Changing directions: Polly Merhar shifts careers, opens Trail Ready Massage in Bemidji - The Bemidji Pioneer

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BEMIDJI — It’s never too late for a change, at least that’s what newly minted massage therapist Polly Merhar believes.

Merhar, who is in her mid-50s, spent most of her life working in business administration before she made the decision to take her career in an entirely new direction. Now, she’s a nationally certified massage therapist and owns Trail Ready Massage in Bemidji.

Originally from the Duluth area, Merhar took her first steps in business when she opened a restaurant along the North Shore of Lake Superior. After she and her husband sold the restaurant more than 20 years ago, they moved to Bemidji to be closer to family.

A few decades later, Merhar decided to leave her business administration career behind and lease a suite in Bemidji's Chief Plaza, 1510 Bemidji Ave. N, to run her own small business offering therapeutic massage.

“It was the right decision,” Merhar said, “which is always a nice thing to get out in a career and find that it was the right choice.”


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Finding inspiration


Trail Ready Massage is entirely run by Merhar, who welcomes clients into the small and colorful space with a warm smile and a can-do attitude.

Along with scheduling appointments by request, Merhar has also teamed up with health care providers who can provide their patients with referrals.

"Any age, any path," Merhar said, "that is exactly the kind of thing that I had envisioned as my target market."

Trail Ready Massage clients are greeted by bright colors and a summery atmosphere, which owner Polly Merhar says are representative of her personality and the positive feelings she hopes clients feel while at the business.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer


Merhar has always been an active person but said she found inspiration to help others in their own health journey one day while driving down the street.

“I saw this old couple walking along, supporting each other in their walkers and their canes,” Merhar said. “Three miles later I saw this fabulous upright couple, gray hair, holding hands. (I thought to myself) those are the people I want to be, and those are the people I want to help other people be.”

That situation inspired Merhar to pursue a career where she could help people from all walks of life remain active and comfortable, setting her on a course toward becoming a certified massage therapist and also later inspired the name of her business.

One year later, Merhar graduated from the program and earned her national board certification in therapeutic massage and bodywork. Then on Feb. 9, she welcomed her first official client at her new business.

Various certifications that massage therapist Polly Merhar has achieved adorn the walls of a seating area at Trail Ready Massage, which opened in February in Bemidji.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer


“I really enjoy the people who come in,” Merhar said. “It’s just wonderful to help them and help them feel better.”


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In the months since opening, Merhar has worked with everyone from clients undergoing cancer treatment to retired dancers in their 70s. Helping each of them has reaffirmed her decision to take on her new career.

“They’ve had this long winter, (maybe) they’ve had COVID, they haven’t had a massage for years,” Merhar said of her clients, “a lot of people just want to be more comfortable."


Improving lives


Merhar added that she feels she better understands her client's desires, since she, too, has gone through periods where chronic pain and other physical challenges affected her ability to go through life comfortably.

“I hurt my back in my 30s,” Merhar said. “You just have these things in your life where all of a sudden it limits the things you can do.”

After going through physical therapy, Merhar was able to return to her active lifestyle, something she hopes she can help others reach as well.

“My tagline is ‘Joining you on your path to wellness,’” Merhar said of her business model. “I want to help other people be really active people. And be healthy as they age in whatever path they pick.”

When developing a treatment plan, Polly Merhar likes to sit with clients and talk about areas where they might be dealing with pain or discomfort and uses these trigger point posters as a visual when explaining how muscles are connected throughout the body.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer


When a client comes for an appointment at Trail Ready Massage, the first thing Merhar does is a health intake. She sits down with the client to discuss what their needs are before designing a treatment plan that will help them meet their goals.

“Right now I’m doing full clinical massage, which takes a lot of fitness and muscles,” Merhar said. “There’s also a big chunk of time I’m doing behind-the-scenes work.”


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Therapeutic and clinical massage, which Merhar offers, differs from a massage that is just meant for relaxation. Massage therapy works to relieve pain and address specific physical problems a person might be experiencing.

Trail Ready Massage has one main massage room with a standard massage table.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer


For Merhar, massage therapy is something she hopes to work in even as she gets older, and believes this will be her last career change.

"If I still love it, there are lots of things I can do,” Merhar said. “I can do it until my body can’t handle it anymore. It’s the last career I’m going to have.”

She is already thinking about adjustments she can make to the services she offers that might be less physically demanding and is excited to learn new techniques and practices to offer her clients.

“There are all these things I can continue to learn as I go,” she said. “I’m just exactly where I need to be.”

Relaxing decor adorns the walls of the main massage room at Trail Ready Massage.

Annalise Braught / Bemidji Pioneer