Des Moines Parent Spotlight: Kirsten Weiland of Prairie Escape Wellness Center

Des Moines Parent Spotlight

by Lindsey Giardino

Des Moines Parent Spotlight: Kirsten Weiland of Prairie Escape Wellness Center

Over the years, Kirsten Weiland’s business has evolved, but her deeply rooted passion for helping others in the community has remained the same. Des Moines Parent connected with Kirsten to learn more.

Give us a little background on yourself.

I am a homegrown Iowan. I have lived in the Des Moines metro most of my life – I grew up in Ames and Ankeny, currently live in Altoona, and my business is in Prairie City. I have two children. My oldest is 21 and my youngest is 15. I am at a point in life now where we seem to be transitioning from the everyday hustle of parenthood to a bit of a slowdown, and I am finding that I have more time now for things for me and my husband!

Could you give us an overview of your business(s) and why you started it?

I opened Myo Massage Therapy in 2015 after pursuing my massage therapy education in 2014. It had been a long-time aspiration of mine to pursue this as a career, and through the support of my current husband, we made it happen. I grew my client base fairly quickly and established a flourishing business. I had an extra room and was able to bring in a cosmetologist who provided
salon hair services, waxing, and spray tans to the space.

In 2019, we expanded into Prairie Escape Wellness Center where we now currently support five independently owned small businesses. We offer self-care services to our community, including Massage Therapy, Reflexology, Facials, Waxing, Hair Services, Sound Healing, Reiki Energy Work, Infrared Sauna Sessions, Yoga Classes, Sound Baths, and other classes, as well as offer a Community Room for private party rental. We also host monthly Pop Ups that provide a space for vendors to set up and sell their wares, crafts, and other items.

In 2022, I ‘closed’ Myo Massage Therapy and joined forces with one of our other independent massage therapists in a new partnership venture. Effective Wellness was started, and we are growing and preparing for a wonderful adventure ahead. We just onboarded our first employee massage therapist and are looking to add more in the upcoming year!

What are your favorite parts of being a small business owner?

I love so many things about being a small business owner! A major one is having autonomy over my calendar, and this is what drove me to establish my own business instead of working for someone else. When I was going through school, my kiddos were in elementary and middle school, and they lived with me every other week and stayed with their dad the opposite weeks. We also lived in Ankeny and commuted the kids to Prairie City Monroe School District, so I knew that I wanted to be in control of my schedule. This was very important to me, so I could take advantage of all the moments I had with them while they were young.

I absolutely enjoy helping people feel better, whether it be by massage and physical touch, kind words and a hug, or perhaps all they need is a non-judgmental listening ear. I have built some tremendous relationships with my clients over the years, and we have been through A LOT together!

I also LOVE being able to network with other business owners and introduce them to our community and see them grow!

How do you juggle your parenting responsibilities with your business responsibilities?

To be perfectly honest, right now, parenting looks very different than it did several years ago. While my kiddos were fully into numerous activities, it seemed like we were always running and on the go constantly.

As the kids have gotten older, they don’t need me as much as they used to. They still need me, but in a different way than before. Somedays it was a challenge to juggle my business needs with the kids’ needs. I recall several after-school afternoons where my son was definitely not thrilled to hang out at mom’s work while I finished up a session or two. But we had bills to pay and
needs that needed to be met. Besides, there was usually a reward or an incentive for excellent behavior and cooperation!

When I first started out, I was doing chair massage gigs at the VA Hospital in Des Moines, and Tate would often tag along, help out and chat with many veterans who worked there. It was a great experience for me, for him, and for the vets!

It was definitely a challenge at times balancing it all, but that’s when having a supportive network to help is key. Other parents to help with transport when needed for us and vice versa, grandparents who were always helpful when they could be and my client base was, and is still, very understanding when it comes to needing to reschedule due to a concern or sickness with the
kiddos, just like I work with them when things came up with their family members.

Family always comes first. Always.

What are some of your favorite things to do with your family around the metro?

When the kids were younger, we didn’t have a lot of extra spending money, so we enjoyed ‘Park Hopping’ by going to several different parks in a day. We took advantage of the Des Moines Art Center (so many times!), splash pads, and the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Prairie City. We would also visit Big Creek State Park and beach, and explore Red Rock Lake and trails near Pella. We’d find new ice cream shops, and we spent several wintery Sundays at the Des Moines Botanical Center enjoying the Botanical Blues concerts.

My daughter was active with the Des Moines Young Artists’ Theater group for many years, so while we would commute from Prairie City to Des Moines for rehearsals, I would take my son exploring. We spent a lot of time at Greenwood Park Rose Garden and thrift shopping. It meant a lot to be able to set my schedule to allow me to have my children attend the type of activities
they had an interest in.

Our outings look different now! We enjoy family meals at locally owned restaurants, enjoy finding live music, and still like picnics at Big Creek – one of my favorite places since my own childhood.

What’s your ideal date/parent night or day out?

My husband and I love a quaint, locally owned wonderful restaurant and perhaps a concert or theatrical show! We love to take a great road trip with a carefully curated playlist and land somewhere for a few days. Sometimes just cooking a wonderful meal together, a snuggle by the fire and a bottle of wine is all we need. A few years ago, we had some major life-changing events
occur, and those things truly change your perspective on life!

What’s your number one parenting tip?

Enjoy all the little moments, and savor them, because, in the rush of it all, it can seem overwhelming and exhausting. Those days don’t last forever, and then the busy is gone. Parenting young adults is definitely a different stage, but we always learn to adapt as we teach them to do.