley Massage therapists can also be hired to provide chair massages at parties and corporate events.

Bridal parties are another place you might find a Saucon Valley massage therapist, helping to alleviate a nervous bride or groom’s wedding day jitters.

“All the changes we have made have been to really benefit the client,” Westley stressed.

The one that he’s the most proud of, however, is perhaps the change partnering with his mom has made.

When the facade improvements were completed at Saucon Valley Massage Therapy, he recalled that he turned to her and said, “Hey lady, nice building.”

“And then she turned, looked at the building, looked at me, and said, ‘My son did that,'” Westley remembered.

To begin your journey to relaxation with Saucon Valley Massage Therapy, visit SauconValleyMassage.com or call 610-838-2707.