Today we’d like to introduce you to A’shonte Jones.
Hi A’shonte, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
It has been somewhat of a journey to get to where I am now. Do you have that much time? Okay, where to start? When I was in middle school, I got an idea of selling candy, Airheads to be exact. I was in a bulk store one day and saw how much a box of Airheads were and how many pieces were in the box. I started calculating how much money I could make if I got that box and sold each piece for 50 cents. The plan was successful. I would sell all my candy by time I even got off the bus to get to school in the morning. I went back to the store and got another box. This time I up the price to a dollar per Airhead. Again, I would sell out before my first class was over. It became a thing where the kids would run up to me at random times at school asking if I had any candy. Unfortunately, this success didn’t last long. I remember being in the locker room after P.E started and a kid asked if they could get one for free. I let them. Little did I know, they’d go tell someone I gave them one for free then the rest of the kids swarmed around me asking for a free one. Long story short, a teacher got involved and I was sent home with a pocket full of money and a couple Airheads left. I got suspended for like a week I think. That was my first experience as an entrepreneur, it was a time!
My massage therapy background dates back to when I was a child massaging family members feet and them telling me to hand them their purse or wallet afterwards. My first attempt at Massage Therapy School was in 2017 but I did not finish. I decided to try again in 2024 and completed successfully. I took my MBLEX just 3 weeks after graduating and passed on the first try. I was so nervous scheduling it so soon after graduating but I prayed and found a dollar on the ground on my way to the testing center so that kinda gave me a little relief. In order to pay my tuition, I drove Lyft, offered mobile care services such as foot massages, foot baths, and protective style take downs. Those services were offered under my small business, “Pampered By LaQuay”, in which I started in 2024 after I saw braid and faux locs take downs were a need among women who wore protective hair styles. It was always an idea but what gave me the final push to start was seeing a teacher go viral after being fired for allowing his female students to take down his braids while being in the classroom.
One of my first experiences caring for a woman who was pregnant was when I was about nine years old. My aunt was pregnant with her first child and her husband on deployment. That meant she was alone for some time and it was towards the end of her pregnancy so she was at a maximum level. I stayed with her for the summer and would attend to her when she would get home from work. I would meet her at the door, take her bags, help her take off her shoes and rubbed her swollen feet while she rested. I had no idea I could grow up and actually care for pregnant women as a profession. I love caring for people so caregiving is something that happens so naturally with me.
Summer 2024, I was awarded a doula training scholarship through Supporting Sunrise and attended CommonSense Childbirth Training Institute where I learned the foundations and history of being a birth doula. One year later, Summer 2025, I attended an advanced training in Malaysia to learn how to be a postpartum matron. There, I learned the ways of the Malay community and how mothers are nurtured and cared for after birth. I learned how to make nutritious meals so mom can regain health, I learned how to do yoni steaming, and so much more. I wanted to learn those skills to incorporate into my own practice so that women who I serve and can receive amazing support and care. I don’t think women in the US get nearly enough afterbirth care as they should.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Hmmm. Smooth? Idk. Scenic? Definitely. I don’t think any journey you’re on is going to be necessarily a “smooth road”. Where’s the fun in that?However, I do think if you’re on your way to reach a goal, there’s going to be some obstacles. There has to be! How else will you know if you really want what you’re working for? At least that’s how I see it.
I wouldn’t say a struggle per se, but a challenge I’ve had is that I have a lot of ideas that I want to execute and sometimes there’s not enough time in a day to do them all.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a Maryland-based Licensed Massage Therapist and wellness entrepreneur offering affordable, convenient mobile services designed around the real needs of my clients. Through PBL, my work spans therapeutic massage, postpartum doula care, and protective-style takedowns, where I’m known for prioritizing the health of the hair and scalp over simply getting the job done quickly.
What sets PBL apart is the intention behind everything I do. I put my heart into my work while creating experiences that are professional, accessible, and genuinely relaxing. One of my favorite things about PBL is being able to offer clients a truly unique head-to-toe experience. Imagine having your braids carefully taken down with the health of your hair in mind, then being able to follow it with a full-body massage—all without having to leave the comfort of your own space. It’s the kind of combination that allows clients to completely unwind, from head to toe. Where else can you find that kind of experience?
I’m especially proud of how much PBL has grown over the past two years. I’ve provided chair massage for nurses’ appreciation week at a local hospital, served at multiple teachers’ appreciation events, and most recently, was hired as a production massage therapist for Bryan Adams’ Rolling With the Punches tour. These opportunities have allowed me to take PBL into new spaces and show what’s possible when passion, consistency, and purpose come together.
I want readers to know that PBL is about more than individual services—it’s about creating opportunities, building connections, and making wellness accessible. I’m building a company that is versatile, purpose-driven, and rooted in genuine care, while continuing to create experiences that my clients won’t find anywhere else.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is knowing I can literally help heal my clients with my bare hands. Seeing them happy, relaxed, and hearing them express how they are relieved of any pain or discomfort they had before our session, makes me happy. If it’s a doula client, knowing that I’m helping her postpartum journey a little better, makes me happy. When it’s a braid takedown client, they are always so happy that they found someone who provides this service because it’s so tedious so for them to have me right in their living, they are extremely happy! So basically making my clients happy, truly makes me happy! ^_^
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.Vagaro.com/PamperedByLaquay
- Instagram: https://Www.instagram.com/Pampered.By.Laquay
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePamperedSpace
