By Crystal Warner

In addition to being a talented, jazz funk bassist, gardener, fine art aficionado and a masterful masseuse, Eileen Bristol is a savvy and successful business owner. Seven years ago, when Eileen first saw the building for sale at 300 W. Huron, she became inspired! She envisioned the pretty, southwestern-style building, surrounded by flowers, filled with clients happily receiving healing massages. Eileen believed this setting would provide a peaceful haven for those worn down by stress-filled days and busy, city lifestyles.

Relax Station will celebrate seven years of offering customized massages for busy people on May 5. Other services include walk-in seated massages, foot reflexology and deep, therapeutic full body massages. Eileen currently employs a staff of 30 very talented massage therapists. With the recent completion of Relax Station’s expansion, the full potential of her dream has been realized.

Originally from Houston, Texas, Eileen spent much of her childhood deeply engrossed in the events and happenings of her parent’s motorcycle shop. She tells how her mother’s shoulders would ache after long hours of working at the typewriter. “And so, I’d massage her neck and shoulders,” she reflects, “she really liked it. I suppose that’s where it all began.” Her parent’s shop was a busy place with a diverse customer base. It was in this environment Eileen learned many important life lessons; things like, people are to be treated equally, and honesty is always the best policy. Early on, she was fully aware of the amount of time and energy required in operating a small business.

Eileen’s first job was a street vendor in Austin for a weekly newspaper, “The Rag.” She smiles, remembering, “I think it sold for a quarter per copy and I got to keep a nickel.” Eileen was a waitress in Santa Fe, New Mexico and a farm hand in Dripping Springs, Texas. She spent more than eight years working as a massage therapist in a physician’s office in North Carolina, before moving to Michigan.

She had been impressed by a walk-in seated massage service during a visit to New York City. When she purchased the building on Huron, Eileen saw it as a great location for a similar operation. Her tenacity and determination sealed the deal, in addition to her rich life experiences.

Voted Ann Arbor’s Best Massage by Current Magazine, Ann Arbor News and Metro Times, Relax Station has earned their outstanding reputation. They also offer full body table massage in their second location, in the Phoenix West building, located at 117 N. First Street. The inviting atmosphere Eileen has created with soft lighting and warm colored walls provides comfort. Each of the new therapy rooms is well equipped for a completely subdued and relaxing full-body massage experience.

Relax Station’s therapists are also available for event/on-site workplace massage. Many local employers have found that providing the space for massage or by offering massage as a bonus to employees has consistently resulted in an increase in the employee’s morale and efficiency.

Couples massage, very popular on Valentine’s Day, is also available through Relax Station. A full hour therapy session, with two tables and two therapists costs $150.00.

Eileen looks forward to hosting the Relax Station’s Annual Summer Party. She also enjoys playing electric bass as a member of the band, First Flight. They have performed in clubs in Ann Arbor and Detroit. “Learning to play the bass after 40,” Eileen says, “just goes to show that anything is possible.”

The Relax Station
Eileen Bristol
300 S. Huron
Ann Arbor, MI.
Phone: 734-663-1951
Website: www.relaxstationmassage.com