Bethany Clague, owner of Bloom Healing Arts in Fresno, sits surrounded by singing bowls inside her studio on Shaw Avenue. Clague's business was recently ranked fourth among the highest-rated women-owned hair and beauty businesses in the country by OnDeck. Photo via Bethany Clague

A Fresno business owner’s massage studio was recently ranked as one of the highest-rated woman-owned small businesses in the country.

According to a recent study from OnDeck, an online lender for small businesses, Bloom Healing Arts in Fresno is the fourth highest-rated women-owned hair and beauty business in the country, earning a 5-star rating out of 5.

To identify the highest-rated women-owned small businesses in the United States, OnDeck gathered data on all women-owned businesses in 431 U.S. cities listed on Yelp, with at least 50 reviews and a rating of four stars or higher. The data was collected in September 2025.

Bethany Clague, owner of Bloom Healing Arts, established her business in 2001, operating out of the same space on Shaw Avenue and First Street, across from Fashion Fair Mall. Her studio has a lot of “healing mojo,” she said.

Clague said she was caught by surprise to find out she is the owner of one of the highest-rated women-owned businesses in the country.

“I am honored and felt a deep sense of gratitude because it’s because of my customers. If my clients did not take a moment to go make that Yelp review, I would not be listed.”

Clague said she doesn’t have a website and doesn’t really do any public relations work for her business, so the reviews on Yelp really help.

Customers are the best marketers, Clague said, and business owners should not be shy about asking for reviews.

Clague, 48, a Fresno native, said her journey as a massage therapist began when she was working in San Francisco during the Dot-Com bubble and would get weekly massages to help deal with her sciatica.

She was encouraged by family and friends to become a massage therapist because she was told she had good hands. Clague moved back to Fresno and started attending the Therapeutic Learning Center, which has since closed.

She also took esthetician training, has done nutritional coaching, studied psychology and has taken courses on shamanism.

“Everything that I went through kind of drove me to my own healing work, which then helped me have more tools for my clients’ needs,” Clague said.

While there are many massage therapists and healing studios in the area, Clague said she stands out in her own way because she is very sensitive and created a physically beautiful environment that gives off a calm energy.

She said a lot of business owners do not realize how much environment plays a role in a customer or client wanting to return and open up.

Business owners need to find what they are passionate about because they will get good at whatever it is and that will attract more clients, she said.

In America, women-owned businesses employ 11.4 million people and generate over $2.1 trillion in revenue annually. Women still own just 22.3% of employer businesses, and women-owned businesses generate just 4.84% of all business revenue overall.

She said being a woman in the business world does come with different challenges in a male-dominated business landscape. Clague said she struggled with hormonal imbalance issues for 20 years, and said we live in a society that is focused on the “masculine clock,” which shines like the sun every single day.

“Working in harmony with my own rhythm is one of the most important things I learned. When my mojo is strong is a good time to market. There are going to be times when I am exhausted and going to need a few days of rest,” Clague said.