On the wall of Sandy Fisher’s treatment room at Solis Massage and Colon Hydrotherapy, there is a reference taken from Charles Kettering that reads: “When there is an open mind, there will always be a frontier.” These words reflect one of Sandy’s core beliefs and, over the course of her 20 year career as a holistic health practitioner, she has consistently translated these words into action.

A pioneer in Edmonton’s holistic health field, Sandy began as a registered massage therapist almost two decades ago when she established Solis Massage Therapy Clinic in 1991. Early on, however, Sandy recognized the significance to health and wellness of digestive care, detoxification, and cleansing; thus, it was a natural progression for her to become an internationally certified Colon Hydrotherapist, and to add colon hydrotherapy to her practice in 1993. Sandy passionately maintains that colon therapy is a crucial complementary health modality—one that requires sensitivity, compassion, digestive and nutritional knowledge, and technical skill. Putting these words into daily practice with her clients over the past 13 years, Sandy has developed a thriving practice, almost entirely through word-of-mouth recommendations from her clients.

2005 marked another pioneering step in Sandy’s career. Together with a long-time friend, she decided to incorporate yet another cleansing and detox modality: portable, affordable far infrared saunas and heat lamps. Far infrared energy resonates with the body’s natural energy, increases circulation, reduces inflammation, and stimulates cellular detoxification and healing.

Sandy’s long-time friend and current business partner is Carol Secord. Carol has always been fascinated with the process of change. From the foundation of Masters of Social Work, Carol has built a life-long commitment to supporting people through significant growth and change. A constant seeker who consistently explores new knowledge and synthesizes various ideas, Carol eagerly accepted the opportunity to co-create Solis Far Infrared Inc and to help develop and expand Sandy’s vision of a wellness centre that would feature massage, colon hydrotherapy, digestive care and nutrition, far infrared heat therapy, yoga and other treatments that cleanse and detoxify. Although no more is needed, it is further testimony to Carol’s passion for this vision that she’s taking it on while still committed to raising three teenagers!

Currently, these two frontiers-women are preparing to manifest a centre that Sandy first envisioned years ago when she and her husband were busy working and raising three young children. With Sandy’s children in young adulthood, she and Carol are aiming to open the doors of their new wellness centre at the beginning of October, 2006.

The new Solis Wellness is located at 5016 – 106 Avenue, in Gold Bar Shopping Centre. Solis Wellness is housed in 2300 sq ft of creatively designed commercial space with plenty of parking. Solis Wellness combines Solis Massage and Colon Hydrotherapy Inc with Solis Far Infrared Inc, the latter has the exclusive Canadian distribution rights to the Solis Sauna line. Thus, Solis Wellness is the office, warehouse, and distribution centre for the hugely successful Solis Far Infrared products.

Solis Wellness includes beautiful, sunlit classroom space for therapeutic exercise such as yoga and pilates, plus space for a variety of workshops. Adjacent to the sauna room, a Vichy/steam shower provides clients with a refreshing, “bodysurround” shower/cleansing experience. Solis Wellness houses massage treatment rooms, colon hydrotherapy treatment rooms and, of course, the centre is building the team of therapists required to offer this level of multi-faceted, holistic service.

Very importantly, Solis Wellness is also a venue for training colon hydrotherapists. Committed to client service and therapist education, Solis Wellness is affiliated with an internationally certified school of colon hydrotherapy based in California and will be offering advanced training to existing Canadian colon hydrotherapists in early 2007. Soon thereafter, the centre will also be offering introductory training programs.

The tagline of Sandy and Carol’s new wellness centre is a “Path to Wellness.” They both recognize, however, that the path to wellness is complex, multifaceted, and even labyrinthine—a path that requires, above all, openness to various approaches and modalities from the ancient to the newly evolving. They invite you to come and experience for yourself what Solis Wellness has to offer you.

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