Army Veteran Couple Open First Hand & Stone Location in Waco, TX

Heath Balmos, a Texas-native, and his wife Heather met while both serving in the Army. After serving, Heath joined the corporate world and worked at Frito-Lay/PepsiCo for 16 years. Heather, on the other hand, had other aspirations. Heather loved giving and receiving massages. Making people feel better made Heather feel like she was giving back.

After having their third and youngest son, Heather decided she wanted a career path that had flexibility and fulfilled her and her family. She was able to take care of her children while doing what she loved, which was giving massages. Heather has now been a licensed massage therapist for over 2 years. Seeing the passion that Heather had ignited in Heath, the two decided to open the very first Hand & Stone location in their new hometown of Waco, TX.

Heath grew up in San Antonio, Texas, and attended college at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. He joined the Army when he was 22 years old and served for 6 ½ years. That is where he met his wife Heather. After serving in the military, Heath worked for Frito-Lay/PepsiCo for 16 years as a Site Director.

Heather grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. She attended college at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. She served in the Army where she met her wife Heather. Heather has 3 boys at home (Case 19, Gabe 16, and Eli 8).

Heather decided to change her career path and become a licensed massage therapist. This path fulfilled her and their family. Heather has now been a licensed massage therapist for a little over 3 years now. Heather is the lead massage therapist at their Hand & Stone Waco location and helps with the on-boarding of other massage therapists.

Heather was at massage school up in the Pacific Northwest, south of Oregon. Her instructor had worked at Hand & Stone. They often had people from H&S come talk to the students, and some students ended up working for H&S after. Heather found out about Hand & Stone because she was frequenting a competitor and switched to H&S and ended up going to work for H&S after school.

Heath chose to become a franchisee with Hand & Stone because it made his wife feel happy as an employee. He also talked to other business owners who enjoyed working with Hand & Stone. It's an environment where people are happy and has a really positive atmosphere and culture.

Heath and Heather looked at different franchises that aren't as healthy and impactful for clients, such as tanning bed salons and fast food. They wanted to be a part of something they were proud of and build a positive business environment for their clients.

Heath loves Texas but wanted a smaller city. Waco has beautiful weather, lakes nearby, a great family environment, and is a great place to raise a family. There was no Hand & Stone in Waco, which was a great business opportunity for them to bring one to the community and provide services.

Heath and Heather faced unexpected challenges when opening their franchise. They had to push their opening date from February to June 3rd due to permitting and lease issues.

Heath and Heather offer membership discounts to nurses, emergency service professionals, veterans and active duty military, and educators.