2021 Wellness Guide - Unlocking Connecticut

There’s no doubt we could all do with a lift right now. We’ve got words of advice and pearls of wisdom from all corners of the wellness field represented in our inaugural 2021 Wellness Guide!

Twenty Connecticut businesses have shared some simple steps to wellness and self-care, plus feel-good services & products to try out this spring. We feel better already!

This post is sponsored

Skin + Tonic

Create a ritual in your evening skincare routine.

Stacey Palancia / Skin + Tonic, clean beauty boutique, New Milford

Devote a few quiet moments to your evening skincare regimen.
Wash your face with cold water and apply your serums and moisturizers slowly and with attention to the lymphatic drainage pathways of the face and neck.
Use a Gua Sha stone or crystal roller to smooth the skin and help ease fluid retention in the face.

A Treatment To Try

Skin + Tonic’s most popular facial is the 60-minute ritual. It’s customized to the individual skin concerns of each client and finishes with a heavenly Gua Sha facial massage. This stress-melting technique focuses on removing fluid buildup from the under eye and sinus areas and loosening the stressed muscles of the jaw.

Revive Salt Therapy & Wellness

Create a wellness plan that will help bring more ease, flow, and joy into your life.

Gail Perrella / Revive Salt Therapy & Wellness, healing salt spa, Milford

Wellness plan action steps could be:

a 5-minute meditation
drink a cup of tea for 10 minutes
journal or read something inspirational for 15 minutes
try to exercise for a minimum of 3 hours/week
visit a chiropractor or halotherapy salt room
spend some time in a wellness spa

This service ⬇️

The Salty Sound Bath or Salty Sound Journey with Kelly. It’s a magical combination of halotherapy and sound healing. Halotherapy supports the physical body and allows the healing vibrations of the sound to deeply heal the body, mind, and soul. Kelly is available for groups or 1 on 1 where the session will be customized to whatever that individual needs most.

Eyes On Litchfield

Our eyesight is precious. With all the digital devices and endless Zoom meetings, having the correct vision correction can make all the difference in eliminating eyestrain.

Dr. Tommasina Sideris / Eyes On Litchfield, optical boutique independent eyewear, Litchfield

An eye exam will not only determine what is best to make your eyesight clearer and easier but also ensures your eyes are healthy. Did you know that looking into your eyes can also reveal things like high blood pressure and diabetes? Be sure to make an annual eye exam part of your wellness plan.

Photo of Dr. Tommasina by Nick Westcott Photography

Go see them…

For professional & friendly staff who want to help you
Unique independent eyewear and beautiful frames from around the globe
Extra caring eye care from primary care optometrist, Dr. Tommasina
Cute sunglasses like you’ll often see us sporting

Sportsmen’s

If you’re outside and having fun, and you’re conscious of your environmental impact…that’s all that matters.

Jennifer Cherosnick / Sportsmen’s, outdoor lifestyle store, Bantam

Don’t get caught up in labels, don’t judge your “outdoorsyness” based on the goals and activities of others. It’s not about miles run, summits conquered, or vertical feet skied. You do you!! Find something you love and have fun!

Get outside and breathe

But before you go, stop at Sportsmen’s for everything you need for your next adventure, including comfy hiking shoes, clothes, canteens, and sunglasses. Even better still, you’ll find that most of the brands they carry are companies who care about environmental impact, sustainability, fair trade, and social activism. ✌️

W. Rhythm Fitness and Wellness

Change happens through movement and movement heals.
Joseph Pilates

Wanessa Anderson / W. Rhythm Fitness and Wellness Studio, inspirational movement educator, Kent

Wanessa offers lifestyle transformation through movement and energy work. Her full-service fitness and wellness studio provides workouts and services that will heal your mind, body, and soul. She has a great online presence too!

Added salt therapy

Besides the fun fitness classes available, Wanessa also offers private Pilates, Yoga, Reiki, and Massage Therapy performed in a room with access to 450 pounds of pure Himalayan salt.

Copper Beech Institute

You are here to know yourself, to trust yourself, and to love yourself.

Copper Beech Institute / mindfulness practice compassionate community, West Hartford

For many of us, caring for ourselves feels self-indulgent. This can be a recipe for burnout leading to feeling resentful of the energy we lavish on others. Copper Beech Institute invites the community to embrace self-care and re-balance our understanding of it because all of us have infinite worth.

Photos provided by Copper Beech Institute

Walk the labyrinth

The Copper Beech Institute labyrinth is open to the public daily for visits and they offer free daily mindfulness practice twice a day, Monday-Friday on Zoom. Folks can register at copperbeechinstitute.org/meditation-groups

The LuLu Face Company

Your skin is the largest organ of the body and anything you put on it is absorbed into the bloodstream within 20 minutes.

