Touch Therapeutic Massage in Village Center had its grand opening Feb. 1.
Proprietor and massage expert Flor Roeder snipped a purple ribbon with a massive pair of scissors, with her husband of 21 years, Tom Roeder on her right side, the couple surrounded by smiling members of the Bella Vista Business Association.
Flor Roeder said her focus is more on the medicinal, therapeutic side of massage, rather than outright pampering her clients -- though she isn't opposed to doing that as well.
Her services include head-to-toe massages to help relieve tension, as well as specialized services for amputees and those with arthritis. She's also looking into learning new techniques, she said, and will be training in Thai Yoga massage in the fall.
"I really care about spending the time with the client," she said.
She will be in the office throughout the week, she said, and on weekends she will have a couple other masseuses on the clock, and they will help provide a more spa-like treatment.
She became interested in massage therapy, she said, as a CNA and a home-care provider, which she initially started doing to take up the time that had previously been spend homeschooling her child.
She had clients, she said, who were helped by massage, and that led her to explore massage therapy.
"So I went to massage school and now I'm here," she said.
Setting up shop in Bella Vista, she said, was a no-brainer. She lives in town, she said, and her commute to work is now roughly 10 minutes.
One grand opening attendee, Paula Halsted, knew Roeder well. She owns Comfort Keepers, she said, and employed Roeder when she was working as a CNA.
"It's a special blessing to see her move on," Halsted said.
"She was such a wonderful caregiver."
Halsted said she is impressed with the massage facility because it is attractive and inviting, and the rooms seemed private.
Travis Stephens, the city's economic development manager, said he's always happy to see a new business open in the city.
"We love it," he said. "How can we not? There's a lot of these services we have gaps in and I think massage therapy is one of those. It's something people don't have to drive to Bentonville or Rogers for."
It's also nice, he said, to see something locally-owned pop up.
Roeder said she was looking forward to getting to work.
"I'm just going to give it my all," she said.
The business is at 644 W. Lancashire Blvd. The phone is (479) 876-3785.
General News on 02/08/2017