Indigo Movement is a massage and fitness company located in Seattle’s SODO on Airport Way, next door to the Old Rainier Brewery.
Founder and owner, Tiana Duncan, received her certification for massage therapy from the Brian Utting School of Massage in 2006 and is licensed to practice in Washington State. She opened the doors of Indigo Movement in 2017 and today leads a team of certified and highly trained specialists who offer massage sessions, circuit training, kickboxing, and yoga classes to clients.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Tell me a little bit about yourself, how you got into this line of work, and what inspires you.
Long story short, I worked in the nonprofit sector for a long time, and due to political changes that were happening, I wasn’t thriving. So I went down to Australia for two months.
During that time I really wanted to realign myself with my value systems. I came back to the United States and was working part-time for a company that became my client.
I told them some observations I had made about their company, and how those didn’t align with their mission statement, so they told me to write a proposal. And that’s how Indigo Movement was born and created.
What types of services do you provide through Indigo Movement?
Our main service in-studio is massage, but we do house calls as well.
Our service lengths range from 60-minute massages to two hours. My personal favorite is the two-hour massage. I also offer free wellness classes based on movement and mobility through community partnerships.
We’ve been building up our social media channel to offer weekly movement exercises that are easy to do wherever you are. If that means you’re driving, sitting at your desk, or you’re part of a company doing logistical work, we offer something to keep your body moving and grooving and loose. That’s the most important part of aging, at least to me.
Check out Indigo Movement’s YouTube channel for “mobility snacks” and more.
Intentionalist’s motto is: “Spend like it matters.” How does this resonate with you?
Spending matters because we can control our local economy. We can control where our dollars go. We can control what companies we align with, supporting companies that align with our own personal value statements and our own missions.
For Indigo Movement, as a queer woman, I think it’s very important that I provide a space for us to come to and have a safe haven, especially my trans clients, because quality of service is very important to me. And we also know that sometimes there’s discrimination within that community and my community that I’m in, and they don’t always receive the best type of service. So I’m happy to be that safe haven for them.
When you are purchasing gift cards, liking a post, reposting, sharing my newsletter, getting a massage… whatever engagement may look like for you, that’s what you’re putting your money towards. When you engage with a company, you are engaging with their value systems and your community.
Most importantly, as a side note, for those who can afford massages and are Black, Brown, or queer, I offer a sliding scale program. They pay us what they can.
And so in a normal month I’m personally racking up at least $2,000 of just free services that I’m providing so that people can actually receive quality touch.
When a first-time customer or client books with you, what should they expect? What experience do you want them to have?
When you book a session with me, we ask you to come about 10 to 15 minutes early because I have an intake form that is very in depth.
I want to know about your lifestyle. I want to know like your eating regimens, your sleeping, how do you use your body? And then we create a customized plan for you. After your session, of course, I have some water waiting for you.
We got the candles lit, and there’s a beautiful light feature in the treatment room that makes you feel like you’re underwater. I love a sensory immersion experience.
After that, we talk about what I found in your body and then there’s homework. And the homework is all built on realistic things that you can implement into your life. So if there was some type of hindrance with stretching or strength training, I find tools so you can add those in to get what you need.
The whole purpose of that is I want to make sure that your massage lasts for a longer duration than just feeling good that day. So that’s what you can expect.
What are some small businesses that you like to support?
- My girl Dee from City Sweats. City Sweats has been life-changing for me and my parents, particularly my mother who is going through menopause. It’s helped with her hot flashes.
- Madrona House Apothecary. They provide all my essential oils. But also, she has moved into the aesthetic world so she is offering amazing facials.
- My girl Felicia from CannaSweat. She does amazing yoga experiences like yoga-infusing classes with marijuana. She does non-marijuana classes, twerk yoga. It’s across the board. It’s a really good time. She’s a fun teacher. And I just really like the community she builds.
Any final thoughts about Indigo Movement?
We are a place where you can just be. There are a lot of places in the world where we have to continue to wear personas, and this is the space where you can just show up as you are.
I remind my clients that when they come and when they go, this is their space to just be in existence, and I think that’s very limited, especially right now.
Where to find Tiana and Indigo Movement:
At Indigo Movement, we do a purposeful job of curating and adding color therapy to our feed. Our socials are a nice, serene, relaxing, tranquil experience, with some humor here and there as well.