Detroiter returns home to open Eastern Market Wellness Center

Alexandra DePorre sinks into a black lounge chair in a spacious new spa in Eastern Market and dips her feet in a tub of warm water.

She closes her eyes and listens to the gentle flute music in the background.

“I’ll get you another pillow, Alex,” said massage therapist Kim Yokely.

The anesthesiologist is on her feet all day and said the 60-minute foot reflexology massage was just what she needed for self-care.

But DePorre isn’t just a customer. She and Yokely are business partners at Kimochi Detroit, a wellness retreat center that specializes in shiatsu massage, a traditional, holistic Japanese form of bodywork that aims to restore balance to the body’s natural energy flow.

Kimochi also offers reflexology, acupuncture, Thai and Swedish massage, as well as cupping therapy, craniosacral therapy, sound therapy and aromatherapy.

Kimochi celebrated its grand opening this month as the recipient of the Motor City Match.

For Yokely, 55, it was a homecoming celebration. She grew up on Mack Avenue and Bewick Street in East Detroit and spent most of her adult life in Atlanta and other cities around the world. Although Yokely ran a successful massage business in Atlanta, she longed to bring Kimochi to her hometown, she told BridgeDetroit.

“I finally made it and moved here (to Detroit) in 2021,” she said. “It was very important to me to have it in the city and on the east side.”

As a Black woman, Yokely’s place in the massage therapy industry is unusual nationwide. The majority of massage therapists are white women, while Black people make up just 8% of the industry, according to a 2023 report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But Yokely doesn’t want to focus on the issue of race and says she doesn’t want to be known as someone who only deals with black people.

“Of course I’m happy now that we’re learning and ready to have something for black people, but I’m proud that I appeal to everyone,” she said. “For me, it’s much more important that I’m trusted, no matter what color my skin is. We all want the same thing, which is a little peace of mind and a little freedom in our bodies.”

A life-changing experience

Yokely’s journey to learning shiatsu massage and other holistic Eastern practices took her to 22 countries, including Thailand, China, South Korea and the Philippines. But her career path initially took her in a different direction.

In her twenties, Yokely wanted to become a lawyer. Wanting to stand out from other law students, she went to Japan in 1994 as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET), where she became an English teacher in the city of Fukuoka.

After a year abroad, Yokely had a frightening experience when she was alone in her apartment one night and heard a voice that she believed came from an angel. The voice told her she was destined to go to Japan to learn an ancient healing art, she said. Then five days later, at a JET meeting, she met a woman from Hawaii who was studying shiatsu massage.

“I was still a little embarrassed at the time and didn’t know how to explain the story, so I said, ‘Someone just told me to do this,'” Yokely said. “And before I even finished, she gave me the number of the man who taught her, like it was a movie. I took that as a sign and called the man the next day and then met with him within two more days. And that’s how it started.”

Yokely began her studies under her teacher Minoru Oyama, who became her mentor. Her plans to study law fell through, she says.

“I knew that first day that I couldn’t think about law school anymore,” Yokely said.

After her time at JET ended in 1997, she began traveling throughout Southeast Asia and Europe, learning Thai massage, yoga and meditation. Yokely, who had studied in Atlanta, returned there upon her return to the United States. She graduated from the Atlanta School of Massage in 1998, and the following year Yokely began operating her business from her home.

“At the time, I had a special offer for a massage for $40 and it was a hit,” she said.

However, some people have had reservations about getting a shiatsu massage because it’s different from a Swedish massage, which is one of the more popular forms, Yokely said. According to the American Massage Therapy Association, clients can remain fully clothed during a shiatsu session, there is no rubbing or kneading of muscles, and no oils are used.

Yokely grew her client base and eventually opened her first salon and spa. In 2004, she opened Kimochi Body N Sole Sanctuary in Atlanta’s Midtown neighborhood. Yokely’s clients included celebrities such as Kerry Washington, Mike Epps, Jill Scott and Sheryl Lee Ralph, according to her website.

In addition to her work as a massage therapist, Yokely has also worked as a workshop facilitator and public speaker over the years.

She said massage therapy is her gift to the world and now that Kimochi Detroit is open, Yokely is excited to offer her skills to the people of Detroit.

“I think we all have a gift, but when you’re lectured and told you have to do this and that for money, people lose touch with what they really enjoy,” she said. “I’m happy here. Sometimes I’m here for 10 hours before I get out.”

Back home

The road to Kimochi Detroit began to take off shortly after Yokely returned to the Motor City, she said. Yokely first met DePorre as a client at a wellness center in Corktown. Yokely mentioned that she wanted to open her own business but didn’t have an investor, she said. But by the second meeting, Yokely knew they would become business partners.

DePorre, who works in the medical field, said massage therapy is relatively new to her. She often thought of massages as a luxury, something you treat yourself to on vacation. However, a few years ago, she started getting massages regularly and realized she wanted these types of services in her life.

“I felt the changes and the stiffness subside, and then I started to think of it as more of a conservation measure,” DePorre said.

After the peak of the pandemic, the doctor wanted to create something meaningful and she saw that in Yokely and Kimochi Detroit.

“I’m not necessarily sold on the idea of ​​the business, but I’m interested in learning more about acupuncture, meeting people and trying new things,” DePorre said. “There was no specific goal. It was more that Kim and I connected on a friendship level and then really envisioned how cool it would be to create something in the city – at the time we were also thinking about a sauna and bathhouse.”

DePorre became an investor in Kimochi, and she and Yokely visited at least five different locations on the east side before finding the building in Eastern Market, 1337 Division Street, last year.

To obtain additional funding, the women began working with Motor City Match. The entrepreneur program awarded Yokely and DePorre a $35,000 grant to cover equipment costs.

When it comes to extra help, Yokely has about eight people working with Kimochi. Yokely said they aren’t technically her employees since they have their own businesses, but they would come to the studio to help in two- to three-day shifts.

Prices range from $30 for a 15-minute chair massage to $80 for a 50-minute acupuncture session to $300 for Swedish and shiatsu massage. Yokely offers a variety of memberships to provide access to clients in every price range. The “Shine On” membership is free, but clients must be on call to volunteer at Kimochi events. Kimochi’s other free membership is a barter system where people can help the wellness center with social media, marketing, public relations or cleaning in exchange for massage and reflexology sessions.

Yokely plans to highlight the businesses that support Kimochi, as well as other wellness providers, at weekend health fairs in Eastern Market in September and October. When the weather gets cooler, Yokely hopes to host cooking classes and game nights.

And their long-term goal? Opening a second location in Atlanta.

Yokely, who started her business years before the advent of massage and holistic wellness, said she’s excited about the industry’s increasing popularity but worries it’s becoming too commercial. She and DePorre hope people stop seeing massage as something you get occasionally and start seeing it as something that improves their health.

“When I started, there was no interest,” Yokely said. “People want to learn. They want a course, they want a workshop. So that’s the difference.”

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