A woman with a background in fine arts and business administration is exploring her passion for massage in Trail, where she just opened up her own clinic.
After completing a locum in Nelson, Jen Shelest built a clientele and became familiar with Trail while working at Kootenay-Columbia Therapeutics before opening up Axis Massage Therapy in East Trail this April.
“I’ve been wanting to buy my own place and start my own business ever since I could remember,” she said from her office on Second Avenue. “It was just one of those things that everything just fell into place and it seemed like the right thing to do.”
Axis offers a number of different techniques, including basic Swedish massage – characterized by the use of long, fluid, flowing strokes – trigger point therapy, where pressure is applied in intervals and hot stone massage.
“Hydrotherapy, which is the use of hot and cold temperatures, is just a really great tool to stimulate the tissues and to get people relaxed quickly so that you can get down to those deeper structures,” said Shelest.
The registered massage therapist treats patients with acute and chronic injuries, which are often related to work place injuries or repetitive strains.
“It just makes you realize how much we just put up and deal with things for years and years before ever doing something about it,” she said. “I think over time you get used to feeling that way and it starts to feel normal, which is unfortunate, and maybe it’s a part of survival, too.”
Shelest was searching for a career that would satisfy her in the long-term and was drawn to health care.
“I just wanted something where I was moving around, doing different activities but also something that was more satisfying and that meant helping people or making some sort of difference,” she said.
Axis is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., to accommodate patients who work full time.
To learn more about the health centre, visit www.axismassagetherapy.com or call 364-1980.