Samantha Hamilton Stent of Acupuncture Reigate, the Natural Health destination for Surrey, talks about how she has transformed a care-worn office into a haven of peace and tranquillity.

Over the past eighteen months my practice has grown hugely; this is partly in response to covid and the trend we see in people being a much more front footed about their health, partly due to our growing reputation and the fact that acupuncture is such good medicine! I’d had long-held ambition to open a destination clinic that could encompass not just acupuncture and herbal medicine, but a range of therapies under one luxurious roof. It was a big ask to find somewhere that could meet my needs; it had to be central, it had to be flexible and quite big, and above all it had to have heart and soul. These latter points were the defining principal that guided me as I looked at endless properties around Reigate. The moment I walked into our new home; I knew it was the right place. Although at that point it was a rather run-down office that had formerly been a counselling service, it had a solidity and feeling of comfort about it. Plus, it was the right size and I’d be able to strip everything out of it and start from scratch. So, on the first of October I got the keys and with an incredible team of contractors, we started the process of transforming this rather humble, care-worn office into a haven of peace, tranquillity, and healing. Fast forward 8 weeks and the clinic is welcoming patients and we are getting used to our new home!

A huge amount of thought has gone into the design of the clinic; we planned it so that the reception and waiting area is quite far away from the treatment rooms, meaning the chatter and vibe of reception doesn’t disturb any treatments. We have four therapy rooms and they’re all spacious, enabling 360-degree circulation around the therapy couch and enough room for a comfortable pre-treatment consultation area. We have a dedicated talking therapies room designed to ensure a comfortable, airy feel that facilitates people being able to open. Soundproofing is hugely important in a clinic like this; people share their deepest feelings and fears, not to mention intimate details of their health, so I needed to be sure that no sound was able to travel between the rooms. We used quadruple layers of acoustic plasterboard on all the internal walls and ceilings with a thick layer of acoustic insulation in the cavities; not only does this keep the sound contained, it’s also cosy and warm. The décor is based on Scandi-minimalism, and we worked with a designer to ensure the materials we used were in keeping with the brief and reflect the need to have a calming, serene space.  We have used a lot of tactile materials; oak slats on the walls, seagrasses, and all brought together with a natural colour palette and bespoke, one-off sculptures and art.    

Throughout the design and build process, I worked closely with a Feng-Shui consultant – Janine Lowe - to make sure that the energy flow works to support our overall healing aims.  Janine advised me (and continues to actually!) on the placement of the clinic beds, the reception desk and various art objects. She gave me specific advice on the design of the counselling room to help with creating a safe space for talking and at the end of the project, we had a special Feng Shui ceremony in the clinic to open it energetically. It was a fantastic experience. The clinic, and every room in it, is really beautiful, and very calming; our clients and patients tell us they feel relaxed, nurtured and safe here, and I am so proud of what we have accomplished. 

But having a beautiful space is not enough in itself; we need an amazing team of therapists, and I am so incredibly fortunate to have such a group around me. The acupuncture team (headed by me) is a four-strong band of highly qualified, experienced and dedicated people who are all passionate about what acupuncture can do;  we have a peerless reflexologist in Nadine Fernandez who does the most sublime treatments leaving her patients walking on air; Kate Gollow is our clinical massage therapist and her skills are just exceptional; Claire Paphitis introduces us to the extraordinary world of Ayurvedic medicine (which has so many parallels with Chinese Medicine); Gemma Pilkington is a specialist women’s health physiotherapist and is renowned in her field for helping women through all sorts of physical issues around childbirth, the menopause and pelvic injury; Vidya Bellur is our wonderful hypnotherapist and therapeutic coach and our talking therapies team are psychotherapist Katharine Wray and counsellor Georgina Smith. Georgina does a lot of work in fertility, and this is such an important offering for us as we see lots of women and couples trying to conceive in our acupuncture clinics.   

I have long felt that true holistic healthcare is not just about a single therapy, but more about selecting the right tool for the job from a portfolio of approaches to healing and wellness. I feel that our clinic truly offers this; there is genuinely something for most people, and as a multi-disciplinary team, we regularly share best practice in the service of our patients and clients.

My work is such a joy to me and getting to do it in such a beautiful space feels like a dream sometimes!