Day in the Life: Massage Therapist Erica Ladenthin

Seven years ago, massage therapist Erica Ladenthin, 39, had a clear vision about the direction her life was headed. At the top of the list was getting engaged, starting a family and opening her own spa.

In 2018, doctors diagnosed her with a rare and aggressive form of cervical cancer. After months of radiation and chemo, she had beaten the odds and was getting her career and life back on track, or so she thought.

“About a month after radiation, I started noticing numbness and tingling in my toes while out for a hike, and it got progressively worse. It was hard to stand up, or my knees would buckle going up and down stairs,” she says. “Eventually, after lots of tests and continuing to get weaker, they discovered the radiation damaged my spinal cord.”

In a year she went from beating cancer to being paralyzed from the waist down and using a wheelchair full-time. “It was devastating. I was just starting to build back my massage business and dreaming about opening a spa when life turned upside down again. Through it all, I maintained my massage license and went back to school to earn my nail technician license. I knew I wanted to get back to it. I just didn’t know what that would look like.”

Her massage teacher had a hydraulic table and suggested she practice doing full-body massages on her. The table allowed Ladenthin to adjust the height of the table so she could roll her wheelchair underneath and get close enough to a client without overstraining her body.

Through all the trials and tribulations, she never lost faith that she’d reach her goal of owning her own spa. In February 2025, she opened Rolling River Spa in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. “I worked really hard a long time to get here, and it makes me feel proud and accomplished when I look around and see what I’ve been able to do.”

Here is what her typical day looks like.

7:00 a.m.

Time to start my day, but my two kitties, Whiskey and Puck, come first. They get lots of love, attention and treats when I first wake up. After filling their water and food bowls, it’s time to shower. Some days I go straight to the spa, but a few days a week, l go to the gym first.

I’m in the process of getting an accessible vehicle, so right now I rely on a state funded transportation service to get around. My clients are by appointment only, so my schedule is flexible.

10:00 a.m.

I joined a group circuit training class. Not having a car right now can be very isolating, so I love the social aspect of going to the gym and getting to talk and be around other people. The workout includes a series of exercises that target different muscle groups. The trainer makes a few adaptations for me — for example, when everybody gets on the floor to do their stretches at the end of class, I transfer to an old massage table I loaned them to do my stretching.

11:30 a.m.

I turn on the hot towel and table warmer to get set up for a client coming in this afternoon for a 90-minute massage. My spa is in a building that used to be an assisted living facility, so it already had accessible bathrooms, wider doorways, a power door, elevator and roll under sinks. It also has in-house laundry, which is a bonus. I go through a lot of linens and towels, and I don’t have to worry about folding all those sheets.

Wisconsin’s Department of Vocational Rehab helped fund other modifications I needed to resume my career, such as a hydraulic massage table and hydraulic pedicure chair. The pedicure chair goes up high, but because it’s hard to bend over for long periods of time, my dad built me a pedicure table so I can do pedicures at a more comfortable height.

1:00 p.m.

Right now, I’m in charge of marketing. I have a lot of clients that have stuck with me through the years, and I’m trying to build a new clientele too, one I hope includes wheelchair users. Finding accessible nail services or a spa in general, is hard for those in chairs. I remember trying to get a pedicure for the first time after using a wheelchair, and the experience was horrible. The chairs are typically spaced too close together and too high, making transferring difficult. When I bought the spa, I tried not to think just about my accessibility needs, but others’ too.

3:30 p.m.

As a new business owner, there is a never-ending list of things to do, like answering emails, paying bills, and making calls. Today, I need to follow up and see how work is coming along on my logo design and website. I also just got a shipment of products that need to be unpacked and priced. My spa carries jewelry, candles, scrubs and lotions. I also have men’s products, like beard oil and bod butter.

5:00 p.m.

My last client has just left, feeling pampered and relaxed. The best part of my job is giving them an hour or two away from the rest of the world to focus on themselves, their health and their wellbeing. Our world is crazy, so it’s nice to be able to offer comfort and relaxation to people, because that’s really hard to find.

Unfortunately, the transportation service I use stops at 6:30 p.m., and I’d love to stay at the office and get more done. Tonight I’m leaving a little earlier than normal because I need to shop for groceries.

6:30 p.m.

I really like to cook. I have an accessible apartment. My kitchen and bathroom have roll under sinks. I have front-loading laundry machines, a roll-in shower, and a roll-in closet with lowered clothing rods. Tonight, for dinner, I’m making some of my favorites — salmon, brown rice and a Caesar salad.

8:00 p.m.

I try to knock out some laundry before I unwind in my recliner with my kitties. One likes to sit in my wheelchair and the other is by my legs. I have a bunch of TV shows I like to watch, but now that I’m busy with my business, I am lucky if I have the energy to watch one show before I get tired and go to bed.

10:00 p.m.

After crawling into bed and playing on my phone for a while, it’s time to call it a night.

Fun Facts:

Favorite place to spend time: Anywhere outside in nature. I love camping, hiking and kayaking.

Hobbies: I’m a big rock collector. I love hunting for agates. I have them in jars everywhere.

How did you come up with the name for your business: I called it Rolling River Spa because there is nothing more peaceful than floating down a beautiful rolling river. That’s what I wanted my spa to feel like. Plus, the name is a little nod to being in a wheelchair without it being in your face.