Lihle’s journey to success is in her hands

Follow your dreams. I have gone through a lot, I have been broke, I have been depressed but I chose to chase happiness instead of money. I love what I do, I feel calm when I’m in this place.

Never postpone your dreams. You owe it to yourself to fulfill them.

These are the encouraging words from Lihle Malinga (34) the proud owner of LN Spa Connoisseur. She has made a name for herself in Dundee with her magical hands and infectious smile. She schooled at Dundee Junior and later headed to Dundee High back in the 90s. Lihle comes from a family of four siblings, two brothers, and two sisters. She is a mother to her teenage daughter and her late sister’s daughter.

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Lihle initially studied Graphic Design and dropped out six months into her course. “I found out that I was pregnant that year and decided to drop out not because I was pregnant, but my heart was no longer in what I was studying,” she explained. Lihle then decided to go back to her books after he daughter was born and enrolled at an International Hotel College. “I love food and cooking calms me. I particularly love making pasta for my family,” she cited.
The bubbly Lihle has had a few knocks in life like losing her sister with whom she was very close. “I have never really recovered from her passing. It is still very hard for me to get to over it,” she said with sadness in her voice. “My sister left us with a beautiful daughter who resembles her mother in so many ways especially the things she does.” This was a very traumatic time for both Lihle and her mother. Another agonizing experience in Lihle’s life was when she was in a car accident in 2011, which left the car beyond repair. Due to this she has developed a phobia and can’t drive other people’s cars or drive near trucks.

Lihle’s very first job was at Orange Grove as an administrator. She worked there for six months and later worked at Endumeni Farm for a year and a half.
Lihle later did a massage therapy course at Beauty Therapy Institute in Randburg and decided to become self-employed after graduating. “I opened my very first mobile spa in Johannesburg in 2013 which did very well, but because of too much competition I decided to come back home,” explained Lihle, “that is when I opened an office in McKenzie Street in 2014 and it took me eight months to build a client base.” But those days are long gone and she now has an office on Beaconsfield Street. She does house calls as far as Newcastle, Ladysmith, and Vryheid.
She specialises in hot stone and full body massage but also does sports massages on request.
“As a masseuse, I also book myself into a spa at least once a month,” she cited, “I believe in energies and I believe that different people come with different energies into my spa, therefore, I also need to dispel them by getting a massage.”
Lihle explained how she doesn’t like people who are inconsiderate of others, of time and who don’t respect other peoples belongings. She claims to be very impatient and gets easily upset, “I am a reserved person by nature and sometimes people take advantage of that,” said Lihle, “what I would tell my 16-year-old self is to stress less and everything will be okay.”
Her message for aspiring masseuses is “massage therapy is a booming industry, get enough information, find a credible school and if you want to be self-employed it’s the best industry.”