By Patrick Robinson

In the Highland Park neighborhood of West Seattle, Emma Hetnar has opened Revitalize Holistic Spa in her home, celebrating a grand opening for a space born directly from her personal health journey. The spa offers a range of therapies aimed at supporting healing and wellness, a mission Emma understands deeply from her own experience with Lyme disease and co-infections.

A Decade-Long Health Battle Leading to a New Path

Emma's story began in 2003 while she was studying abroad in Brazil, where she was bitten by a tick. Diagnosis of Lyme disease proved difficult; tests available at the time were not highly accurate (cited as 30-50% accuracy) and, crucially, did not even test for the specific strain she was bitten by. Symptoms didn't appear immediately, showing up a few years later when she was in her 20s, initially dismissed as simple fatigue by doctors who suggested she wasn't getting enough sleep or was doing too much.

However, her health continued to decline. She experienced fatigue that affected her brain function, leading to issues at work like having trouble proofreading documents. Other symptoms included trouble swallowing, constant headaches, and persistent back and neck pain, which were sometimes mistaken for allergy symptoms. The severity escalated dramatically after she moved to Seattle in 2015, when she started passing out and having non-epileptic seizures.

The breakthrough in her diagnosis came unexpectedly from an intuitive member of the Buy Nothing community who visited her home and, seeing her condition, asked if she was sick. When Emma confirmed she was, the woman, who herself had Lyme disease, suggested it might be the cause. Although Emma had previously tested negative, she felt compelled to follow the woman's advice and see her doctor, a practitioner who also specializes in chronic fatigue. This doctor immediately suspected Lyme disease based on her symptoms and subsequent tests confirmed she had Lyme disease, along with co-infections Babesia and Bartonella.

With a background in biology and environmental science, Emma drew on her knowledge to research treatment options. Being a former athlete, soccer player, and ballet dancer, she was motivated to find ways to speed up her recovery. Her treatment approach involved a combination of therapies, including antibiotic therapy, naturopathic methods, and extensive herbal therapies. She described her method as trying "a little bit of everything," even giving herself fevers in a hot tub to help kill the bacteria. While antibiotics were helpful, taking them for two years was "awful" and  it "destroys your immune system," requiring subsequent gut healing. But the experience led her to bring those healing modalities to others and she founded Revitalize Holistic spa for that primary reason.

Services Offered: A Suite of Therapeutic Equipment

Revitalize Holistic Spa centers around three key pieces of equipment that Emma found most effective, particularly for pain and inflammation which are significant issues with Lyme. These are the vibrational plate, the PEMF (Pulsing Electromagnetic Frequency) mat, and the infrared sauna wrap.

• The G Force Vibrational Plate moves both back and forth and in a triplanar motion. It is beneficial for lymphatic drainage, allowing for movement and exercise even with fatigue. It also supports balance, circulation, and increases bone density. By moving the lymph fluid, it can help the body release toxins.

• The PEMF Mat promotes healing on a cellular level, aiding muscle, bone, and nerve repair. Emma notes it can help with conditions like restless leg syndrome, bursitis, and tingling/numbness in hands and feet, although treating severe issues like neuropathy could take months. It also has the added benefit of improving sleep. Lying on the mat is a subtle experience.

• The Infrared Sauna Wrap allows the user's head to remain outside while the body is fully clothed within the wrap. It penetrates deep into muscles, relaxing them, relieving pain, and lowering inflammation. Sessions typically last 20 minutes for Emma, though people can stay up to 45 minutes. She finds it especially helpful for the pain and inflammation associated with Lyme.

Emma explained, "The main treatment room, with the vibrational plate, PEMF mat, and infrared sauna, is designed to be effective for pain, inflammation, relaxation, and overall well-being while also being affordable."

In addition to these core therapies, Emma offers Reiki energy work and has added a Contour Light system, a form of red light therapy. This equipment is used for body contouring, heating fat cells (adipocytes) to release their contents which are then processed and excreted by the lymphatic system. The system includes pads that act as "light wraps" for areas like the arms, abdomen, or legs. There is also a facial plate for treating fine lines, wrinkles, and tightening skin. A typical full-body contour light session is 25 minutes and is followed by 10 minutes on the vibrational plate to assist with lymphatic drainage. Emma notes that the contour light therapy "actually works," having personally lost over 10 lbs using it, and clients often lose inches, sometimes 3 inches in the first session. It targets fat cells, not just water weight. The specific frequencies used are believed to be 635 and 880.

Emma said, "The new red light therapy is a more luxurious treatment that I’m excited to offer, but it is separate from the treatments that have helped me heal. This treatment is intended for people who are looking to lose weight and reduce inches."

Affordability and a Curative Perspective

Emma has structured her pricing to be affordable. The use of the three main pieces of equipment is charged at a dollar per minute. For the contour light therapy, there is an initial consult fee of $79 to determine if it's a good fit. The contour light itself is offered as a package deal: 12 sessions for $1500 or 16 sessions for $2000, recommending coming in two times a week for maximum benefit. Initial 90-minute sessions introduce clients to the equipment and allow maximum use time, followed by a check-in to discuss wellness goals and tailor future sessions.

Choosing to open the spa in her home was a deliberate decision driven by her health. Emma's health can be inconsistent, with potential flares. Having the spa downstairs allows her to continue helping people heal even if she's not feeling well enough to drive or leave the house. This setup provides a controlled space where she can manage her hours.

Reflecting on the impact of these therapies, Emma sees them as curative rather than merely palliative. She explains that she has gone from a place of significant impairment—having trouble speaking, walking within her own home, and being unable to drive for over five years—to doing "really well" and driving all the time now. While she still experiences lingering symptoms like brain fog and pain flares, particularly with weather changes, she uses the equipment, finding it helps significantly, including with brain fog. She feels she is "still healing" and continues to use the equipment for this reason. Her doctors suggest that her lingering symptoms are likely due to how the Lyme infection permanently altered her brain and body function, rather than an ongoing active infection. It's in her home  because "it’s a solution I’ve created for myself as I re-enter the workforce and pursue my business."

At the open house, they featured Darby Winery, Tyler from Reckless Abandon Tarot, and Sierra from The Shady Lady jewelry. Emma said, "I regularly partner with gyms, PT clinics, massage therapists, reiki practitioners, naturopaths, and other wellness-focused local businesses. This season, I’ve partnered with Rhodies FC and Junction FC soccer teams. Players from both teams come in weekly to Revitalize Spa to support their recovery and healing throughout the season. I continue to look for opportunities to partner with other local businesses, and many other local women in business were at the open house supporting me—just as I have supported and partnered with them."

Through Revitalize Holistic Spa, Emma Hetnar is sharing the tools that were instrumental in her own recovery journey, offering a space for others in West Seattle to explore complementary therapies for pain, inflammation, recovery, and overall wellness. Emma explained, "The main focus of Revitalize Spa is creating a space for healing and wellness."

Find them online at Revitalize Holistic Spa.