Wellness theme drives business in area

A total of 11 independent practitioners are based at the Wholistic Wellness Center in Springfield. Services offered include therapeutic massage, acupuncture and psychotherapy.

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20150601/BUSINESS03/706019949

Wellness theme drives business in area By Gareth Henderson Staff Writer | June 01,2015 Anthony Edwards / Staff Photos Lindsay Courcelle works with Laurie Musick Wright at the Right To Wellness Center on West Street in Rutland. Businesses centered around wellness have experienced increased demand for their services in recent years, ranging from outdoor activities to different types of therapy. The trend has reached such a strong point that the Cortina Inn and Resort in Mendon is trying to build a wellness theme into the inn’s brand, with the help of New Life Hiking Spa. Jimmy LeSage, founder and owner of New Life Hiking Spa, moved his business into the Cortina on May 14. LeSage offers local hikes, massages, yoga, nutritional health counseling and other services through his business. Patrick Kitchin, the general manager at the Cortina, said the response to having LeSage’s services at the inn has had a huge and positive impact. Kitchin said the New Life Hiking Spa definitely boosted business over the Memorial Day Weekend, when the inn was nearly full. “It’s not just a going trend, but everyone’s looking for a way to be healthy and live a healthier lifestyle,” Kitchin said of wellness. LeSage founded his business in Vermont in 1978, and said interest in wellness has been increasing in recent years. He has 35 seasonal employees and is open for 19 weeks per year — essentially during the warm season. “I’ve been doing this for 37 years, and I’ve been very encouraged,” LeSage said. “Now people who are looking to plan meetings are looking to have that wellness component be a part of the meeting format.” Much of LeSage’s business is from out-of-state clients, but he said he’s also looking to set up wellness-themed meetings and conferences at the Cortina for local businesses. In nearby Rutland, the wellness trend has been a definite factor in the business scene. A year ago, Laurie Musick Wright officially opened the Right to Wellness Center at her building on West Street. Seven independent practitioners rent space there and offer services like massage, stress management, Reiki and other treatments. Wright offers bioenergetic massage and Shen touch. A group offering childbirth education classes is starting in July. Wright said the space on West Street has given a number of the practitioners, who have other locations, a centrally located space to serve their Rutland clients. She said business has been going well and that a lot of the demand for wellness services comes from lifestyle needs in today’s busy world. “People are searching for refuge from their busy lives,” Wright said. She said people are looking to alternative therapies to complement medical treatments. From a business standpoint, the wellness center also allows practitioners to help each other by referring clients for different services, Wright said. Bill Kelley, owner of the Pyramid Holistic Wellness Center in Rutland, said the demand for wellness services certainly led him to open the business nine years ago, but that the trend is more pronounced now. “Western medicine alone isn’t answering everything for people; they’re looking for alternative treatments to enhance their lifestyle,” Kelley said. He said massage therapy and the center’s salt cave have been the most popular services at his center. The business has a few employees and about 40 different instructors and practitioners. The center also offers yoga, fitness and dance classes. Kelley noted the role wellness centers play when it comes to jobs. Before the business started, many of the instructors and practitioners were working in isolation, Kelley said, without a common space. He said larger businesses are often mentioned when people talk about employers, but he said the center gives practitioners the opportunity to offer their services in a downtown space. “We don’t have 50 employees, but a lot of people are here working during the day,” Kelley said. At the Wholistic Wellness Center in nearby Springfield, Cindy Aldrich owns the building and is also a physical therapist there. She opened the center in 2002. The services offered there also include therapeutic massage, acupuncture and psychotherapy. Aldrich recalled that the initial demand for the center came not only from clients, but also from practitioners who needed space for their work. She also sees a strong networking element within the group. “The opportunities are basically exponential (compared to) when you’re by yourself,” Aldrich said. She said an important part of the wellness trend is people looking to prevent disease through healthier lifestyles, not just using alternative treatment for an existing illness. A total of 11 independent practitioners are based at the center in Springfield, and the business has one employee, the office manager. The practitioners rent space and manage their schedules and payments on their own, Aldrich said. Aldrich also noted that most of the practitioners have been with the center for a decade or more. “In a small town, word of mouth goes a long way,” she said.