SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Some partnerships are forged with a handshake in the back rooms of big businesses. Others come to life on a trade show floor after years of gentle courtship.

Jenn Sharman and Corina Pletscher are the co-owners of a new massage clinic, Natural Balance Massage and Wellness Therapies, that officially opened in the Mackay Building on 50 Street earlier this week. - Guy Quenneville/NNSL photo

But in the case of Jenn Sharman and Corina Pletscher, it happened on the bumpy drive to Yellowknife.

"I think it was maybe just before Prince George," said Pletscher, a registered massage therapist who has joined forces with Sharman, who is currently completing her own degree at the same college Pletscher attended, to open Yellowknife's latest massage clinic, Natural Balance Massage and Wellness Therapies.

Pletscher graduated earlier this year from the West Coast College of Massage Therapy in Victoria, B.C., where she got three years of experience practising at student-run clinics at retirement homes, sporting events and hospitals.

When her boyfriend landed a job with Great Slave Helicopters, Pletscher planned to survey the robust Yellowknife massage therapy market and see if anyone needed help. Sharman, who grew up here and has worked in several community development jobs, was going to take a new government gig to generate some cash to finish her degree.

But when Sharman suggested they partner up – she providing relaxation massage, Pletscher taking on therapeutic massage clients – Pletscher decided Sharman's contacts in Yellowknife would provide her the right launching pad for a new business.

"I didn't think I was ready to start on my own, but with Jenn's help, it's been much easier to get going because she's got all the connections," said Pletscher. "It's really (about) word-of-mouth. I treated one person and then a friend of theirs called. In Yellowknife, word travels pretty fast."

It also helps to have two people sharing massage duties, she added.

"Starting out, it's important to pace yourself. Physically, it's a difficult job, so I didn't want to start working eight hours a day, five hours a week. I'm happy to have this opportunity to ease into it and build it from there."

The clinic – which operates out of the third floor of the Mackay Building on 50 Street – gives Sharman the chance to put her community wellness instincts into practice, she said. Pletscher and Sharman are holding an open house at their clinic Friday afternoon.

"One strategy is to work on the policy, but it's a lot of desk work," Sharman said. "I'm more effective in moving energy or helping people to heal or develop wellness – working one-on-one with them."

Sharman, who is also offering hatha yoga classes, is a firm believer in a holistic approach to therapy.

"There's a relaxation element to massage but there's also treating actual conditions or injuries," said Sharman. "Corina has said, 'Massage isn't just an indulgence; it actually is a health benefit to you.'"

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