Massage therapist rounds out Paradise Center offerings

Once massage therapist Brandy Mixon moves into the Tidewell Foundation Building, the Paradise Center’s medical suite will be full. 

Mixon, the massage therapist behind Essence of Soleil Massage, will move her studio into an empty room in the building at 540 Bay Isles Road — specifically, Suite 402. It was a room designed for office space, which transforms easily into a massage studio. Mixon’s practice will be there full-time starting after the Fourth of July weekend.  

The Paradise Center’s executive director Suzy Brenner and community outreach director Donna Sharp Blaney sent out a survey to members asking what service they wanted to see fill that last spot. A chiropractic service was also on the list, but massage won out. They contacted Mixon, and the timing was perfect, as her lease was about to expire in her other place at Mediterranean Plaza. 

“It’s just a better fit,” Mixon said. “My background is more medically integrated with massage.  They have physical therapy (FitnessQuest) right across the hall there's Tidewell, Youthful Aging, and they also have Zumba classes and yoga, so that’s more of a better fit for me. It goes hand-in-hand, the rehab and massage. Most physical therapists like to get feedback from their clients after they’ve seen me, and I’ve been known to have really good progress with their treatments.”

Mixon has experience in neuromuscular massage, oncology massage and therapeutic and sports massage, as well as cupping therapy, lymphatic drainage and reflexology. She’s been practicing massage for 20 years and is looking forward to welcoming her longtime clients to the new studio. 

“I absolutely love what I do,” Mixon said. “I am definitely in the right field. This is definitely my calling.”

Mixon works with a lot of athletic clients, especially golf and tennis players. She said massage is helpful for maintenance, like for someone with arthritis. She also works a lot with clients who have a limited range of motion or a frozen shoulder, which can affect a lot of golf and tennis players. She also does cupping, which involves warm suction cups on skin and can act as a deep-tissue massage. It can draw out toxins that may cause a limited range of motion and help reduce pain, Mixon said. 

“It’s a really great complement to everything we offer and a really nice addition,” Sharp Blaney said. “She has magical hands.” 

Mixon will be joining the other practices, which include dermatology, ENT and audiology, podiatry and primary care. Brenner, who has been recruiting medical partners since before the suite opened in fall 2020, is still keeping her eyes peeled for an orthopedic partner for the center, but that practice will be able to use other exam rooms in the building.