The Alberni Valley’s Secluded Wellness Centre is celebrating eight years in business and is continuing to add new services and workshops for holistic health and healing.
During a celebration on Friday, Nov. 1, owner Naomi Nicholson announced the addition of an acupuncturist joining the team at the wellness centre.
“Our first exciting news is that with the changes in health care and the growing demands for alternative services, I’m really happy and it gives me great honour to introduce Carly Potter – Carly will be offering acupuncture,” Nicholson said.
Potter specializes in pain management acupuncture, facial rejuvenation and stress and anxiety management.
“I’ve been travelling for a few years doing acupuncture on cruise ships, in Portugal and it’s so nice to be back at home,” Potter said.
The Secluded Wellness Centre, at 6890 Pacific Rim Highway, specializes in massage, holistic health and workshops and has also recently added cannabis education.
Nicholson offers one-on-one coaching and classroom workshops to educate people on cannatherapy.
“A lot of First Nations are looking for the education because they know that there’s healing properties (in Cannabis) but you don’t have to get high,” Nicholson said.
Nicholson believes it is important to break down stereotypes around cannabis and to educate people on the medicinal benefits, right strains and doses to provide the best opportunities for healing.
Nicholson said she was introduced to the healing benefits of cannabis after a doctor suggested she use it to help her sleep.
“I wasn’t into cannabis until I went to see a doctor because I didn’t sleep…nothing worked and once I learned about cannabis from the doctor, what I could take, then I started to sleep and all of a sudden I started to lose weight because cannabis does have a balancing property to it,” Nicholson said. “Then I started getting educated and once I started learning the science behind cannabis, that’s where I became a believer.”
Cannabis became legal in Canada in October 2018 and the Tseshaht First Nation’s Orange Bridge Cannabis, that opened this September at the Tseshaht Market, is British Columbia’s first legal marijuana shop to be opened by a First Nation.
Nicholson said she wants to show people you can take cannabis products and still be high functioning.
In addition to alternative health and healing practices, the Secluded Wellness Centre is also home to Chim’s Guest House—Port Alberni’s first Indigenous-themed guest house.
The Nuu-chah-nulth-named one-bedroom Chims Guest House, meaning bear, is on the same property as the wellness centre and offers tourists an Aboriginal experience while visiting the West Coast.
For more information about Secluded Wellness Centre or to book an appointment, visit secludedwellness.com.
