Relax. Recover. Detox.
That’s the motto Lizelle Fourie established for her new business, Tula Wellness, at 4406 Judson Road in Longview. The health spa is all about helping people improve their health in the middle of the pressures of life. Women and men have so much on their plates, she said.
“Somewhere in the middle of all that, you lose yourselves and you fall apart,” Fourie said, and it’s hard for people to balance work and family without taking care of their health. “That was really my vision for this, to try and advocate for that and educate for that and provide the opportunity for people to make that a priority.”
She said “Tula” has several meanings: in Zulu it means “be quiet,” and in Hindu it means “to be tranquil.” Its meaning in Germanic is “strength,” and in Greek it means “peace.”
“Who of us today do not need more quiet and tranquil and have more strength and peace!” Fourie said in a blog post.
Fourie and her husband, Nico, a local general building contractor, came to the United States from South Africa about 20 years ago, with their then 2-year-old son, Daniel. As a physical therapist, Fourie was able to get a work permit to come here because the United States didn’t have enough physical therapists at that time, she said.
Their plan was to stay a couple of years, save money and return to South Africa. Instead, they became citizens and stayed. Their daughter, Delia, was born here and is now a senior at Longview High School.
“We just love Texas so much, and we felt like it had a better future for our kids,” Fourie said. “America has been good to us, and we’re very blessed.”
It’s been hard to be away from family, but she said they’ve made friends here and this is home.
Fourie has been and continues to work as a physical therapist, but she developed an interest in disease prevention and “holistic modalities.”
“Me being a researcher and always learning new things, I started reading and learning and was just amazed at what is out there, what is available to us to improve health,” she said.
Fourie obtained a health coach certification and began learning more about functional medicine. Then, she began learning about devices and machines to help people achieve those goals. Clients to her health spa will find many of those devices there.
“We have different holistic services to help people relax, recover and detox,” she said.
A detox chair uses electric ions to pull toxins in the body out through the feet in a water bath; a massage chair helps people relax by working on their necks and shoulder in a zero gravity position; and a compression therapy machine helps with circulation and recovery after workouts.
A float pod offers the benefits of sensory deprivation with 1,000 pounds of medical grade Epsom salt and skin temperature water.
“It has amazing physical benefits,” Fourie said, adding that it’s like floating in the Dead Sea in a zero gravity environment. “It decompresses all your joints while you’re floating, and the highly concentrated medical grade Epsom salt helps to relax your muscles. … The mental benefits of this almost are superior to the physical benefits.”
Tula Wellness will mark its grand opening on Monday with a Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting at 4:30 p.m. and a public event 5-7 p.m.
