Today we’d like to introduce you to Marie Gallagher.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I graduated from both The Baltimore school of Massage and the University of Maryland in 1998. My Bachelor’s degree is in Family Studies as I had the intention of getting my masters in social work. I viewed my massage certification as something that would be supplemental income.
I lived in Annapolis and had a small massage practice on West Street. Within a year or so, my sister was diagnosed with Breast cancer and was undergoing treatment at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. I decided I needed to be closer to my sister to help with her medical and family needs, so I moved to Federal Hill in 2000.
I rented a room in a hair shop called Sharon’s Hair Place in south Baltimore, on Fort Avenue and began a massage practice. I put an “Enter to Win “raffle jar in her shop where her clients could enter to win a free massage. Anyone who did not win the free massage, I would offer them a 1/2 price session. From there I built a referral base of clients while also building relationships with the personal trainers at the local gym and going door to door putting fliers around Federal Hill and in coffee shops, bagel shops or anywhere I was allowed to advertise my services. Within 6 months I was seeing 25 clients a week.
At that time, yoga was not mainstream and acupuncture was up and coming. As clients were asking me where they could take a yoga class or have an acupuncture treatment, I realized there was a void and so I decided to build a wellness center.
I came up with the name The Healing Path and our logo with the stone walkway because I feel that healing is a journey and it is not a straight line. People can make strides then fall back to old ways and it is not a straight road for growth and letting go of patterns that no longer serve you.
Without a business background and a lot of hustle, I found a location on Light Street near the Cross Street Market in Federal Hill. It was the worst lease deal ever! ha ha. I had no idea what I was doing. But my father (an electrician) and a few local guys did the build out and my father and I hung the drywall and painted and we created a small wellness center offering massage, acupuncture and yoga. Little did I know that the landlord owned The House of Foam across the street. This is where people would buy foam to put in their cars to blast the base on their car stereo, right outside of my new ‘peaceful’ wellness studio. So that was my first lesson in negotiating a good lease and that location matters. It was brutal, ha ha.
I was very fortunate however, because I had met a lot of wonderful people who believed in me and who helped me navigate a new location and new lease. I moved around the corner and built out a 2 story unit with a beautiful large yoga studio filled with natural light on the top floor and we had four treatment rooms. I was building our brand and a team, making some positive strides and some expensive mistakes along the way.
I joined a local business networking group and met my future ex husband. We married and had my son Ryan in 2007. The following year I was expecting my son Jack who was born in 2009, they are eighteen months apart. I was very sick with bronchitis during my pregnancy with my son Jack, and I was exhausted trying to manage two children under the age of the two, a full massage practice and the business. So I was looking to sell.
In the meantime, the recession hit and no one was spending and no one was interested in buying the business. I then decided to reach out to Kim and Chris who owned Charm City Yoga. Two weeks after my son Jack was born, we struck a deal for them to buy the yoga side of my business and we shared the expenses of rent, utilities and staff. It was a great working relationship and helped us stay afloat through the recession. We shared that space for for 5 years.
In the meantime, many of my Federal Hill clients got married and moved to the county but still wanted my massage treatments, so I decided to rent a treatment room on York Road in Lutherville. However that landlord offered to build out the entire first floor for me at his expense, and thought it was a great opportunity, so I opened a second location in 2012. I also completed my Health Coaching certification from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition during that time to help support my prenatal massage clients.
Meanwhile, parking was becoming a huge issue for clients to visit us in Federal Hill so I began looking for a space in Fell’s Point. I found a location that I loved which is where we are today. The shared location in Federal Hill with Charm City Yoga was busting at the seems at this point and they wanted to open a training studio. I had just signed the lease when they told me they wanted to move out. So I had to quickly find a smaller place in Federal Hill to service those clients. We built out a space on Charles Street with 4 treatment rooms and then began the build out in Fell’s Point.
We opened our Fell’s Point location in 2014. From 2014 until 2016 I had 3 locations operating and the amount of stress it caused was very ‘un’ wellness like. In 2016 the landlord of the Lutherville location was selling his building at auction. Not knowing the numbers or who the new landlord would be, I decided to close that location and moved my team to Fell’s Point. In 2018, the tenant next to us in Federal Hill wanted my space so I moved my team to Fell’s Point and closed that location. It was a relief having one location and our team under the same roof.
