Location: 250 Actons Corners Rd, Kemptville ON
Website: Pure Lotus (pure-lotus.ca)
A bit off the beaten track set back in mature woods, Pure Lotus Wellness Retreat is a private spiritual day retreat offering holistic treatments, trauma coaching, and healing workshops. Owned and operated by Carrie Leigh Stockwell, the business is home based and nestled on five acres between Kemptville and Merrickville. It isn’t hard to find, just not obvious, “That kind of makes it even more special, the property has this beautiful feeling when you get there,” says Darcy Kirchin, who started as a client, became a student and is co-owner of Morphia Medical Aesthetics in Ottawa.
Pure Lotus offers a range of holistic treatments including a variety of massages, sound meditation, Reiki, trauma coaching as well as psychic and intuitive readings through numerology, tarot/oracle as well as palmistry in a comfortable, pleasant environment.
“I do trauma informed coaching and a lot of spiritual healing as well here. A lot of inner child work, authenticity work, just different ways of supporting people and teaching them how to use different techniques like meditation, mindfulness to support themselves. I’m very much about empowering my clients,” says Stockwell.
What’s she’s created is a space that makes people feel nurtured and welcome.
“I was referred to Pure Lotus by my therapist, I was in a very vulnerable tender place and struggling with mental health. I was looking for a safe place, and found that at Pure Lotus,” says Byrne Furlong, client. “It feels like you’re at home away from home, resting at a place where you feel that you are loved and cared for.”
And it isn’t just clients that describe Pure Lotus in those terms.
“It’s just place where there’s so much integrity and there’s so much love and….. magic…I don’t know what other word to use, because Carrie has created such a sacred space for all of us,” says Julie Sasha Cloutier, numerology practitioner and owner of Devine Femme.
The business has been in Kemptville for 10 years, and is very deliberately a home based business.
“My services have always been home based. I think with the type of work I do, there’s a certain amount of comfort and safety in inviting people into your home, rather than a clinical practice,” says Stockwell.
A lifestyle and wellness coach with York University, Stockwell is also a trauma informed coach with the Centre of Wellbeing, as well as a Reiki and Ayurvedic practitioner. While she offers a range of services herself she also welcomes other holistic practitioners into her space.
“Carrie Leigh is very gracious at opening her space to other practitioners to get their start, even though they offer the same services she offers. She has a very mentoring and coaching nature about her,” says Katherine Furlong, sound meditation practitioner.
As far as Stockwell is concerned it’s all about what’s best of the client.
“We’re not about competition here, so if I feel I can’t provide something for a client, then I have all these fabulous people who can provide it; whether they come here for it or they go to that person’s business, It’s all about what’s best for the people that are coming here for healing or solace or whatever they are seeking,” concludes Stockwell.
