Our Story
Where it all began...
Magnolia was the light that was born out of a dark time, and a desire to create somewhere special for everyone to give a little love and support to themselves, during whatever life throws.
In 2014, I lost my husband, best friend and soul mate way sooner than I should have. My children lost their dad, role model and super hero way sooner than they should have too. Richard Booth was 14 when I met and fell in love with him, and 43 when he shouldn’t have left this earth due to cancer.
What followed was a darkness and numbness for our entire family that is difficult to explain with words. A pain that we still feel today, and will forevermore.
To help with the pain, I tried everything. But nothing impacted me the way acupuncture did.
Bitterness and anger over time (and with the help acupuncture treatments) subsided to make way for a desire to help others in similar situations. You never know what someone is going through, and life can be cruel and too short not to take the plunge.
Team Booth
Jayne, Selena and Hannah
With the help and love of my best friend Jayne, we opened Magnolia in May 2018 with the aim of creating a beautiful, welcoming space that brought together an incredible team of wellness professionals who genuinely care and want to help everyone feel their best. Whether it’s as little as an hour to yourself after a stressful week, or as big as supporting someone through the loss of a loved one, we want Magnolia to be the place you’ll feel most comfortable to come. We definitely succeeded on the “incredible team” bit, it’s an honour to work alongside such amazing people every day and we’ll always be grateful to them for choosing to work with us.
That first summer was the most beautiful summer, and Jayne and I “manned” reception from a sunny spot in the garden in the early days as we grew, sometimes even with a glass of Prosecco in hand. My daughter Hannah soon joined us at Magnolia to help with the “workload”. She’s the “Saffy” to our “Patsy and Eddy” and suffice to say there’s never been time for manning reception with Prosecco from the garden since!
Magnolia was chosen as the name for a number of reasons and was decided upon before we even started looking for a building. Initial therapists joining us had names ending in 'ia" so I wanted the name to link to that. The Magnolia tree itself is a symbol of of stability, luck, female energy and strength which seemed perfectly fitting. Then, when we went to view the property, it was surrounded by Magnolia trees with a view of one from nearly every window. Talk about fate. Lastly, anyone who's ever stepped foot inside Magnolia will soon realise my love for the colour cream!
On our launch party, my sister gifted us our very own Magnolia tree to plant in memory of Richard. A year later, we were gifted a second tree by the family of Lisa Griffiths in her loving memory. Lisa was an incredible lady we met as a client whose complex terminal cancer was preventing her from spending her last days in the comfort of her own home surrounded by her family. Thanks to the support of our amazing clients and therapists, we fundraised to provide a palliative nurse to make her final wish possible. The trees are a visible, lasting memory of these beautiful people and all loved ones lost in the battle to cancer.
I always knew I wanted Magnolia to give back in some way, and shortly after we opened we launched something we call “Sanctaury Sundays”. A special afternoon, once a month, where we open our doors to provide free treatments and a safe space to those battling cancer and their loved ones. These are only possible thanks to our amazing team who volunteer their time to provide their service. Sanctuary Sundays have become the pillar of everything we stand for, and we’ve met beautiful humans who display strength we never knew was possible.
Thanks to you, we’ve been lucky enough to have Magnolia as part of our lives for nearly 6 years now. Through global pandemics, and all sorts of other obstacles that come with never running a business before. We’re so grateful for every kind word said, every review left, every referral sent, every booking made, every therapist who's based themselves with us. Our plan is to be around for the next 6 years and beyond, to always be there, whenever we’re needed.
Selena Booth
(Founder)
Richard's Magnolia
Lisa's Magnolia
