The Bradford Wellness Centre has been quietly building its reputation and clientele over the past five months.
On Saturday, owner Assunta Rose and her associates will officially open the centre, with all the hoopla of balloons, food from Poleiro BBQ, free mini-massages and a ribbon-cutting ceremony with BWG Mayor Rob Keffer shortly after 10 a.m.
Rose went back to school when she was 41 to study massage therapy on the advice of a friend, who she said told her, “You have such great hands!”
She studied not only standard massage therapy, but pre- and post-natal massage, and oncology massage, which is geared toward cancer patients.
She found the therapy created a bond with her clients. The one-hour sessions helped her find “a place of healing, not just for them but for me. It was really incredible.”
Rose initially worked in another clinic before deciding to launch her own centre in Bradford.
“I created this clinic so practitioners would be able to grow… I’m able to embody everything I’m passionate about.”
The Bradford Wellness Centre, located at 140 Holland St. W., unit 4, fulfills Rose’s vision of a holistic centre for healing.
The centre is home to six massage therapists, including Rose, two naturopaths, a counsellor specializing in bereavement and oncology, a life coach and personal development trainer, and an osteopath.
“We have a beautiful dynamic,” she said. “We’re able to offer clients a circle of care.”
Bradford Wellness Centre strives to be a “safe haven, a comfortable, welcoming safe place,” not just for physical healing, Rose said. “Healing is not just without — it’s within.”
Every room has its own calming atmosphere, using noise machines to provide privacy, and Himalayan Salt lamps to promote calming.
The foyer features comfortable furnishings and original artwork by local artist Stella Wadsworth, who will be at Saturday’s grand opening.
And the centre, which is beside Shoppers Drug Mart, is wholly handicap-accessible, with nearly one-metre wide hallways and doorways, hydraulic tables, and an accessible washroom facility.
“I want people to come in here and feel comfortable,” Rose said.
