With a name like Death’s Door and black-painted treatment rooms filled with skulls and gothic candles, Auchterarder sports massage specialists Lauren Rees and James Bremner were always going to turn heads.
But when Judy Murray recommended them to her thousands of followers, the attention took off like a rocket.
Now the couple are set to open a second Death’s Door clinic in Bridge of Allan as demand for their services grows and grows.
It’s been a whirlwind 16 months on Auchterarder High Street.
And Lauren and James can’t wait to get cracking at their new base too.
“Judy has been giving us lots of help with the Bridge of Allan shop,” says Lauren.
“She comes here a lot now. You should see people’s faces when they’re sitting in the waiting room and Judy Murray walks out.”
‘Don’t let the name put you off’
Lauren, 25, and James, 30, opened Death’s Door Sports Massage in Auchterarder in April 2023.
Soon after they sent the Murray matriach a cheeky message, inviting her to drop in for a massage next time she was passing.
To their surprise she took them up on it.
And to their delight, she loved every second.
The queen of the tennis mums posted a photo of the Death’s Door pavement sign on Instagram in May 2023.
And to her 59,000 followers she wrote: “Had the most fabulous sports massage today on my neck shoulders and back….at a (very cool) new clinic in Auchterarder High Street – called Deaths Door.
“Don’t let the name put you off, it was excellent. Seriously recommending.”
Judy finished off with five star emojis.
And by the following morning, there were more than 20 people asking for walk-in appointments.
Auchterarder Death’s Door clients range from seven to 103
Since then, Judy has become a regular and the client list has expanded.
James has quit his job in the prison service to work full-time at the clinic.
And they’ve added three employees – not to mention Rex, the therapy dog in training.
Clients have ranged in age from seven to 103 and included players for St Johnstone and other top flight football and rugby clubs.
They’re also seeing to the aches and pains of Auchterarder townsfolk whose sporting heyday is long behind them.
“We’re getting a lot of older people coming in with things like gardening injuries,” says James.
“Some of them have been waiting six months for physio on the NHS. If we can sort them out, that’s going to save money and save them a lot of pain.”
The Bridge of Allan expansion will offer lots more space to provide the same range of services.
It’s due to open upstairs inside the popular Nutshell homewares shop on Henderson Street at the beginning of September.
The new clinic will boast all the trademark Death’s Door flourishes.
But Lauren and James won’t forget where their Scottish adventure all began.
Auchterarder community made birth of Death’s Door possible
The couple met in New Zealand, where she had launched her first Death’s Door Sports Massage clinic and he was travelling on a break from his job as a Polmont prison officer.
They returned to the UK for a fresh start after James was viciously assaulted in a New Zealand jail.
It took them just 14 days from signing the lease to opening the clinic, with a lot of help from family and friends.
But Auchterarder locals also took them to their hearts, gifting everything from carpets to candles and flowers when they appealed for help to furnish the premises.
Local signwriter Robin Bain even performed a marketing master stroke when he wrote ‘Death’s Door’ above the shopfront, but didn’t add the ‘sports massage’ bit until the day it opened.
“People were wondering ‘is it a tattoo shop, a barber?’ I think they were maybe quite relieved when they found out what we were,” laughed Lauren.
” And since then the support has been incredible. People have helped us out with everything.
“We couldn’t have done any of this without the community in Auchterarder.”
Conversation