Pulse March / April 2016 | Page 18

MEMBER PROFILE STRESSBUSTERS WELLNESS DAY SPA Putting Safety First in Pregnancy Treatments B Y M A E M A Ñ AC A P - J O H N S O N W hen Mikki Melinda Anderson, along with husband Michael, founded StressBusters Wellness Day Spa in Laguna Hills, California in 2000, the couple had a clear vision in mind: to create a day spa that offers one of the highest standards in pregnancy massage therapy in Orange County. Today, not only does the spa continue to attract a growing market of 16 PULSE ■ March/April 2016 expectant mothers, it is also the massage provider for Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, California and serves patients from its Women’s Wellness Center. Anderson, a certified clinical aromatherapist and pregnancy massage therapist since 1993, claims the day spa has since earned the trust of obstetricians/gynecologists, midwives and doulas in local hospitals and prenatal facilities who often recommend their patients to the spa for a massage treatment. In fact, Anderson is “the only massage therapist in Orange County with official and legal hospital privileges to work with high-risk and hospitalbound pregnancies.” In total, 42 percent of the spa’s clientele are expectant mothers. Part of the spa’s appeal among pregnant women is the vast range of pregnancy