Today we’d like to introduce you to Sam Pohl
Hi Sam, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I wanted to be a massage therapist when I was 7 years old, but it took me a while to get there. In between, I wanted to be a lawyer, social worker, even a welder but nothing felt correct. After multiple cross-country moves, an undergraduate degree in Somatic Psychology, an attempt at professional roller derby, and moving back into my parent’s basement in Lexington, Kentucky, the lightbulb went off and I remembered what I had wanted to be when I was little. The next massage therapy class at the Lexington Healing Arts Academy started 10 days later.
At this point, I was turning 30, single again following a second ended engagement, and living with my parents. I connected with the material; I found anatomy and kinesiology fascinating and beautiful, seeing all the connections of how my somatic psychological background mirrored and reflected the internal workings of our bodies. I graduated co-valedictorian of our class and started practicing as quickly as I could.
Near the end of school, I had also started dating someone long-distance. I encountered this person, surprisingly, on TikTok–a long shot flirtation that ended up being more serious than either of us bargained for. They flew to attend my massage school graduation, and 7 months later I moved to Baltimore permanently. I started working with Metta in August of 2023, and fell in love instantly.
Metta Integrative Wellness Cooperative is one of only two bodywork cooperatives in the country, and the only one in Maryland state. Getting to participate in work I love in a format that is anti-capitalist, values-forward, and community-building supports and grows my capacity to do my work. I am a nonbinary trans person with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and I work in large part with populations that look like me. I get to hear the stories of people who had been too nervous to try massage therapy because they were trans but now get to benefit. I also work with multiple other trans people, and I have a network of many trans bodywork practitioners I can refer my clients to. I have a flourishing community, my partner and I have since married, and I get to partake in and contribute to the vibrant light that is Baltimore.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Once I figured out where I needed to be, the road has been well-paved. Giving myself permission to do the things that feel good to me was the hardest part.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Metta Integrative Wellness Cooperative is the current evolution of an entity that started in 2009 as a bodywork business in Hampden, just off the Ave. In 2021, the original owner sold to a group of workers and the Cooperative was born. Metta is a worker-owned cooperative and believes that the workers should own their own labor, be paid fairly for it, and have a voice in how the business is operated. We believe in giving back to the community that built us with our Community Careshop on the second Sunday of every month, held in our 36th Street rowhome, where we share information, bodywork, and movement practices with the public by donation.
We are primarily composed of massage therapists but we also have somatic movement therapists sharing our space. Our owners and bodyworkers are composed of many queer and trans folks and we pride ourselves on being known as one of the most LGBTQ+ friendly massage businesses in Baltimore. We won Best in Baltimore 2024 for Master Massage Therapists and continue to grow our offerings to the community. We are proud to be a group of individuals–all of our therapists are unique and offer different things, from Craniosacral Therapy to deep tissue work to knowledge of medical complexity and chronic conditions like EDS. Because of this, we also always offer a free 15 minute consultation to anyone who wants some assistance finding the right practitioner.
Pricing:
- Prices very by therapist
- Memberships and sliding scale rates available
Contact Info:
- Website: https://metta-wellness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mettawellness
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mettawellness
