Divine Current Wellness Center grand opening

By Caroline Rosacker

Divine Current Wellness Center, located at 531 S. First St. in Guttenberg is set to hold its grand opening celebration on Saturday, Aug. 21, and Sunday, Aug. 22, from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Open space incubates visionaries

Sadie Hefel, Licensed Massage Therapist, massage therapy instructor, yoga teacher, and proprietor of Divine Current Wellness of Guttenberg, is thrilled to be part of the community's growing downtown district. She and her husband, Jason, have two children, Stella and Coos. "A community wellness center has been a vision of mine for the past five years," said Hefel. "Finding this new space was magical. I was just about ready to give up – searching for over a year and couldn't find a building to rent. The former renter, Tammy Harwick, was kindly willing to pass the space on to be utilized more. That was what sparked it all." 

Hefel quickly put a plan into action. "Community Vitality Director Emily Yadoff was a big help during the process, and I reached out to the building's owner, T.K. Leitgen," she shared, "There were things that I would need to change, so I needed T.K.'s approval to move forward. And of course, Jason – my lovely, carpenter husband — fit the remodeling into his schedule, working extra hours to get the project done."

Hefel was appreciative of Leitgen's cooperation. "T.K. has been so amazing to work with, his trust in my vision, and his investment in the building to enable me to create this community space was awesome. He was able to see the vision moving forward," she said with gratitude. 

Creating community

Hefel will be joined by Hannah Whetston, Licensed Massage Therapist, and Certified Reiki Master; Sara Davis, Bhakti and devotional yoga instructor; Blake Freeland, Licensed Esthetician, and Katey Simon, Certified Consulting Hypnotist. "I am so excited to have all this room for all these amazing practitioners to offer their services to our community!" exclaimed Hefel. 

The energetic women have plans to involve both youth and adults in their "Zen Den." "I would like to hold restorative circles for youth as well as adults," added Whetston. "Such activities as string bracelets for children and DYI home apothecary such as cleaning sprays and beauty products, naming only a few. Also Reiki training, Flower Essence workshops, and Family Massage classes will be available. "Our mission is to create a safe, healing space so you can awaken the light and conscious awareness within you, connect with community, and learn and be supported to care for ones self." 

Ladies Nights, self-massage and self-care will be one of many offerings at Divine Current Wellness. "I plan to incorporate a six-week yoga class designed for beginners, classes for couples and men, and one of my yoga buddies from teacher training is going to offer a running workshop for aspiring runners," noted Hefel. "My intention is to focus on different populations in our community and surrounding areas to create opportunities for them to learn and self-care techniques in various ways." 

Additional services

Hefel is also an instructor at her alma mater, Body Wisdom, in Des Moines. "I teach five classes throughout the year: Stand Your Ground; Crown and Glory; Rock to Relax-Pulsing; Rock to Relax-Balancing; and Ayurvedic, Shirodhara and Abyanga, which involves an invigorating massage, followed by oil pouring over the forehead and scalp. The treatment is very beneficial to individuals suffering from mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, migraine headaches – any issues concerning the head and neck," commented Hefel. "With this new space I will be able to offer all these nurturing techniques to clients." 

"Blake Freeland will be available by appointment for facials twice monthly," they shared. "We are so happy to have a licensed esthetician as part of our offerings. She is aligned with our wellness model and will be using only natural based products. We will also be adding an infrared sauna in the near future." 

Retail space

Divine Current Wellness will carry as many natural health and wellness products as space allows. "Our retail products will be placed on shelving units that will be attached to the walls in an effort to maximize as much floor space as possible for yoga classes and group meetings," commented Hefel. "We are hoping to tap into some local vendors who present natural wellness products and creative offerings. Our front desk will be on wheels to accommodate what is happening in the wellness center that day." 

"It has been amazing the different parts of the community that are coming together to make this happen," said Hefel. "Upon receiving the key to the building, a process was set in motion in which many community members came together to add their time and energy to the project. We hope everyone feels welcome in the Wellness Center, and can show up just as they are. Our aim is to create a space free of judgement and expectation." 

"When I first moved to this area my prayer to Spirit was, 'I want to find my community.' The response was, 'Build the community which you seek,'" Whetston said with a smile.

"I would like to extend my deep gratitude to everyone involved – my family's love and support and my husband, Jason, for his great skills, and my mother, Patti Harney, for helping in many different ways. It has been a labor of love. This would not have been possible without my family and friends," Hefel concluded with appreciation.