Business
Element Massage
Website: massagelansing.com
Instagram: @element.massage.lansing
Facebook: Element Massage
Colton Hughes
About Colton
My name is Colton Hughes. I am a massage therapist and the owner of Element Massage in Downtown Lansing within the beautiful and historic Atrium Building. We have been in business since Mar 12, 2016 and host a staff of nine friendly, talented and specialized service providers. I started massaging people at the age of 7 and was something that I did throughout my adolescence. I graduated from Irene’s Myomassology Institute in Southfield, MI in 2010 but spent 8 years working at Taco Bell where I was a Restaurant General Manager and ultimately Lansing’s Market Training Manager before I found myself shifting to work in my trade. Today, Element has five uniquely themed therapy rooms that evoke the feelings of different nature biomes and we have served over 3500 customers.
What inspired you to start a business?
When I got back into the massage field, I worked at a chain spa for a short period of time. They were more worried about expanding instead of investing in what they already had. And before long, I had realized that I could do it better myself. I used my experience that I learned from managing a restaurant, coupled with my self-taught graphic design skills and the knowledge of what not to do at the spa to create Element. I was inspired by the healing properties of nature and the four elements and combined that with my love for helping others.
What is your vision for the future of your business?
I am hoping to start my third expansion any day now – which involves me renting an adjacent suite. With the new space, I will be able to host classes & couples massages, add spa treatments to our menu and increase the retail space. This new space will hopefully only be temporary though, for my landlord has offered to help build out a larger space that would triple my current square footage and allow us to really maximize our capabilities by expanding outside of massage services. Downtown Lansing is becoming a residential district and I plan to be ready for the increase in foot traffic.
What goals do you hope the Ascend program will help you achieve?
I look forward to a new set of eyes helping to streamline my business in ways that I have yet to consider.