BizLaunch Small Business Feature: Vyana Infant Massage

March 15, 2022 | By Alex Held

Founded in 2018, Vyana Infant Massage LLC teaches parents the art and science of baby massage. While relatively new in the United States, baby massage has been practiced in Asia and Africa for thousands of years. Baby massage has been used to improve sleep and immunity, alleviate gas/colic, congestion, constipation, growing pains and so much more. “It’s the most underutilized tool of moms in America, and it can transform lives,” says Khyati Desai-Seltzer, founder and CEO of Vyana Infant Massage.

Like many small businesses in Arlington, Khyati is the sole team member of Vyana Infant Massage. “Part of my work is to educate families on why babies need a daily massage. The other part is in teaching them how to massage their baby,” says Desai-Seltzer. As with many solopreneurs, particularly businesses within the personal service industry, Khyati spends a lot of time with her customers. “I love customers who are open and eager to learn baby massage and support their baby’s health and happiness through an evidence-based natural, effective and powerful approach.” The client who sees the benefits and then makes it a part of their daily routine is my favorite,” says Desai-Seltzer.

Many startups seek resources to help their businesses start, grow and scale. Vyana Infant Massage was no different and sought out BizLaunch resources and the support of other entrepreneurs. “BizLaunch gets all the credit for getting me going,” says Desai-Seltzer. Through BizLaunch, Khyati accessed resources to help with her business’s legal, financial, and marketing aspects. “ Early on, I was featured in Arlington Magazine thanks to them and have made wonderful connections along the way,” says Desai-Seltzer. Additionally, Khyati was recently selected as a ReLaunch grant recipient and is currently working with Nub8 to update her website.

With Vyana Infant Massage being a home-based business, Khyati spends a lot of time traveling throughout the DMV to teach families about massage and how to massage their babies. “I LOVE Arlington. It’s where I live, work and play and while my services are national, I love being a resource to my neighbors,” says Desai-Seltzer. As a community, Arlington has a lot of great things to offer. “I love Arlington’s diverse communities, great restaurants, numerous parks and trails, excellent public education and accessible public transportation. Also, we have a County Board that cares about doing what is right when it comes to housing, community development and racial equity,” says Desai-Seltzer.

Khyati hopes more families know about baby massage and make it a part of their lifestyle in the next five years. “As it becomes more established, I want moms to be thinking about baby massage even before their babies are born.” “I see myself working with a team to bring baby massage to more people in our region. Ideally, it would be covered by insurance, so it’s affordable and accessible to all families because all babies deserve and need daily massage,” says Desai-Seltzer.

For more information about Vyana Infant Massage LLC, visit www.vyanainfantmassage.com and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Benable and YouTube.