Vicki and Charlene met as competitors in the massage industry in October of 1998, (Vicki working out of her home and Charlene working in Dr. Tim Puckett’s chiropractic office) they came together for a common purpose… to get the City of York to re-zone the downtown area to accommodate a massage therapy practice. After having two public hearings and some really tense moments with the city council members, a yes vote was made and Massage Therapy was to be considered a “personal service”, just like a hair stylist. We were not a retail store like the Men’s Shop or a food service establishment like the Garden Café. We were more on the lines of the Doctors, Dentists, Chiropractors and Physical Therapy offices in the area. We were there to take care of the good people of York. We promptly educated them in the very intense schooling we endured (500 hours of instruction) and that the State of South Carolina had issued us a license to practice anywhere, we were just there to get permission to practice in the downtown area without any harassment. Our goal was to have a therapeutic environment where we addressed the muscles of each individual who walked thru our doors. Not a day spa type place where you go just for pampering yourself (or just cater to women) but a real, honest to goodness therapeutic office to serve men and women and children.
Our first motto was “Healthy Touch for the Entire Family” and that has been our main focus since Vicki became a licensed massage therapist in 1993. More recently we have included the motto “Let Our Family Treat Your Family”. That being said, we really are family in the fullest sense of the word. Amanda is Charlene’s daughter and Vicki is Amanda’s Mother-in-Law. Now how’s that for close family ties!
Vicki and her children, Candice and Chris and Charlene’s husband Alex and their children, Erika and Amanda began renovating the space at 9 North Congress Street in December 1999. It was a real labor of love. Everyone pitched in, actually, they were forced with threats of “no more massages until the office gets done!” We girls painted the walls and floors, Alex taught Chris the fine art of carpentry and they constructed our treatment rooms, everything from ceiling to floor and front door to back door was decided by both families. Then … to name the practice. So we sat around the dining room table and looked through the yellow pages phone book and looked at all the other names of our fellow massage therapists and it came to us in a manner of minutes, we wanted the experience you felt … to give you the sense of ….. SERENITY! THAT WAS IT! When you left after your massage we wanted you to feel at peace with a sense of calm and the name said it all … SERENITY … that was who we were and are. Our doors opened officially, April 3, 2000. And we are here to stay!