Aja Cavin - Rejuvenated Soul

Rejuvenated Soul Massage and Wellness

By Terry L. Watson

Photos Provided by Aja Cavin

Aja Cavin describes herself as a hardworking, dedicated, and devoted mother and entrepreneur. “I am a healer of the community and a child of God,” she says. Professionally, she is the lead Massage Therapist and Owner of Rejuvenated Soul Massage and Wellness. Their motto is “We Care About Self Care”. Aja says they strive to provide an amazing service while also educating their clients on various healthy self-care practices.

Located in Alsip, IL, Aja and her team provides relaxation, therapeutic, and clinical massage. “We cater to clients who need to escape and get a piece of mind through relaxation massage. We also cater to clients who need therapeutic work, which addresses the deeper muscles to help relieve pain. Additionally, our services help clients fix or correct their muscle deviation or range of motion,” she says.

The idea of Rejuvenated Soul appears to have happened on purpose. In 2017, Aja quit her corporate job as a Personal Banker for Chase Bank. She shares she wanted to pursue her dreams of becoming one of the best massage therapists in the world. In October of the same year, she enrolled in The Soma Institute in downtown Chicago and studied Clinical Massage. There she received in-depth studies on Pathology, Kinesiology, Anatomy, and Physiology. After the 11-month program concluded, Aja took her state licensing exam (MBLEX) and passed on her first try. “Once I received my license, I began taking individual clients and provided services at their homes or other locations. I showed them how to properly relax and helped them with their aches and pains. As time went on, my business grew to the point where I had needed help to meet the demand,” she says. In July 2021, Aja opened her very own practice and hasn’t looked back.

Aja’s toughness can be traced back to her upbringing. She grew up in a family of six and is the third sibling of four. “I was the rebel of the family. I always marched to the beat of my own drum and did things my way. I have a “can’t stop, won’t stop” mindset regarding achieving goals and getting things done. This mindset keeps me grounded and focused,” Aja says.

Rejuvenated Soul Massage and Wellness happened because of Aja’s love for helping people. She wanted to create an atmosphere to help her clients’ relax and assist with their aches and pains. Aja shares that Rejuvenated Soul is a space for clients and future therapists who are looking to grow their business in massage.

The idea to help upcoming massage therapists and give them the opportunity to serve her clients while growing their own business was originally Aja’s. Besides the three amazing therapists who comprise the Rejuvenated Soul team, Aja has formed a network of other independent therapists that’s serving clients all over the Chicagoland area.

In Aja’s line of work, there is never a dull moment. She often has the opportunity to meet and help many different people from all walks of life. She shares that is something she loves most about her business. “I love helping others get more in tune with their body while educating them on a variety of useful self-care practices. I also love building business relationships with my clients. That is so important because they trust me with the most important part of them; their body.”

Along the way, there have been some challenges that Aja has faced. She says, “Before going to massage school, I would massage people just because I had the skill to do it. I didn’t necessarily have the knowledge of the body. My mom then encouraged me to attend school to become more professional and knowledgeable about bodywork. That was very valuable advice because I learned that working with someone’s body can be very dangerous, especially if you don’t know if they are suffering from a certain condition.”

Gaining clientele and marketing was also a challenge Aja faced. She started working primarily with family and friends but realized she couldn’t grow her practice by those means alone. She had to think of strategic ways to get other clients, and one was (word of mouth) and building rapport with clients. She also promoted her services via social media and surrounded herself with other experienced therapists and business owners with the intention to learn how to be a better businesswoman and massage therapist. That strategy paid off.

Aja says she is inspired by her late grandmother Alma Jones. “She was my biggest supporter and influencer who kept me grounded to continue pursuing massage. Growing up and watching her as an entrepreneur (hairstylist) drove me to follow in her footsteps. While I took steps to pursue my dreams, my grandmother passed before seeing my business grow. I wanted to continue in her honor and show her that her little “A” will use the gift she always knew I had for helping others,” she shared.

As Aja continues her entrepreneurial journey, she promises to reach back and help anyone who may follow in her footsteps. Her advice to such individuals is to never give up and see things all the way through. “If you have a dream that keeps tugging on you to start, it’s tugging on you for a reason. It’s your purpose and God will keep drawing you near and aligning people until you take the steps. Understand that things will get tough but persevere and keep going.

Her future goals are to expand Rejuvenated Soul to other cities outside of Chicago and create more job opportunities for upcoming therapists. “I look forward to adding more modalities outside of massage and giving my community a variety of wellness options that will help them live a happier and healthier life,” she says.