<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1622507021097.jpeg" alt="Exhale Bodywork and Massage owner Stephanie Calvery works on client&nbsp;Anthony Ventura at her new location at&nbsp;2015 Vine St." />
 <figcaption>Exhale Bodywork and Massage owner Stephanie Calvery works on client&nbsp;Anthony Ventura at her new location at&nbsp;2015 Vine St.</figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL Hays PostKeeping
healthy is as vital as ever, and one of Hays' newest businesses, Exhale
Bodywork and Massage,&nbsp;2015 Vine St., hopes to help area residents feel their best by offering
massage with a holistic message.Born
and raised, Hays resident Stephanie Calvery, owner,&nbsp;opened her shop in December, offering a myriad of
services that can help patients feel better without the need for pharmaceutical
intervention through massage and other alternative therapies."I
think more people are leaning toward wholistic care now, but I would like to
see a lot more of that happen, just because that is not always the answer, it's
not always the fix-all for everyone," Calvery said. "People that can
do more things naturally and not have the side effects of a pharmaceutical
regimen, they tend to feel better."She
points to the ongoing opioid crisis as a prime example of how holistic medicine
can be a better option for pain management than pharmaceuticals."There
have been articles published about massage therapy and helping to fight the
opioid crisis because you don't need that numbing effect," Calvery said.
"What you need is to find what is causing the problem, get to the root of
it, and not put a Band-Aid on it.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1622506990793.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"At
the same time, there have been some great studies done on therapy and
hypertension. It helps to lower the blood pressure; it helps with your vascular
system to open up more and not have the arteriosclerosis."With
her services, Calvery hopes more people in the area can explore the benefits of
her services and natural wellness options in general."There
are just a lot of great benefits that our community is not fully tapped
into," she said. "And I would love to see our community finding these
answers that they would otherwise look to in a (prescription medicine) bottle."At Exhale, Calvery said she sees a full range of clients
from ages 5 to 105 looking for various services, but pain relief is her most
common request."They want to be out
of pain," Calvery said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1622507391387.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>And
now that many are venturing back to the gym as pandemic concerns lessen, pain
management is an essential addition to workouts."Starting
back at the gym, they are going to have what we refer to as DOMS, delayed onset
muscle soreness," Calvery said. "So, the day after or two days after
you do a hard leg day and you can't sit down, I'll have people come in, and we
will work to loosen those muscles and legs, or they will sit in the sauna and
just allow that heat to penetrate and loosen those muscles. So, getting back
and getting more active, you are going to be more sore, so my job is to help
relieve some of that pain."While
the location is new, Calvery has spent the last few years training and working
locally and is a familiar face in Hays.&nbsp;She
has worked as a massage therapist since 2017, working at a variety of
locations, including the Hays Med Center for Health Improvement.But after years of work in
the field, Calvery decided it was time to expand at the end of last year.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1622507437284.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"I
just decided it was time to grow," she said. "When you have your own
place, you're not constrained by someone else's ideals. So, I can take what I
want to grow this into and go on that path instead of what somebody else is
wanting."In
2018 she completed a program at Fort Hays State University and studied&nbsp;Kinesio&nbsp;Taping,
Tai Yoga massage and Barefoot massage.The
barefoot massage, she said, is the deepest deep tissue massage available, but
since the pressure is broad, it is without the sharpness of an elbow or thumb
used in other deep tissue massage styles.She
also utilizes a wide arrange of tools like&nbsp;Gua sha&nbsp;stone scraping,
cupping and hot stones."All
of my sessions are customized to what the client needs," Calvery said.Along
with the traditional cupping practice, she offers sinus cupping, which moves
lymphatic fluids out of the sinus cavity, creating relief for those suffering
from allergies."I've
had a lot of clients try that and they will leave here completely open and
draining," she said.&nbsp;But
even with a variety of services, Calvery said relieving low back and shoulder
pain is her most frequent customer request."With
people sitting more at desks and they are kind of hunched over, that
contributes to the shoulder pain and also the low back pain," she
said.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1622507572102.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Inside
Exhale, Calvery also promotes the use of her state-of-the-art sauna, which can
provide numerous health benefits."The
sauna has different settings on it," she said. "A lot of people are
coming in right now to use the weight-loss setting."Calvery
also said it has been popular for pre-massage use.In
the location she has some retail items available, including the essential oils
she uses on clients during sessions.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1622507619723.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>"One
is called raindrop therapy," she said. "That's a 45-minute session
that is basically just the use of 10 essential oils with light muscle work that
helps to relieve pain on the nervous system level."Overall, has been pleased
with the overall positive response since the December opening."I
have been very blessed with new clients and old clients finding me again,"
she said. "It's just been really great."<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ExhaleHays">For more information about Exhale Bodywork and Massage visit their facebook page</a>, to see a<a href="https://exhale-bodywork-massage.square.site/?fbclid=IwAR0AMpTopWat-tagonODMv9vnm3ie-vSvztPSvz6-DYpfOOysqZ0P1prrHo">&nbsp;list of available treatments, including booking information, click here.&nbsp;</a><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/5/1622507507423.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

New Hays business offering holistic pain relief