Tonic Wellness Boutique is a chic relaxation and healing center with two locations, settled in Brentwood and West Hollywood, Los Angeles. It was founded by a woman named Possetta Koujou -- a wife and mother who is an integrated life coach. Tonic Wellness offers an array of healing services and Vital Body Therapeutics could not be more pleased to be partners with them. I was sent to visit the West Hollywood Tonic Wellness and get a full Tonic tour with Possetta.
On the outside, the business seems small and simple, as both establishments are low-key and squeezed next to other small shops in busy areas. However, with just a quick look inside the boutique, one would quickly realize that it is anything but. Immediately upon entry, a visitor is met with a clean and contemporary interior design and is greeted with a friendly, attentive staff.
We were curious as to why Possetta had opened a wellness center offering these types of treatments. Possetta explained that it was all in part to promote the natural healing of the body. She had suffered a hip injury as a child and was never able to fully heal from it using the practices of modern medicine. “Back then, it was only painkillers and x-rays. It was always these very aggressive [methods aimed at] killing the pain, but not understanding where it was coming from,” she recalled. “Therefore, I never truly healed from my injury, and it was always a setback in my life.”
Possetta realized that if she wanted to be healthy and rid the pain for good, she would need to find different options. During this time, she participated in various therapies including, cryotherapy, infrared saunas, and consistent lymphatic drainage, all of which she found sped up the natural healing process of the body. “These treatments enhance what our body already does to feel better, look better, and function better. It heals the body from the inside out, allowing it to reset and relax.”
Notably, Tonic’s healing and rejuvenating services include Cryotherapy, Infrared Saunas, PEMF, BallancerPro, CryoSkin, and LightStim. The first treatment I was confronted with was a large, blue padded suit, better known as the BallancerPro, which is used for “compression therapy.” The client slips the BallancerPro suit over their legs or arms and it begins pumping air into the sleeves, swelling the suit up like a balloon, to which the moving air pressure massages the user’s lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes. As a result, the BallancerPro helps drain toxins from the body and relieves it from pain, while also promoting better digestion in the user.
PEMF (Pulse Electromagnetic Field) therapy, also known as “pulse therapy,” operates with a machine that emits a series of electromagnetic waves at different frequencies to recharge cells and restore cellular balance, all of which eliminate joint discomfort and inflammation. In order to receive this treatment, the user either wears or rests a body part on a pad in which it sends these waves through the body. It feels tingly and stimulating. While these treatments and technologies may sound advanced and complex, they are backed by years of scientific research and none of them are actually “new” ideas. In fact, according to Possetta, the treatments are “a bridge from the past to the present.”
As the client goes deeper into the establishment, they will find multiple infrared saunas, which, unlike regular saunas, warm the body using radiant heat, similar to the natural warmth from sunlight.
In contrast to this heat-inducing treatment, the back room holds a large, tank-like booth for cryotherapy, which is done by shocking the body with extreme cold temperatures for 3 minutes to boost metabolism and improve blood circulation.
Possetta says, “Cryotherapy is a substitute for ice baths or even swimming in cold lakes, which our ancestors used to do,” she explained. “The infrared saunas are similar to the hot springs, and lymphatic massages were started by the Egyptians, as they began the wrapping and massaging and compressing.” In other words, these treatments have been around for thousands of years. The most important aspects, the natural benefits the treatments have for the body, remain the same. The only difference is that the technology has changed to become more accessible, allowing people to enjoy these methods without going out of their way.
“In 2019, people don’t have time to go to a hot spring or swim in a cold lake. They don’t even have time to go to several places to do [different treatments],” reasoned Possetta. “Unlike other places that only perform one treatment, Tonic Wellness was opened to be the one address that can help support the health of the body through many channels.”
Besides being the one-stop shop for high-end therapies, Tonic Wellness is also the place to take care of after-service needs or even at-home treatments, as it offers a variety of our Vital Body Therapeutics CBD products for clients to buy and use outside of the boutique. Clients can take some home to help prolong and retain the benefits of the treatment they received that day. “Sometimes [clients] may want to follow-up on the treatments, and the ‘Vital Body Pain Relief’ products are amazing for that,” said Possetta. According to Possetta, "every product is recommended to the clients, because they are all useful, in different ways, especially after the treatments."
No matter the age, gender, or health status, anyone can receive benefits from the treatments at Tonic Wellness Boutique. Vital Body is so glad to be partnered with such a supportive and health-focused treatment center!
By Gloria Huang
Gloria Huang is a Vital Body Therapeutic intern, who is currently a fourth year student of Theater and Communication at UCSB. When she isn't writing for Vital Body or studying for her college classes, she is acting in theater productions and films.
