Case studies: The Serenity Room

The Serenity Room
Kathy Smith

Email: serenityroom@blueyonder.co.uk

Background

Kathy Smith was a nursing sister by profession, but after an adverse reaction to antibiotics, took an interest in complementary healthcare and is now also qualified in a number of therapies including reflexology and aromatherapy.

Kathy had her own nursing practice in South Africa and also started a complementary health practice while there. When she returned to Scotland in 2002 she decided to re-mortgage her home in order to begin offering aromatherapy, reflexology and reiki.

Kathy says of her breadth of experience, "It allows me to breathe with two lungs - that of orthodox medicine and that of complementary therapies, allowing me to offer the client a comprehensive health care plan."

Help from Business Gateway

To open The Serenity Room, Kathy rented space in her local Superdrug in Dundee.

She comments, "Armed with 2000 leaflets, much enthusiasm and much help from Business Gateway Dundee, I spent 10 hours a day, 7 days a week handing out leaflets to potential clients in Superdrug."

Realising the majority of clients were over 55, Kathy then decided to offer concessions to her mature clientele, which has proved a great success.

Achievement

Kathy is delighted with her achievements so far and says, "By drawing from my bank of skills and using a cocktail of therapies that harmonise the clients senses, each of the therapies enhancing the other, The Serenity room has become a little oasis where people can come and drink from the fountain of relaxation."

Word of what Kathy was doing spread and in November 2002 she was asked to take part in a programme providing complementary therapies to people who were rehabilitating from drug and alcohol dependency. She continues to do this one-day a week.

Research and help from Microcredit

Keen to find out more about her clients, Kathy conducted a survey of 810 of them and found that 285 had stress related ailments. Of that group 48 had either taken early retirement or were on extended sick leave due to stress.

On the strength of this survey and with help once more from Business Gateway, this time in the form of Microcredit, Kathy started the Tree of Learning in September 2003, where clients can experience empowerment to deal with their stress.

"I am now ready to offer an integrated form of stress management to achieve balancing and harmonizing of the body, mind and emotions; teaching clients how to withdraw from the chaos of the world and find a quiet place within."

By January 2004 Kathy was back at Business Gateway with a new idea and once again she got help from Microcredit.

On 2nd February 2004 Kathy launched The Hands That Listen, offering kinesiology. By the end of July she hopes also to be offering iridology, holistic diagnosis, life coaching, hypnotherapy, magnet therapy as well as homeopathy.