(First published in the January 31, 2019 issue of City Pages)
Essential Massage and Wellness Center opened in the Dudley Tower, and its aromatherapy is wafting through the building.
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Amy Garvey-Herrick
The Dudley Tower in downtown Wausau is smelling really wonderful these days, as essential oils are being diffused throughout the building. There are even diffusers in the restrooms, where a small sign will tell you to head up to the second floor to the Essential Massage & Wellness Center for more information.
“Even the delivery people have been noticing it,” says Amy Garvey-Herrick, owner of Essential Massage & Wellness Center. In a nod to the addition of her new business, Dudley Tower added 21 diffusers throughout the building to help with the overall wellness of their tenants and those visiting, she says.
Garvey-Herrick opened the center in the Dudley Tower on Dec. 1. “There is great energy in this building,” she says. “We want people to come and spend time here.”
Garvey-Herrick has been a massage therapist for six years in the Wausau area. She began her career in massage therapy while working for North Central Health Care as a Life Enrichment Coordinator at the nursing home. “We had some massage therapists from a school come in and do massage on our residents and we just watched the residents’ demeanor and the way that it changed them.”
From that visit, she and a colleague proposed an onsite massage therapy program be available to the residents and then enrolled in a local school to become certified in massage. “We were virtually the first nursing home in the Midwest to offer massage therapy as a program,” she says.
After a year and a half, she branched out on her own, moving her practice to a few different locations until landing at the Dudley Tower. The center has five rooms, three set aside for massage therapy, and one for yoga.
Also offered is aromatherapy. “We also teach classes on essential oils and natural forms of healthcare and will be having special events throughout the year.”
Skincare such as facials, lash extensions and waxing is also offered and is staffed by Verve Salon.
The center’s massage menu offers Deep Tissue, Swedish, Pre-Natal, Sports and corporate on-site massages. She can also incorporate cupping therapy into a massage.
“Everybody has fast-paced lives,” says Garvey-Herrick. “We are busy being busy, but everybody genuinely wants to feel good every day.”
For more information, visit Essential Massage & Wellness Center’s Facebook page and their website, wausaumassage.com.
