Category: Featured

Radiant Wellness Spa Offers Licensed Massage, Facials & More

Spa On S.R. 54 In Wesley Chapel To Highlight Its Services At Its FREE Health & Wellness Fair On Sunday, March 19!

Willie Williams has played basketball most of his life at a very high level (including the NBA’s “D” League) , and that grind produced a few injuries along the way that he can still feel today. He was recently in a car accident that has made his body creak and groan more than it should for a man only in his mid-30s.

However, Willie says his body only creaks and groans these days until Yuhanna Alahmary, LMT, MLD-C, CCT, CMT, gets her hands on him.

*Radiant Wellness Spa owner Yuhanna Alahmary*

The owner of Radiant Wellness Spa in the Brookfield Professional Park on S.R. 54 just west of Eiland Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, Alahmary has learned plenty of skills over the years related to massage therapy, and Williams says those massages are the only thing, including physical therapy, that can make him feel better.

“She’s the real deal,” he says. “I’ve had massages before, but the way hers make my body feel afterwards is something different. I’ve known her for three years and she has allowed me to get back to moving around, get out of bed and not be limping around the house all the time.”

After a decade of working as a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT) at a local spa in Wesley Chapel, Alahmary decided to branch out and open her own spa in April 2022.

She may not be new to Wesley Chapel, but her business is, which is part of the reason she is reaching out to the community by hosting a Health & Wellness Fair on Sunday, March 19, noon-4 p.m. (see ad on pg. 34) with a food truck, businesses from the KRATE at the Grove container park (including 3 Eleven candles, Mythos Gifts and Blush Wine Room) and health-related vendors like Florida Pain Medicine, Humana and Double Branch Chiropractic Rehab. Alahmary says some of the vendors will be doing free health testing, and her spa will offer complimentary 5-minute massages.

More Than Just Massages

Radiant Wellness Spa offers a wide array of spa services, from massages to facials.

The massages include the standard Swedish, therapeutic and deep tissue, as well as couples and prenatal massages.

Hot stone and bamboo massages also are available, or try the “Sticks & Stones” massage, which is a combination of both.

Alahmary says she also has a therapist on staff who specializes in oncology massages for cancer patients looking for pain relief and relaxation.

And, cupping therapy, which decompresses the body’s tissues with suction cups, helps with a host of issues and is one of the spa’s more popular services. In addition to her other titles, Alahmary is a CCP (certified cupping therapist, CMMP (certified medical massage practitioner) and master post-op care provider and body contouring specialist.

*The acne and microneedling program at Radiant works wonders for high-grade acne skin, producing amazing results.*

When it comes to facials, there are many from which to choose. Alahmary says the enzyme and OxygenGLOW facials are the most popular among her array of offerings, and microneedling (also called collagen induction therapy) continues to be in demand for those seeking to firm and tone their skin, especially the arms and face. Alahmary says the Circadia brand products used at the spa are high-grade.

Body waxing services and sauna wraps also are available.

Alahmary says that Radiant’s staff aesthetician Tunde used to own her own spa in Budapest, Hungary, before Covid-19 forced her to close down and move to the U.S.

“She has 20 years of experience and she helps with a lot of European techniques I wasn’t really familiar with,” Alahmary says. Tunde has worked miracles on some of the faces that leave Radiant Wellness Spa with a big smile on them.

If you mention this story, you can receive $15 off your first visit. There are other specials, too — $10 off on Mondays for anyone, and $10 off on Thursdays for teachers, law enforcement, first responders, healthcare and postal workers (with work ID).

“I’ve always had a soft spot for vets and healthcare workers,” Alahmary says. “My dad was impacted by agent orange and nurses really were impacted by Covid.”

What separates Radiant Wellness Spa from other spas, however, may be Alahmary’s own personal specialty: post-op care.

She is certified by the Academy of Lymphatic Studies, which she says makes her a rarity in the Wesley Chapel area.

“So many people drive to South Tampa to get their post-op care done,” she says, “but we have it right here.”