Linda Temkin / The LuLu Face Company, bespoke makeup & skincare, Litchfield

With 30+ years in the beauty and wellness industry, Linda expertly custom-blends natural, organic, luxury makeup, and skincare. She thoughtfully combines ingredients that are clean and conscious without compromising quality or performance.

Skin care and makeup just for you!

Book a private appointment (the studio is in an old jail and it’s the coolest) with Linda so that she can create your formulas, blend, test, try on, and analyze. Whether it’s a foundation, a day treatment, the perfect shade of lip color…you bring the wish list and she can make it come true!

Extra self care? Book a DiamondGlowTM Skin Treatment with mask blended especially for you.

New Morning Market

Learn your ABCs (and Ds & Es) of the supplement world.

New Morning Market / good food lifestyle store, Woodbury

New Morning Wellness specialists are on hand to guide you around the supplement world. Their Wellness Department has a wide array of choices including their newly expanded line of New Morning Market’s own private label. Nourishing your body by incorporating herbs and supplements into your daily routine is an important component of self-care.

Becca Rose

Often when we feel emotions bubbling up, we try to ignore or run away from them. As a society, we are beginning to understand the heavy impact this has on our bodies and minds.

Becky Mashuta / Becca Rose, magickal elements & wellness, Mystic

It has been my experience that the more I try to avoid an emotion, the more dis-ease I feel in my body, and when I carve out time and space to just *feel*, the emotion moves through me even faster, leaving me in a state of freedom and ease.

A Candle for Grief

To support our community in allowing even some of the most uncomfortable emotions to flow, we’ve created The Bella Candle. Use this candle to support the heart during times of grief and loss. Let the sacred flame hold space for YOU as you release emotions.

Prima Wellness

The phrase “issues live in our tissues” is very true and there is truly no separation between emotional blockages and physical ailments.

Jessica Grant/Michael Torrant / Prima Wellness, integrative wellness collective, Litchfield

Our overarching treatment philosophy is grounded in the belief that we are an integral part of our greater ecology and our healing process works in tandem with our environment. True healing is not only examining symptoms, but looking at the root cause and all of the multimodal factors that contribute to our health challenges.

Healing in many forms

The Prima Wellness team offers licensed psychotherapy, Ayurvedic and herbal medicine, somatic healing modalities, licensed massage + body work, reflexology, yoga therapy, and education/mentorship.

It’s spring, a perfect time to book a customized CBD massage therapy session or an Ayurvedic spring consultation to realign and revive!

JUVEA

A good pillow is everything.
Us!

JUVEA / quality natural latex pillows, business & manufacturing in Shelton

More than 1/3 of Americans rate their sleep quality as “poor” or “only fair” in a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. JUVEA has made it their mission to put that statistic to rest.

We have these pillows and they’re amazing! ZZZZZ

JUVEA pillows are:

Made in USA – Shelton, CT
Naturally antimicrobial
Naturally hypoallergenic
Environmentally friendly
Moisture-wicking
Temperature regulating

Boost Bowls

Eat fresh and stay away from artificial ingredients.

Tatiana Mehmeti / Boost Bowls, quick, healthy, fresh food, Bethel, Southbury & Newtown

It’s important to make healthy eating a lifestyle and not a trendy diet of the week. All of Boost Bowls’ offerings can be customized (make the salad of your dreams!) and accommodate most dietary restrictions.

Take the shot!

The Boost Shot has become incredibly popular since the pandemic. It contains fresh ginger, turmeric, lemon, and cayenne pepper – a great immune booster. They come in a 16oz jar and are great to keep in your fridge and take 1-2 shots of it a day. They also have single shots available at all locations.

Check out the juice cleanse – definitely seems doable!

Viso Bello Day Spa

Life never disappoints when it comes to stress. Make sure you schedule some escape-from-it-all-for-an-hour-or-so time!

Viso Bello Day Spa / restorative, relaxation, beauty boutique, Guilford, and after 31 years in Middlebury – reopening in Quarry Walk, Oxford in May 2021!

Viso Bello boutique spas offer a quality vs. quantity approach focusing on you, the client, for all your restorative, relaxation, and beauty needs.

The Perfect Pair massage/facial combo

Perfect for the “on-the-go” client or for those who want to experience multiple sensations at once! ??‍♀️?‍♀️ The Perfect Pair gives you the benefits of a therapeutic body massage and a deep cleansing facial in a full 60-minute session that will leave you feeling relaxed, cleansed, and simply wonderful! Email Pedro@visobello.com to schedule.

