Triapolis Wellness sold, divided, to remain open

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

When Ann Richardson first decided to open Ann’s Holistic Healthcare (now Triapolis Wellness) back in 1993, she said she went door to door with flyers, telling Copperas Cove business owners about therapeutic massage, reflexology, and what she planned to bring to the community.

The holistic wellness business was the first of its kind in Copperas Cove. However, Richardson decided not too long ago that she was ready for a change.

“After 23 wonderful years, the time has finally come for me to retire as a business owner. I would like to pass my business on to an entrepreneur that is committed to keeping the mission of the business intact, which is to provide meaningful, universally safe and comfortable space to aid in the healing of the mind, the body, and the soul,” Richardson said.

That mission will continue for its current clients, with the business having an approximately 1,700-client email base.

Richardson says it’s all thanks to help from Diane Drussell, the business retention specialist with the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation.

Richardson said she reached out to Drussell for help. She didn’t want to close down due to the numerous clients who frequent the spa for massage, reiki therapy, hypnosis, acupuncture and yoga.

Drussell put out the word in the local business community that Richardson was looking for a buyer for her established spa located in the Town Square Shopping Center.

Richardson ended up with not one buyer, but two, Rosemary Pettis and Erica Schicke Gonzalez.

In a matter of months, Rosemary Pettis has gone from college student to licensed massage therapist to business owner. Pettis is now the owner of Triapolis Wellness, where she performs therapeutic, Swedish, and prenatal massage on the therapeutic/spa side of the business.

Pettis completed the licensed massage therapy program at Central Texas College and has been an LMT at Triapolis Wellness since March 2016.

Growing up, Pettis said she was the known as the family “masseuse.” She didn’t consider that as a career until she was a nursing student and decided nursing wasn’t a fit for her.

“But I still wanted to help people,” Pettis said. She then decided to pursue the massage therapy program and selected CTC instead of going to San Antonio for training.

“I graduated in the second class from that program,” she added.

Erica Schike Gonzalez described the purchase of her portion of Triapolis Wellness as “perfect timing.”

Schike Gonzalez has renamed the educational and wellness side of Triapolis as ESG Yoga.

Schike Gonzalez teaches the Hatha flow type of yoga and is currently working on her certification to teach prenatal yoga. She hopes to have that certification in early 2017.

“I’ve been doing yoga since I was 18, and I’d always wanted to (get my instructor certification),” Schike Gonzalez said. “But every training place is quite a distance away, like San Antonio or Dallas. Then my home studio—Live And Let Liv Yoga in Killeen—brought in a program with Yoga Yoga out of Austin.”

She completed her certification in June 2016, then one day saw Drussell’s notice on social media about Triapolis Wellness looking for a buyer and “it all fell into place.”

In addition to Schike Gonzalez, there are five other instructors at ESG Yoga, she said.

Richardson’s presence won’t be gone from the Triapolis area, however, as she still plans to keep her Reiki therapy students and continue hypnotherapy at ESG Yoga.