Ja and Jaiyen spa’s journey has been quite the journey around the world all the way to Thailand, making new friends, family, memories, and a new home. Jaiyen spa has had eight years of memories and new experiences as of 2023, and continues to make a statement and impact. Not just impacting the local community, but as well as Ja’s hometown community, supported by donating to each community and spreading healing and love to others.
The owner Ja Bailey or Sawitree Martrai originally grew up in Thailand, living with her grandparents in Muaklek,a small village in Saraburi Province, growing up the saying “it takes a whole village” played a huge role in Ja’s life, relatives as well as their village neighbors would help support them and vice versa.
The beautiful thing about growing up for Ja was that people weren’t just supporting each other to help each other but simply out of the kindness of their hearts. It didn’t matter if you were rich or poor if you came over for dinner you were always welcomed, sharing is caring after all. Growing up Ja would have family dinners often, not just relatives but neighbors and chosen family as well, there would always be many dishes to try as if it were a potluck, everyone would gather together bringing different types of food to share, not just to share food but share love of caring.
Ja originally started practicing Thai massage in Thailand at the age of 25, around that time she started realizing the importance of taking care of yourself. What you eat, breathe, everything has an impact good or bad on your body “you must be healthy to be wealthy”.
In 2006 a traveling man by the name of Robin just so happened to visit Saraburi Province located in Thailand, where Ja had originally grown up. The two met and hit it off, talking for months and months, Robin eventually asked her to move to Sebastopol, CA in 2007, and she is happy with her decision to this day. When Ja first got a glimpse of Sebastopol she said “the smell reminded her of home” what locals may know as ‘sonoma aroma’, in both Thailand and Sebastopol agriculture is a huge part of the community. The community was so kind, open, and accepting in diversity she fell in love with her new settings she could call home, wanting to bring Thai traditions to the community and support her hometown as well, this helped inspire her to start her own business.
Before Jaiyen Spa, Ja started working at the Thai House on 4th street in Santa Rosa, and on the side was taking an ESL class, as well as attending Sebastopol Massage Center School for about a year, working towards what would be known as Jaiyen Spa. Throughout this time her mentor Tom Barret helped her personally throughout her journey of starting and creating Jaiyen Spa. Robin, her husband, was a great support in her life, naturally worried about the risks of starting her own business he knew and had faith that Ja would show the world who she is and what she can do.
Doing just that her hardwork and dedication had paid off, in 2015 when the spa had officially opened and took an unexpected twist. Not only Ja but as well as the first generation practitioner, Robin, Tom, and her peers around her were all shocked by the support in the community, once the doors opened the spa blasted off like a rocket! Ja shocked the people around her with her success inspiring others to pursue their dreams, including her husband Robin who also now runs his own Civil Engineering Support Business.
People were excited about this new style of massage that was now offered locally, a whole different style of massage. To this day some have even said that at Jaiyen Spa it’s the “closest they can get to a “Traditional Thailand Massage” which is the exact outcome Ja was looking for. It wasn’t just massage and healing practices that were brought, but as well as cooking, clothes, dancing and so much more.
Ja continues to support her local community as well as her hometown community by donating to education, health, and other charities to support and teach each place the new things she learns, and things she already knows. Raising awareness of her hometown, such as education, unfortunately a lot of students are unable to graduate due to lack of supplies needed, so Ja has started a fundraiser to help support those who need it, and give them a chance receiving education.
When asked ‘what would you say to someone who is wanting or pursuing the idea of starting their own business’, Ja responded “having a good mentor or role model to help you through the process” her mentor Tom Barrett has had a huge impact on her journey and upbringing, Tom Barrett has worked with Rodney Strong Vineyards before becoming a mentor to help Ja. Unfortunately Tom passed in 2022 Ja continues to make sure his name lives on. Having a mentor not only helped to teach and guide Ja through this process, but also helped and guided her to find the perfect balance in work and her personal life.
Ja has started from the bottom and worked her way up through years of determination and hardwork, creating what we now know as and love Jaiyen spa. From personal experience the love in the business is like family, the relationships that Ja builds with employees and customers shows how much love and kindness she has, the cooking and dishes that are made for getting together, and dinners are delicious .
Working with and getting to know Ja has been an amazing journey of learning,working, and laughing together, not just learning about Thai traditions, as well as extra useful skills needed throughout the adventures of life. Just like the kind and love in Ja’s heart, Jaiyen Spa has continued to form and make its name known in the community with the support of close ones and even the community Jaiyen Spa is located in, Sebastopol California.
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