Audiology Concierge

In today’s COVID world, social distancing and masks make communication even more difficult. Hearing testing is the first step to reconnecting.

Audiology Concierge / in-home audiology service, CT

Hearing loss can lead to depression and isolation, making everyday living and functioning unnecessarily challenging. Studies show a correlation between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline.

Can you hear me now? No excuse, they’ll come to you!

Audiology Concierge’s compassionate team will visit you at home and guide those with a hearing loss, regardless of age, through all the necessary phases.

Simpson & Vail

Sleep and rest are crucial for physical and mental health. Tea promotes relaxation.

Simpson & Vail / family-owned quality tea, Brookfield

Whether it’s a warm cup of black tea in the morning or herbal tea at night, tea will help you unwind. Two of Simpson & Vail’s Wellness teas, Moonlight Snooze and Calm Tea cater to sleep and relaxation. The blends are relaxing remedies for the body, mind, and soul.

Sip the Wellness Tea

Simpson & Vail’s new Wellness Tea collection supports a healthy lifestyle and includes Turmeric Ginger Citrus, Detox, Sniffle Slayer, Tonsil Tamer, and so many more!

Twin Star Herbal Education and Community Apothecary

All of our ancestors used plants as medicine. Deepening our relationship with the natural world will help us return to nature and to one another.

Twin Star Herbal Education and Community Apothecary / Lupo Passero, Herbalist, Educator & Flower Essence Practitioner / New Milford

Many modern folks are returning to nature and are ready to reclaim their herbal roots. This may come in the form of making natural remedies, learning to identify plants, shopping at your local apothecary, or studying herbalism just for fun or as a career path.

Take the class!

Twin Star Herbal Education offers community classes, workshops, and certificate training on Herbalism, Flower Essences, Plant Spirit Healing, Primitive Skills, Ancestral Healing, as well as Goddess & Herbal Witch Programs.

Thérapeue – At Home Massage

Massage benefits overall well-being, decreases pain, and increases range of motion.

Erika Larskaya / Thérapeue, At Home Massage and wellness coach, CT

Regular massages increase blood circulation to the tight areas of your body helping muscles to relax and heal. Stretching is essential for the maintenance of posture, mobility, and healthy blood and fluid circulation. Massage can be combined with various stretching techniques, or stretching can be the focus of the session.

Book an at-home massage

Erika will come to your home, give you an incredible massage, and leave without a trace! Heaven.

The Fix IV Therapy

Daily supplements taken by mouth are only partially absorbed. With intravenous nutrition, the nutrients enter the bloodstream at higher, safe concentrations allowing direct delivery to the body’s cells.

Erin Fox / Fix IV Infusions, IV Vitamin Therapy Boutique, West Hartford

IV infusions allow the body to absorb 100% of the nutrients in fixes like The Simple Fix; instant hydration with fluids and electrolytes. A great way to feel revived quickly!

Try a Sunshine Boost ☀️

A shot of Vitamin D! Improves weight loss efforts, activates the immune system and helps relieve symptoms of depression and low mood.

Byrde + the b

We can all use a little extra detoxing after this winter!

Scott Bond / Byrde + the b, health/beauty/hair/art, Washington Depot

Byrde + the b now offers Lymphatic Drainage contactless massage. BallancerPro is a compression therapy system adapted from the principles of lymphatic drainage. The FDA-approved suit helps rid the body of toxins, aids in muscle recovery, increases circulation, and helps to improve lymphatic flow, plus it tones & tightens!

Put on the suit!

No wonder it’s popular with Hollywood celebs and athletes. Try this relaxing service and add on an LED light therapy treatment for a full self-care experience!

SpringRoot Acupuncture & Wellness

Our body’s ability to heal far surpasses what we allow ourselves to believe.

Rachel Dorfman / SpringRoot Acupuncture & Wellness, affordable acupuncture healing practice, Woodbury

While acupuncture and Asian bodywork can treat many issues, it’s also a phenomenal form of self-care and preventative medicine. Deeply relaxing, over time it builds resilience in the body that helps to maintain a stronger immune system, reduces stress, and provides an overall increase in general wellness.

Try ear acupuncture!

This service typically consists of five points on the outer ear that are known to provide a deep sense of relaxation and harmony while promoting healing and recovery. This is a great way to try acupuncture for the first time, or to come try out the clinic. Friends or family that are quarantining together are welcome to visit together. There is no charge for this deeply relaxing protocol, it is offered by donation only.

Words: Bev / Pics: Lora except as noted

This post has been sponsored