When Nicole DiTomas, owner of Elements to Wellness Massage Therapy & Skin Center, in Reading, decided to leave a career in education to enter massage school in 2009, she knew it was something that she would enjoy and do well. After finishing her training at Academy of Massage Therapy and Bodyworks, she set out to help people and promote wellness through holistically geared massage services in a unique setting.

After starting with a massage studio inside GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, she went on to purchase Elements to Wellness Medical & Spa Therapies in August 2013. She changed the name to Elements to Wellness Massage Therapy & Skin Center to reflect her mission of holistic wellness.

Upon entering Elements to Wellness, clients are greeted with the calming aromas of essential oils and natural creams used at the spa. DiTomas says she aimed to create a comfortable and welcoming environment with low lighting and neutral colors for a soothing ambiance. “We try to make people feel comfortable,” she says. “The furniture in the spa is largely repurposed from our own homes. We didn’t want industrial chairs or a sterile, medical spa environment.”

DiTomas and her staff of nine offer therapeutic massage therapies crafted toward each person’s individual needs. “Our therapists offer a customized blend of everything they know,” she explains. “Some of our therapists do stretching with their clients and some use essential oils. We don’t stick to just one modality.”

Elements to Wellness also provides deep tissue, sports and prenatal massages; raindrop therapy; reflexology; Reiki; body wraps and scrubs; hand and foot treatments; skin care; customized facials; and waxing.

DiTomas also offers two skin care lines—Physiodermie, from Sweden, and Nelly De Vuyst, a product of Belgium. “Both skin care lines are safe for people who had or are going through any cosmetic surgery,” DiTomas notes, adding that the European items are safer since cosmetic/skin care products in the U.S. are not required to be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. “European countries have rigorous standards, and the products have to go through an approval process. The products are botanically—not chemically—based. That was a big step for us to switch to those skin care lines.”

Available for purchase at Elements to Wellness are items such as homemade crystal and stone  jewelry—made by one of the center’s employees—, as well as locally made soaps from Betula’s Botanica and Jane Iredale cosmetics, which are dermatologist tested and mineral-based.

DiTomas enthusiastically states that the Elements to Wellness staff are animal advocates. They actively support the Humane Society of Berks County and Animal Rescue League of Berks County. They also donate gift certificates to Goodwill, Catworks Inc, Exeter Relay For Life,  to local sports organizations, and more for fundraising.

Despite the challenges that come with having a growing business with a larger staff to manage, DiTomas is enthusiastic about expanding Elements to Wellness to offer new and improved modalities in massage and skin care, as well as holistic energy work.

Elements to Wellness is located at 6 Hearthstone Ct., Ste. 106, in Reading. For more information, call 610-685-1761 or visit ElementsToWellness.com.

Sheila Julson is a Milwaukee-based freelance writer and frequent contributor to Natural Awakenings magazines throughout the country.