Now more than ever Tri-City residents are looking for a calm, healing oasis to help them maintain physical and mental wellbeing.
For many, that peaceful place is Inlet Wellness Gallery in Port Moody, founded by Cynthia Gillanders, who believes that art and healing can come together in one beautiful space.
Gillanders, a registered massage therapist and nutritionist, has found a way to marry art and wellness in her clinic, where health and wellness professionals work to provide a range of healing options for patients and clients in an art gallery setting.
Since 2006, Inlet Wellness Gallery has operated with the mandate of creating a unique, inspirational, and collaborative environment that empowers everyone, from guests to practitioners and staff, to become their healthiest version, according to Gillanders.
“Human beings are powerful creations. I believe that we don’t need fixing as much as we need realignment of our mind, body and spirit. There is no one therapy that fits all. Every condition is different and every body is different,” says Gillanders.
Through a combination of massage therapy, TCM and naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, and now therapeutic counselling, Inlet Wellness Gallery offers several paths to achieving wellness.
Gillanders, an artist herself, came up with the idea of creating an art gallery atmosphere early in the development of the clinic.
She recalls walking by the home in Port Moody’s heritage district and thinking it would be an ideal location.
“I saw how homey and inviting it could be and visualized people visiting experiencing a sense of wellbeing as they walked through the door before their services even began.”
With that vision, Gillanders began to establish the clinic where staff and professionals work together to provide a healing environment, and where people come to experience calm and wellness.
Works by local artists hang on the walls, a perfect complement to a healing space located in Port Moody, the City of the Arts.
Clients often comment on how relaxing the space is and how they enjoy the aromatherapy, the artwork, and the sense of collaboration by staff and professionals who work at Inlet Wellness Gallery.
“As a visual artist, I had a deep sense of how beauty, peace and serenity add to a person’s ability to heal. This was a catalyst to the idea of opening a wellness clinic that combines my passions for art, wellness and healing into one business.”
With COVID-19 protocols in place, masks are required, and efforts are made to ensure client safety, including the provision of Telehealth (phone/video consultation) for some services, including therapeutic counselling.
Gillanders says she is pleased when she hears that guests feel welcome and inspired to collaborate on their own recovery.
A newsletter helps people stay in touch and Gillanders, who calls Port Moody home, is well known in the community where she contributes to local causes and participates in local events.
“I truly believe that together we can make a difference to improve the overall wellness of our community.”
For more information, visit www.inletwellnessgallery.com.
