The Art of Business

Body of Truth

By Josh Ripps

Simone Harari in the lobby at Body of Truth

“There are freshly laundered slippers right there.” Simone Harari pointed to just beneath the coat rack inside Body of Truth’s front door. It is preferred that shoes be removed upon entering this holistic health spa on East Chester Street Bypass in Kingston, which was, believe it or not, indirectly spawned from the television show “Fantasy Island.”

“I always thought that something was missing from that show,” explained Harari, who opened Body of Truth in September of 2000. “The concept there was that one could go somewhere and have their dream come true. So if somebody wanted to become a professional baseball player, they would get the best coach.” Harari took a deep breath, and inhaled the filtered air and essential oils that are perpetually dispersed into Body of Truth’s 2,000 square feet. “But what about the mental blocks?” she asked of “Fantasy Island.” Harari spoke of how she was aware, back then, that there was something missing from that drama. “I always knew that everything is much more comprehensive than meets the eye,” she said. Well today, Harari has filled that missing void with Body of Truth, where one can stroll on its Italian ceramic tile, breath its filtered air, absorb its aromas, embrace its music, and look beyond what only the eye can see, in order to improve and take preventative measures against illness within a myriad of services.

“It looks luxurious here but it’s a place of healing,” said Harari, who had always asked “Why not?” when someone told her it could not be done. Accordingly, Body of Truth’s staff asks “Why Not?” when one approaches them with a medical problem which they think cannot be helped. Some of them are George Wootan, MD, a board certified family practitioner and a graduate of The Oklahoma School of Medicine. Dr. Wootan specializes in Functional Medicine, which is aimed at restoring the cellular physiology of the body through a nutritional approach. He has been practicing medicine for 33 years. Also, Lori Morris, DC, a graduate of the Palmer College of Chiropractic West, who practices chiropractic care, among other things, for expectant mothers and works on newborns as young as five days old.

Body of Truth’s primary mission consists of dispersing knowledge. “Education is a big part of what we do here,” Harari said. “When people are getting a treatment they learn a lot.” A Body of Truth education also comes from its classes and lectures. Ongoing prenatal exercise classes, for instance, are given every Thursday night, and, in the past, there have been lectures on “Healthy Aging” and “Cancer Nutrition.”

“I’ve just seen some really amazing things happen,” Harari said from one of the six black wood chairs in Body of Truth’s conference room, while cradling her three-month-old son, Alden. “I’ve seen things. I’ve seen people’s T-cell counts go up who have AIDS. I’ve seen people with cancer go into full remission. I’ve seen—” she got up and walked around the conference room in a successful attempt to quell Alden’s unease. “I’ve seen amazing things happen.”

These examples, which may arouse skepticism in a few, have not gone unnoticed by the main stream medical establishments or its doctors. In the past year, Body of Truth has received a handful of referrals from some local doctors. Harari desires collaboration between Western and alternative medicine to be a more common practice. “I guess the point I’m trying to get across,” she said, “is there’s a time and a place for both types of medicine.” Some recent collaboration, though, was with Body of Truth and Benedictine Hospital’s maternity ward. “We went in and instructed them in the use of essential oils and aromatherapy during pregnancy, labor and delivery,” she explained. Even with the apparent momentum that holistic health has been accumulating in the main stream, it is hard to believe that there would be such an establishment as meticulously structured as Body of Truth.

“I think that environment is important,” said Harari. Every aspect of Body of Truth abides by Feng Shui principals. There are little curves in the walls that are for the most part unnoticeable. A 10-foot high by four-foot wide, copper and wood fountain is hung on the waiting room’s wall, where a never-ending succession of water flows. The room’s cushioned chairs are in teal-green, a color known to promote healing. But one mustn’t confuse that waiting room with what Harari refers to as the “Relaxation Room” that’s not too far away. That room is for people to simply relax after a treatment if they find themselves not yet ready to stare into the real world through their windshields. The seven treatment rooms, which are used for services that range from seeing a medical doctor to re-mineralizing and invigorating your skin with a seaweed wrap, all have solid doors and sound-insulated walls to ensure the customer the utmost privacy. Plus, there are specially designed wall dimmable-sconce lamps, as opposed to overhead fluorescents. An inch and a half of all-natural padding sits beneath the room’s carpet to ensure practitioners their feet won’t succumb to the soreness brought on by the hours of standing their job likens. And all throughout, “soothing and healing” music, which seeps from the ceiling’s speakers, wends itself into one’s subconscious. Such details go even further—the paint used is no ordinary paint. “Essential oils were used in all the paint and polyurethane to remove any fumes from the air,” said Harari, noting that the “paint smell” had never been present. In addition, essential oils were used before construction, during the demolition. And in Body of Truth’s wet room (where all the wet spa and holistic skin care treatments are done), Harari wrote healing words into the cement before the tile was placed on top.

But despite all the work Harari has devoted to Body of Truth throughout the past year and a half, in conjunction with giving birth, selling her condo in Chicago, planning a wedding, getting married, conceiving and delivering Alden, moving into a new house and receiving four certifications, she has managed to turn Body of Truth into a place she knows will change the lives of many.

“I definitely think that’s true,” affirmed Jenny Fox, Body of Truth’s administrative director and prenatal massage therapist. “I think that we educate people and give them the tools on how they can effectively change their own lives.”

Just how many lives will be changed is yet to be known. Harari believes Body of Truth is a prototype of what healthcare will look like in the future. “What can I say without giving away the cake,” she mused, “except for the fact that Body of Truth will be a household name?”

For further information regarding Body of Truth products, spa packages, classes, etc., call 331-1178 or visit www.bodyoftruth.com. 737 East Chester St. Bypass, Kingston.