Meet Gio Gregorio | Licensed Massage Therapist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Gio Gregorio and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Gio, what do you attribute your success to?
I can honestly say that giving and trying my best each and every time, no matter what, is the key factor to my success. When I was in massage school I literally spent every night thinking about how my future would look like and what niche I would fit into in the massage and spa industry. When I earned my license, I saw it as a new beginning and immediately hit the ground running and haven’t stopped running since. Ultimately, I fell in love with the artistry and performance in massage and made it my mission to always perform the massage that I would expect the recieve. Holding myself at a high standard and being consistent has really made my career and passion take off to new levels, and I cannot wait to see how far I can take it.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Giossage, and what it is today, is honestly a manifestation of the ideas and dreams that I had when I spent sleepless nights in massage school thinking of what my future would look like. I went into the massage world knowing what I was already good at and eventually learned how to incorporate those skills from my past jobs and life experiences into my sessions and the client experience.

Becoming a Massage Therapist to me was like a rebirth of who I was professionally. I was absolutely burned out working in retail management and after some deep soul searching I wanted to pursue 1 of 3 things: Flight Attendant, Nurse, or Massage Therapist. When Houston hosted the Super Bowl in 2017 I was on my way to a Super Bowl party and got hit by a drunk driver. Thank goodness I was ok, but the aftermath of the accident led to doctor prescribed massage sessions. At first I was excited to be getting massages, but after the 3rd one I realized, “I can do what they’re doing, probably even better!” And thus, my light bulb moment of becoming a Massage Therapist was born.

When I fell in love with massage my career really blossomed. I discovered my touch and how to communicate with muscles in both a nurturing and therapeutic way. Being a Violinist as well really gave me an advantage on how I approached massage. At first it felt like laborious work but once I literally felt people change in my hands and the results I could give my passion really grew and took off. I became obsessed with putting on a beautiful and effective massage performance and found releasing muscle knots really satisfying.

All I wanted to do since day one is just level up. I knew it wasn’t going to be easy, and in fact, I appreciated the struggle. I just knew deep down to never get comfortable with where I was. Every time I did level up (which was very challenging), I celebrated, admired the view, and kept on climbing. I’m so grateful to finally have a career that I love and that I have control over. I also love all the different doors that massage has opened up for me and all the different avenues I can possibly explore. Some days are more tough than others but the satisfaction of making people feel good really solidifies the fact that I know I am doing amazing work.

Giossage to me represents my voice and contribution to the Massage Industry. I always remain authentic to my clients and am very open and honest with them. Along the way I learned to always remain humble and to appreciate my humble beginnings. It will never be easy growing my practice but I am appreciating the journey. For the future, I envision a brick and mortar massage and spa concept that its completely tailored to meet the various wellness needs of my ever growing clientele base.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Whenever I am showcasing my hometown I always like to bring them to places where I feel the most vibrant in the city. I love the energy of downtown Houston in the evening and at night. I would visit the Art installations at Discovery Green at dusk and have dinner at Hearsay on the Green. Afterwards we would haunt the Downtown Houston Night Scene such as High and Dry and La Carafe.

Another day would be spent exploring the diverse neighborhoods in Houston. A day would be spent in Chinatown eating Dim Sum at Ocean Palace, and getting dessert at Beard Papas, shopping at Reiwatakiya, then getting lost in Karaoke at KTV, to eating late night chinese food at FuFu Cafe.

Depending on how bougie I’d like to be I’d definitely stroll around The River Oaks Shopping District and Highland Village for high end shopping. The Sprinkles ATM is always a hit with out of towners. Also, shopping in various places in the heights always yields one of a kind finds.

For other nightlife spots I would definitely hit up our favorite LGBTQ+ Bars such as JRs. The Eagle, Buddys Ripcord, South Beach, TCPs, and Hamburger Marys. Other noteworthy bars to bring them to would be Beetleguese Betelgeuse on Washington and Craftwood by West Gray

And lastly, a trip to Houston would’nt be complete without visiting some of my favorite restaurants and food scenes. For Tex- Mex i’d recommend La Tapatia, BBQ would be Truth BBQ or Blood Bros. and even the food halls such as Post and understory.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My partner Jai. He really inspires me to appreciate the grind and admire the view from the top. We have similar work ethics and sometimes our schedules get a bit hectic but somehow we have made it work by understanding the nature of the business. He roots me on, gives me advice, and he also gets to try out my new massage techniques to give honest feedback. We even refer clients to each other and have worked side by side at networking events.

Website: www.Giossage.com

Instagram: @Giossage

Image Credits
Melissa K. McGowan