By Bonnie Posick
EDC member
About a mile up the Boston Post Road in West Haven, next door to a used car dealership, Shana McCarthy has created an oasis. Inner Essence Spa and Wellness Center moved to this location in March of 2019, after 13 years in a building just off the Post Road in Orange.
“This was a good move,” Shana said. “It’s really great here. There’s not another business like this in West Haven.”
She found that people were very welcoming and, while some of the clients from her Orange location followed her to West Haven, she also gained a new clientele. “It was a very smooth transition,” she added.
After earning her Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Science and training as a licensed massage therapist and energy medicine practitioner, Shana worked in a spa in a shared space, but she always wanted to open her own business. “That was my vision. I wanted to create a space that was healing for people . . . comfortable, soothing.”
She has achieved her vision. The spa envelops its clients in a peaceful environment, free of the stimuli of the outside world. All the senses are engaged: pleasant music plays, the lights are dim, and the mild scent of essential oil fills the air. Relaxation is inevitable.
Shana employs about half a dozen people, and she and her team offer a plethora of services. A few of the many types of massages available include head, neck and back massage, Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massage, and couples’ massage. One of Shana’s specialties is Ashiatsu Oriental bar therapy, which is an adaptation of an ancient form of barefoot massage using deep compression and gliding throughout the body, which promotes deep relaxation as well as detoxification of the body.
Plant medicine is another of Shana’s focuses. She consults with clients about their life and body physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Based on what the client is hoping to achieve, Shana helps them to intuitively connect to certain plants in the form of essential oils.
“The essential oils I use for this service are cultivated in a very careful way that maintains the high vibration of the plant therefore allowing healing in our body through its use. Essential oils are very potent and are nature’s medicine,” Shana said.
Among the other services that the spa offers are heated stone therapy, myofascial release, acupressure, aromatherapy, lymphatic drainage, reflexology, prenatal massage, cupping, and raindrop therapy using essential oils. Facials, waxing, body treatments, makeup, eyelash and eyebrow services, and paraffin treatments are also available.
Clients may take advantage of spa membership or packages, including rejuvenation, detox, empower or Nirvana. Special packages target the bride- or groom-to-be, or the mom-to-be. Gift certificates are also available.
Inner Essence Spa, located at 781 Boston Post Road, is open seven days a week. Hours on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday are from 10 a m. to 6 p.m. and on Thursday from 10 a m. to 8 p.m. Hours on Saturday are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments are available online at www.inneressencespa.com or by calling (203) 795-4170.