Taking care of your health and wellness may seem like an obvious thing to do, yet so many of us continue to choose unhealthy habits or get too caught up in the day-to-day hustle and bustle to make time for self-care.
But, if we don’t make time for our wellness now, we could be forced to make time for illness later.
Luckily for Airdrie residents, prioritizing health — both mental and physical — has never been easier, as the alternative, non-traditional health and wellness industry is booming in the city.
“In recent years, there has been a transformative shift in societal attitudes towards health and wellness,” says Jessica Williamson, economic development officer with the City of Airdrie. “As Airdrie residents have increasingly prioritized their well-being, a number of holistic and non-traditional wellness businesses and community groups have sprung up to meet their needs. These businesses are supporting the good health of residents and attracting visitors to our community.”
One new business focusing on brain health and wellness in Airdrie is re-HUB Health Collective. Four local business owners — a chiropractor, an athletic therapist and movement specialist, a naturopathic doctor, and a psychologist — merged their businesses into one so they could offer clients the most-optimal service.
Core Balance Centre, Physical Solutions and the FML method, Dr. Candice Staniek Naturopathic Medicine, and Sano State Psychology are the four businesses that make up re-HUB Health Collective.
“Our vision had been to create this kind of niched practice with unique services that aren’t necessarily found elsewhere,” says Dr. Michelle Speranza, chiropractor and owner of Core Balance Centre. “It’s been really nice to still maintain our independence, but have more of an onsite collaboration.”
The Collective opened its doors in July and Speranza says all four businesses have seen growth since. She encourages people to stay on top of their health and wellness so they don’t end up spending their retirement savings on illness.
“Health is our greatest asset,” she says. “When we are proactive, get to the root of what’s going on and stay on top of it, we are able to do a lot of other things that we otherwise maybe would not be able to do.”
Snooze Beauty Bar is another new business catering to health and wellness in Airdrie. The beauty bar offers Japanese hydro head massage, eyelash extensions, eyebrow lamination, waxing and facials.
Yasmine Buenaventura, who runs the business with Danielle Doma, says clientele has grown through word of mouth and customer referrals since opening in May. She says they are passionate about providing the ultimate self-care experience and encourage feedback from clients so they can continue to improve.
“Everyone is always busy, and our goal is to have a full, relaxing experience, to have a less-stressful environment and forget all the stuff they have done for the whole day,” says Buenaventura. “Stress is always around us, so it is very important for everybody to keep healthy. Treat yourself to what you deserve.”
Sol-Auna Wellness & Retreats was established in June 2023 by Sophie Turner and Launa Hobson, who merged their two businesses together to create one health and wellness centre.
Services offered at Sol-Auna include energy healing, sound therapy, reiki, tuning fork therapy, yoga, group meditation, spiritual guidance, hypnosis and inner child work, dance fitness classes, generational trauma therapy, and a monthly support group guided by a counsellor.
“There’s such a need for wellness in our community,” says Turner. “Reaching as many people as possible is our goal and that’s why we’ve built our community hub to help bring in other businesses, so they can grow, as well.”
The two business owners encourage people to take care of their health and balance their energy and physical well-being, so they can function better in their day-to-day lives. Sol-Auna was formed to create a healing, safe space for people to release their emotions.
“We are here to help people out of their comfort zones,” says Hobson. “Be authentic to yourself, grow with yourself, let that vulnerability out. Follow your passion and live the life you want.”
Airdrie Health Ambassadors was formed this spring by Jay Raymundo, Shannon Nail and Naomi Keane. The three work together, and individually, to promote health and wellness in Airdrie.
“Our role is to not only promote health and fitness, but to also unite the community through movement and healthy active living,” says Raymundo. “We decided to create the health ambassadors group so that all three of us could align our goals and passions together and create a one-stop shop for information and upcoming events that each of us may be doing.”
Raymundo is the owner of NRG Fitness, a personal training and sports performance centre, while Nail teaches fitness classes at Genesis Place and Oxygen Yoga and Fitness Airdrie, and Keane teaches fitness classes at LivvWell Fitness Centre.
“Health and wellness is so important for everyone, as it is one of the keys to longevity and the difference between loving the life you live and simply existing in the life you have,” says Raymundo. “Many of us struggle with our physical health, but we also forget about our mental health, which plays a huge role in our overall well-being.”
