A new approach to wellness is now available without leaving Ceres with the opening of KW Recovery Lab, a unique business in the Richland Shopping Center.

Ceres Chamber of Commercial and local elected officials welcomed owner Susy Delgado and her staff with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, April 30.

Mayor Javier Lopez, who became a client with the business at its Turlock location, said Delgado has helped with pain using products and physical therapy. Lopez approached her in 2021 and asked, “What’s it going to take to get a KW in Ceres?” 

Delgado needed time to see how her Turlock lab fared on the tail end of the pandemic but the two continued to talk and when she made the decision to open in Ceres, she said the city was most welcoming.

“I’m happy to be here in Ceres and serve this community – there’s a need for it, and we’re here to support all the athletes,” said Delgado.

The business is not solely intended for athletes, however, but all who wish to feel better, prevent diseases and live longer through the various therapies offered inside the space once occupied by the former Richland Markets corporate office. The clientele ranges from seven to 77.

“We’re an athletic city,” said County Supervisor Channce Condit who was on hand to thank Delgado for the trust in Ceres to open a new business. “There’s a lot of young people in sports and this is going to a highly used facility and it’s not only going to contribute that service but it’s going to contribute economically to our city. It’s going to be a great sales tax producer for our city.”

Delgado said wellness is a complex subject but that her lab is available for “someone to call other than reaching for the ibuprofen.”

“We need to get it out of our head that there’s going to be one solution to our pain,” noted Delagdo. “And that’s what we’re here to honestly kind of burst your bubble and say it’s gonna require your participation but these tools are all working in line with your natural healing processes already.”

Those attending the grand opening were invited to check out KW’s the various sections and rooms which include:

• Infrared sauna to help detox, and provide benefits like anti-aging, circulation, healing and cardiovascular health. Delgado went as far as to say that infrared is “one of the few modalities you can do to actually help prevent Alzheimer’s.”

• Ice baths that can be adjusted but are normally set at 42 degrees. Benefits include reduced muscle soreness and inflammation, improved mood, and increased energy levels. They can also help improve sleep and potentially boost the immune system. 

• PEMF (pulsed electromagnetic fields) Therapy to stimulate cellular activity and potentially aid in healing and pain management.

• Normatec compression therapy to enhance blood circulation, reduces muscle soreness, and speeds up recovery time.

• Braintap meditation involving light and sound stimulation to aid in meditation.

• Redlight therapy to give cells energy and speed up the metabolic processes. 

• Marc Pro electric muscle stimulator.

• NanoVi Technology uses a mist to improve performance, maintain wellness and accelerate recovery by accelerating repair of oxidative stress damage and cellular damage.

A hyperbaric chamber is coming in June. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy treats wounds and other medical conditions by supplying 100% oxygen inside a special chamber. It heals damaged tissue by helping a body grow new skin, blood vessels and connective tissues. 

Ice baths generated a lot of discussion among last week’s visitors. Most people can last an average of two minutes but some as short as 30 seconds, she has observed.

“Some people want the extreme of 38 degrees and so I’m keeping it at 42 because we’re going to do Women’s Wellness Wednesdays where we bring the temperature up to like mid-50s because it’s showing that women respond to ice bathing different than men,” said Delgado. “We want to be able to accommodate that.”

According to Delgado, ice baths produce a “fight or flight” reaction and have a number of benefits including boosting the body’s immune system.

“It’s one of those things that once you feel what you feel after an ice bath you don’t go back. It’s a little bit of euphoria. And, two, the only thing you’re thinking about while you’re in that ice bath is at the moment. It’s one breath at a time and you’re trying to focus.”

“We’ve been ice bathing for over a decade and now it’s super popular.”

Red light therapy, she explained, penetrates the tissue and helps produce ATP (adenosine triphosphate), an organic compound the body uses for energy.

“It stimulates mitochondria to produce more ATP. Why do my cells need more energy? Well, because your body is constantly trying to recover. Recovery is not something that you need a tool for; your body is doing it all the time. But this is going to give it energy.”

Delgado spent years as a physical therapist and in athletic training and eventually latched onto new technologies to help people in the Valley, such as the cryotherapy chamber used in Turlock using nitrogen.

Delgado believes the body and mind are dependent on one another for wellness.

“We know they’re so together. It is literally proven that if you don’t feel good up here,” said Delgado pointing to her head, “you feel physical pain. So if we’re helping even your physical pain, it tends to uplift you and you have a more positive mindset. It can give you hope, perhaps.”

KW has built an athletic training room as well which Delgado hopes to offer low cost appointments to high school student athletes.

“It was built with the intention to be able to host five athletes at a time, get them assessed, get them cleared if they have an injury and they want to know whether they should play that Saturday.”

Three licensed athletic trainers are on staff, she added.

In the same way as gyms, the business charges on the basis of monthly membership packages that range from $94.99 per month for the student athlete, to the essentials package of $110/month and the LiveCharged package of $165/month. More information is available by calling 209-250-2555 or visiting www.kwrecoverylab.com

KW is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.