What do you think of when you think of wellness? Maybe you think meditation, drinking water, or eating vegetables. Maybe you think massages and pilates classes. Maybe you think gardening or crocheting, or just feeling content with life. Rachel Kopecky, the owner of Bloom Bodywork and Wellness in downtown Milwaukee, thinks about how she can impart a bit of healing and restoration in the center of a bustling city.
Recently, I had the chance to catch up with Rachel and chat about all things business, wellness, and Milwaukee. Rachel is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Esthetician, as well as a Reiki Practitioner.
To Rachel, wellness is self-awareness – having the ability to reflect on where she is versus where she wants to be in all aspects of her life, whether that’s physically, mentally, or spiritually. Her goal with Bloom was to create a well-rounded space in the heart of downtown, where people can slow down – a relaxing retreat in a fast-paced world.
Rachel’s journey into the wellness space began with a career as an esthetician, kick-started by her interest in natural skincare products. Through her work as an esthetician, she realized that massage therapy could hold the potential for deeper healing, and decided to pursue her Massage Therapy license. Fast forward a few years, and Rachel was ready for more. She has always been interested in ancient healing modalities, and is inspired by the body’s power to heal itself.
Having previously focused on promoting physical healing via the skin and muscles, Rachel jumped into the world of energetic and spiritual wellness with Reiki, an ancient healing practice that originated in Japan. Based on the idea that all living beings have life force energy coursing through them, Reiki aims to keep the life force energy flowing freely, as stagnant or blocked life force energy is said to be the cause of disease, stress, and an overall diminished quality of life.
The touch used in Reiki, if any, is quite light, but a Reiki Practitioner can often enhance the flow of life force energy without touching the body at all. As she grows more in her practice, Rachel hopes for her service offerings to evolve with her, and to eventually incorporate energy work into more of her body therapies. Although her service offerings may evolve over time, Rachel’s work always comes back to one core value: honoring ancient healing modalities that place a focus on allowing the body to heal itself, rather than on the healer.
Wellness in Milwaukee may not be as trendy or overblown as it is in some larger, more coastal cities, but Rachel is sure it is just as potent, if not more. “You have to look harder,” she says, citing Bloom as an example. “From the street, you wouldn’t know we’re here,” she explains, adding that in Milwaukee, the focus is less on appearing well, and more on actually feeling well. Even in the center of the city, there are hidden spaces for healing – something Bloom takes very seriously. For Rachel, and everyone under the Bloom umbrella, the focus is on “restoring the body’s power to self-heal,” an idea around which Rachel has built her entire business. Bloom aims to support the needs of each individual client and their unique needs, even if that means selling fewer products or recommending more time between appointments.
Interested in what Bloom has to offer? Find more information about Rachel and the other businesses that operate under Bloom at the Bloom Website.
