By RONDA GREGORY
News & Journal Staff Writer
Just hearing the soft, Southeast Texas twang of OmniEssence owner Suzy Oliver can put a person at ease.
“Hi, so glad to see you,” she says as she greets you with a genuine smile, like she’s welcoming a friend at her home for a hot cup of tea or a cold Dr. Pepper, the Lone Star State’s popular drink, which hails from Waco.
Walking in the door of the new massage therapy business, which opened in late September at 134 W. Main St. in Bridgeport, a client also is met with airy, mellow music that creates almost instant calm. For decor, Oliver chose muted gray-blue, with cocoa brown accents and trim, as the spa’s color palette. A lighted, mini-waterfall with trickling water sounds is the focal point of the lobby waiting area.
Oliver, a West Virginia State licensed massage therapist who is a member of the American Massage Therapy Association, said she wants her clients to be comfortable immediately, explaining her serene color decor and background music choices.
“I want a relaxing, peaceful environment to be the first part of their experience,” she said. “I want my clients to take in the tranquil surroundings and sounds.”
But that’s only the first part of the journey to de-stress, she said. The main event, of course, is the massage itself. There are several types to choose and to enjoy – Swedish, deep tissue, chair, hot stone and pre-natal.
Oliver said she truly enjoys helping her clients improve their health and overall well-being. In fact, she said, the reason she chose this profession was because practicing massage also calms her.
“When I’m working on a client, it relaxes me,” Oliver said.
Massage therapy increases blood flow and circulation, offers pain relief, decreases muscle tension, flushes toxins out of the body’s tissues and can improve mental clarity, she said.
“All of these benefits work together to help people reduce stress and have a sense of well-being,” Oliver said. “The stress level people have now is unbelievable. Massage therapy helps to counteract and to manage it in a healthy way.”
She said she likes owning her own business because it allows her to better customize the services for each individual client.
“I don’t have to use a company’s blueprint for the client,” Oliver said.
Oliver loves Bridgeport and her central, downtown location in the hub of town and wanted to locate there because of what she had observed one day.
“I saw maintenance people watering the hanging baskets of flowers along the street and clearing leaves; that impressed me,” she said. “It was obvious to me that the community here comes together to make the city better for everyone. You don’t see that everywhere.”
Oliver has a special respect for military, law enforcement, other first responders and senior citizens. For them, she offers negotiable discounts. And new clients receive 50 percent off their first massage.
“We’ll be offering some special gift packages for the holidays for anyone who’d like some festive gift certificates to use as stocking stuffers,” Oliver said.
Spa hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. To schedule an appointment or for more information, call 409.550.7875; or go to the Website at omniessencemt.com or like on Facebook at www.facebook.com/omniessencemassage.