In 2019 I was accepted into the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses program which taught me how to work ‘on’ the business, not ‘in’ the business. This was a game changer. It helped me to learn to step away from the day to day and think about business differently. It helped with our success. We had a great team, great services and a wonderful clientele. It was running like a well oiled machine.
Then on March 16th, 2020 our doors closed overnight. The pandemic. Not knowing what would happen, and realizing I would need an income, I enrolled in the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute and completed another Health Coaching Certification. I completed that certification while the world began opening up. However, we had lost our team. A majority of our massage therapists either moved, retired or changed careers. The local massage schools had stopped enrollment and the workforce for this industry changed drastically. In Maryland, it still has not recovered. This negatively impacted my business (and others) for several years. The demand for our services was there, but without a work force it was a real challenge.
In the fall of 2021, my friend from my Goldman Sachs program, introduced me to the Entrepreneur’s Organization where I continue to be a part of the accelerator program today. This has helped me learn about business, grow professionally and personally and cultivate amazing friendships with other entrepreneurs. If it were not for being a part of this organization, I would not have known what to do when the opportunity to purchase my building knocked in 2023. It was through their support, knowledge and guidance that helped me navigate the purchase which allows my business to thrive without escalating rent payments or the risk of needing to move should a landlord want to end my lease. I am so blessed.
In 2024 and 2025 I completed two more certifications: Corporate Wellness Specialist and Health Coaching for women in Perimenopause and Menopause. This past spring in 2026, I opened a second location inside the Timonium Coppermine and reinstated my massage license. I never intended to open a second location, or return to massage, however I feel like it is a great opportunity and who knows where it will lead. And I am really enjoying connecting with clients again and supporting them in their journey.
My two sons are now 19 and 17. As I enter this new chapter with them leaving the nest, I am grateful to be able to do what I love and be surrounded by so many amazing people who continue to choose The Healing Path Massage & Wellness to take care of themselves while supporting our team, our community and my family.
I am always looking to grow, learn and create and have some ideas of what my next steps might be. I try to remain open to opportunities and am looking forward to what comes next!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Ha! never a smooth road or a dull moment! As I shared, making poor lease decisions, expensive mistakes and navigating a recession and pandemic is not for the faint of heart. You learn from mistakes, and I have made many. But fortunately I am resilient and have a team, family and friends who are supportive and encourage me to do better. I think the most important take away is be open to ideas, find your tribe and do your best.
As you know, we’re big fans of The Healing Path Massage & Wellness. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
The Healing Path Massage & Wellness is a woman owned business founded by Marie Gallagher. We are located in Historic Fell’s Point and Timonium. We specialize in therapeutic massage, skincare, body treatments, stretch therapy, health coaching and wellness programs. We also work with corporations to provide onsite wellness programs customized for their team and we donate to local charities and support community events.
Our team is amazing. They are highly skilled with years of experience and continue to learn and grow.
We are selective in our hiring process so we can create not only a healthy work environment but also provide a wonderful experience for everyone who walks in our door.
I think we are most known for quality of service and meeting our clients where they are. Our treatments are customized to meet each client’s unique needs. We really love what we do and we also like to have fun. We not a ‘serious’ group of people but we are serious about providing exceptional service and helping our clients feel their best.
I have always wanted The Healing Path to feel like an extension of my home, our home. We want our clients to feel welcomed and try to create a friendly, happy environment. I am most proud of my team because they truly care about every client and what they have going on in their life. Our goal is to make the time they schedule for themselves to be the best hour or two it can be.
What’s next?
Always making plans! ha ha. We are currently redoing our website and making some upgrades to our Fell’s Point Location.
We will be hosting more events and creating new programs for specific wellness outcomes. The rest of my ideas are still percolating, so stay tuned!
Pricing:
- Introductory Rates
- Packages
- Corporate Discounts
- Memberships
- Programs
Contact Info:
- Website: https://healingpathbaltimore.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healingpathbaltimore/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHealingPathBaltimore/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-healing-path
