A 'fully inclusive wellness space' is officially opening in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, this Friday and owners have said it will be a hub for local businesses and inclusive therapists as well as a safe space for people to pop in for a coffee and a chat. The brightly-painted shop on the busy West End in Llanelli is already attracting attention from locals and will offer massage and other holistic therapies, serve coffee and sell products from local Welsh businesses.
The wellness space is run by Llanelli residents Carla Adele Shepherd, 32, and her partner Jay Harley Rees, 25, who both grew up on the same street in Llanelli and went to school together.
"We're excited to introduce this space to Llanelli and we hope it can be utilised for a whole host of things, not just massage", said Carla. "It's a queer-run business, my partner Jay is trans so it was super important to have representation here. We both grew up in the area. Small towns don't have the same kind of representation."
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While Carla will be offering therapies at the back of the shop, Jay will be front-of-house serving coffees and snacks and making customers feel welcome. You can read more stories about Llanelli here.
Carla and Jay said they wanted to cater to all people regardless of age, race, body size, gender or sexuality and said some people got confused and thought the space was just for the LGBTQ+ community. "It's not, it's for everyone" said Carla. But she added that she was passionate about trans and non-binary inclusive massage, adding: "There is a gap in wellbeing and healthcare in general for non-binary and gender non-conforming people."
In a survey of British trans people by 'TransActual' in 2021, it was found that 14% of respondents reported being refused GP care because they were trans and 70% had experienced transphobia from their primary care provider. The situation is worse for trans people of colour and trans people with disabilities. It was also reported that 57% of transgender people said they avoid going to the doctor when unwell.
These issues extend to accessing alternative therapies like massage, reiki and reflexology too, all of which will be offered at Primavera Wellness. Carla explained: "A lot of people that are coming here and coming to me for treatments, they've either never had treatments before or they have a lot of anxiety around being in a spa or wellbeing setting because it's not readily available to them."
There are rooms in the shop for other practitioners to rent out and Carla said a doctor would be offering medical acupuncture at Primavera in the near future. Carla felt she was creating a much-needed space in Carmarthenshire for trans and non-binary people to access healthcare when they otherwise might not be able to.
She admitted that, initially, she was scared to open an 'inclusive' business in Llanelli as she did not know what the reaction would be. "Lots of LGBT folk don't get positive reactions from the public," she explained. But when the opportunity came up, she said she realised opening a business in her home town was something she really wanted to do and she said the feedback so far had been really positive.
The shop itself has been a complete DIY effort, with Carla drawing on her fine art background to paint the walls with calming swirls of blue, and Jay using his 'give it a go' attitude to build the counter and tables in the front of the shop.
The couple seemed nervous but very excited to open their doors to the public this week and with plans to link with charity 'TransAid Cymru' in the future and connections with Cardiff's 'The Queer Emporium' , the hope is this space could become a national destination for inclusive wellness services in Wales.
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