Marin Snapshot: Novato couple’s symbiotic work relationship creates happy clients

CLASSICAL PIANO music can be heard throughout the house as Dot Spaet stretches out her clients’ muscles in an effort to relieve their back pain. Across the hall, her partner of 10 years, John Boyajy, instructs his students in the art of piano playing.

Spaet, 59, and Boyajy, 69, moved to their Novato residence in 2007 and decided they no longer wanted to rent studio space for their businesses. Instead, they set up shop at home. Spaet, a former engineer, is a back pain specialist, and Boyajy is a Juilliard School-trained concert pianist and music teacher.

The couple said they were initially concerned about potential conflicts between their businesses, and possibly conflicts between them, with everything being housed under one roof. However, they discovered people love the combination of their work. They’re also both so busy with clients that they simply don’t have enough time to get on each other’s nerves.

Q: Does the music ever bother your back pain clients?

Spaet: My clients that are pianists are bothered by the music because they’re listening to the music and not listening to me and my instructions. Who expects to go get their back fixed and hear world-class piano music in the background?

Q: How did you become a back pain specialist?

Spaet: I was an engineer for 16 years. Then I went into the computer industry and the bottom dropped out on that. John said, “why don’t you do fitness, that’s all you ever talk about,” and I went for it. I’ve been studying food for 45 years and exercise for 30. I learned my passion is in fixing, troubleshooting and analyzing people’s fitness problems.

Q: How did you become a concert pianist and piano teacher?

Boyajy: I started playing piano when I was 8. I have two degrees from Juilliard, but I had other careers for at least a couple of decades. It wasn’t until 2001 that I returned to music. When I moved to Marin County, Glenn Woodruff, owner of the The J-B Piano Co. in San Rafael, gave me a place to teach. I started performing again about two years ago.

Q: Do your clients ever overlap with Spaet’s?

Boyajy: Once in a while one of them will set up a session with Dot to work on carpal tunnel problems and other issues. Several of her clients have become loyal regulars of mine. They come to the house concerts we give here and just recently attended a concert of mine in San Francisco.

By Megan Hansen, Marin Independent Journal, July 21, 2013