Massage Therapists Thriving in Sharbot Lake

Jeff Green | Jun 19, 2024

When Rina Thibault and Frank Carone decided to purchase a house near Sharbot Lake, they thought they would be commuting to the massage therapy clinic they ran together in Kingston. They had been living and working in downtown Kingston, running a yoga studio and massage therapy practice, but the housing market was becoming increasingly difficult and they needed space for their young children and Rina’s parents, so they bought their house in 2022.

Like most new homeowners in Sharbot Lake, they quickly got to know Sukhi and Jass Kaillon at Sharbot Lake Home Hardware, as they were working on fixing up their home. And that is how they heard that Dr. Gian Kaillon was setting up a Chiropractic and Wellness Centre across the road. A year or so after moving to Sharbot Lake, they began working out of that centre, and pretty soon they closed their Kingston practice, and have been providing service out of Sharbot Lake since last September.

Frank Carone did his massage training at Kikkawa College in Toronto, and has also taken martial arts training from The Toronto Tai Chi and Meditation Center. He has trained in martial arts for thirty years and healing arts for twenty.

In 2006, he became a member of the College of Massage Therapists, and a few years later he began a shiatsu practice. Nowadays, he provides a variety of massage techniques, catering to the needs of his patients.

He uses a variety of Swedish massage techniques for clients, but with his background and training he also offers myofascial release and shiatsu and meridian therapy.

He said that massage therapy is beneficial to people at various stages of life and health.

“Massage is really like a foundational type of work. It is a very simple, low risk activity. It is something people should be doing, like stretching or brushing their teeth. For people who have health problems, it can make them feel better, and can make their other treatments more effective. It makes people feel better.”

And since setting up his practice in Sharbot Lake, he has found that there is a strong local demand for service. He works a varied schedule, and is available on some evenings and on Saturdays for clients who are not available at other times.

Rina Thibault provides therapeutic Thai massage, reiki and yoga instruction at the centre. She comes to her practice from a buddhist background, and sees the connections between spirituality and healing.

“What I do is allow people that space to look at the traditional healing arts, because healing is an art form, and everybody is different. I use a lot of massage to build healing and awareness of health,” she said.

She uses acupressure, reflexology and temple style massage in her practice, with one goal being to “help the body to relax, teach the patient to relax, because nothing is going to happen without that.”

She also does detox massage, reiki based guided meditation, and addresses posture and nutrition with her clients.

She offers yoga classes at the centre, including chair yoga and restorative yoga, and also uses one on one yoga therapy for patients with specific conditions.

“It might sound New-Agey, but what I do is not New-Agey, it has been around forever,” she said.

Rina is also teaching yoga this summer at Springwood Cottage Resort on Kennebec Lake, near Arden.

At the Chiropractic and Wellness Centre there are also plans for seminars this summer and in the fall, looking at subjects such as diabetes and mental health.

Rina and Frank are happy with the progress they've made in the first few months at the centre, meeting new people and adapting their services to fit the needs of a new clientele, in a very different community than the one they served in Kingston.

“If we are able to save people a trip to Perth or Kingston, that is a benefit to them and us, and it helps the community as well,” Rina said.

For further information, go to Sharbotlakechiroptactic.ca or call 613-279-5555