LAKELAND, Fla. — Barber Michael Norad opened a barbershop in north Lakeland in 2019.
“My wife and I worked hard at the beginning and were able to buy the barber shop,” Norad said.
Business was so successful that he opened a smoking supplies store right next door in the same square.
Then the pandemic hit and he was forced to close his business. The world seemed to come to a halt, but Norad and his wife re-planned.
“We did a survey of the area to see what we could bring to the area to make it fresher and newer and bring a good vibe to Lakeland,” Norad said.
Norado opened the Relax Room in 2021. It is the first zero gravity massage chair lounge in the country.
“It’s physically impossible for a human being to do what this chair can do. It’s like getting a massage from 12 people at the same time. Imagine a 400-pound man being rocked like a baby,” Norad said.
The space has been designed with music and lighting to encourage people to relax, after which he hopes they’ll take the short walk to his ice cream shop, which opened two months ago.
“I think it’s nice to have access to a lot of different things in the same area instead of having to go to the south side or the north side to do a lot of different things,” Julimar Norad said.
Norad and his wife plan to lease a vacant space on the edge of the square and open a restaurant as their fifth business.
“I had no investors, no financial advisors, no advice. It was just me, my wife, YouTube University and Pinterest. I had a whiteboard and I just went to work,” Norad said.
Homeowners accuse HOA of overstepping authority following ABC Action News report
After our story about the Wexford townhome community aired in May, more than a dozen people who own or formerly owned property in the HOA community contacted our newsroom with concerns, and Rochelle Alleyne took these issues to the HOA president and attorney.
Homeowners accuse HOA of overstepping authority following ABC Action News report
