Why I Started Ima Wellness

Mami's own words on building a women-only home spa in Mumbai

Mami · May 2026

I'm Mami. I'm from Aizawl, Mizoram — a hill city in India's Northeast where massage is not a luxury service, it's part of how families take care of each other.

Why a women-only home spa?

I trained as a massage therapist over a decade ago. I worked first in Aizawl, then in Guwahati, then in Mumbai, sometimes in big-brand salons and sometimes for celebrity homes. Every Northeast therapist I knew had a story about a strange male client, a request she shouldn't have had to refuse, a salon manager who didn't have her back. I built Ima Wellness so that the women who work for me never have to live with that fear. We are women-only by founding principle, not as a marketing angle.

Why home, not a salon?

Two reasons. First — most of my best Mumbai clients told me their favourite massages were in hotel rooms or holiday villas, never in salons. The privacy of your own space changes what a massage actually does to your body. Second — therapists in big-city salons end up paying for the salon's rent, electricity, receptionist, and brand marketing. When I serve you at your home, all of that overhead is gone. I pay my therapists more, and you pay less than a comparable salon session.

Why Northeast therapists?

Northeast India has a quiet, centuries-old massage tradition — particularly in Manipur (where 'Ima Keithel' is the world's only all-women market) and in Mizoram. Most home-spa therapists you've ever met in Mumbai are from these regions, but the salons that send them never tell you that. I name it because I'm proud of it. The technique, the gentleness, the unhurried pace — that's the Northeast tradition.

What 'Ima' means

Ima is the Manipuri word for 'mother'. It's also the name of Ima Keithel — the centuries-old all-women market in Imphal, where 4,000 women have run businesses for over 500 years. We took the name on purpose. I want every Ima customer to feel like she's being cared for by someone who treats her like her own mother would — with skill, patience and quiet.

What I won't do

I won't take male customers. I won't negotiate prices (it isn't fair to therapists who are getting paid less every time a customer haggles). I won't pad invoices with 'travel fees'. I won't oversell packs to people who only want one session. I won't run aggressive Instagram ads with stock photos and impossible promises. If those rules cost me growth, I'm fine with that.

What's next

I want Ima Wellness to become the home spa Mumbai's women trust enough to recommend to their mothers, sisters and daughters. Not the biggest. The most trusted. WhatsApp me on +91 90217 21098 if you'd like to book — or just to ask questions. I'll answer.