Post-op MLD (or manual lymphatic drainage) care, in Alahmary’s case, often but not exclusively deals with treating patients who have recently had cosmetic surgery like a tummy tuck or liposuction. As a result, their bodies may be inflamed and they may suffer from lymphatic fluid build up.

A certified MLD-C massage therapist uses specific massaging techniques to help transport the lymphatic fluid from the swollen area to an area that is draining properly.

“If you want to heal right, you need some kind of post-op care,” says Alahmary. “It will cut down on fibrosis build up and help prevent fibrosis, which are those hardening knots in people who don’t get the proper (post-op) care.”

Alahmary also says she has spent hundreds of hours learning and taking tests to learn as much as she can, and earn as many certifications as possible. She has even traveled to Thailand and hopes to incorporate Thai massages into her spa in the future.

Alahmary’s commitment to her craft is something that actually helped prompt Williams to follow her to her new practice. For years at the previous spa where she worked, Williams would listen to her talk about pursuing her dream and perfecting her skills.

“She is a real student of her art,” he says. “She used to fly out to different classes to enhance her skill set, and that is something I really admired about her. She’s an expert.”

Alahmary’s daughter Nylah is a senior at Wesley Chapel High who is working towards her Associate of Arts degree from Pasco-Hernando State College, and helps out at the front desk, making Radiant Wellness Spa a family business. Everyone else who works at the spa has at least 10 years of experience, according to Alahmary.

“I’m not just an owner, I’m a therapist myself,” Alahmary says. “We don’t have memberships, so we’re not trying to sell you anything. And, having my own business lets me do what I love to do, and offer the services that I think will help people the most.”

The spa does not accept insurance, but does accept FSA and HSA payments.

Radiant Wellness Spa is located at 33905 S.R.. 54, Suite 101. The hours are Monday & Wednesday, 3:15 p.m.-8 p.m.; Thursday & Friday, 9 a.m.-8 p.m.; and 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. on Saturday. For more information, call (813) 715-2099, visit Radiant-Wellness-Spa.com.

Coffee Drinks & More Take Flight At The Bean Bar Co.!

Few people I know love a good cup of coffee more than I do, so the latest innovation at The Bean Bar Co., located just off the Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. exit of I-75 (in the plaza next to Stonewood Grill & Tavern in Tampa Palms), is definitely right up my alley.

Owner Danielle Henry says that The Bean Bear’s new “coffee flights” definitely borrowed the flight concept from alcoholic beverages, from beer to bourbon and from tequila to wine.

The flights offer customers four 5.5-oz. samples, one each of The Bean Bar’s four customer-favorite “classic” coffee drinks — café mocha, Irish nutcase, café con leche and caramel macchiato. And, Danielle says that since being introduced in January, the flights have really (pun intended) taken off.

“It’s always fun to introduce something new and see how people react to it,” Danielle says. “We’ve sold a lot of coffee flights in just a few weeks.”

In fact, leading up to Valentine’s Day, The Bean Bar offered a flight of four V-Day favorites — raspberry white chocolate, cherry almond, chocolate-covered strawberry and red velvet lattés. “We probably will experiment with other flights,” she says. “Stay tuned.”

For me, it’s difficult to stay away from the Bean Bar, whether anything new is introduced or not. I have continually switched off between the very-authentic-tasting café con leche, made with real Cuban sugar, and the better-than-Starbucks caramel macchiato since the place first opened a little more than a year ago (in Nov. of 2021). But now, I may just have to put the café mocha and some of the other flavors (e.g., toasted marshmallow and peanut butter cup) in my rotation. There also are a number of flavor shots available.

Whatever flavor you choose — even if you just like regular hot or iced — the coffee is always outstanding. Danielle says that all of the coffee is from Naviera Coffee Mills, “an amazing Cuban roast. And, even though people have tried to get us to switch, I don’t believe I ever will.”

Danielle and her brother Kyle Trina each also operate a Bean Bar Co. food truck (and Danielle says both are new versions of their original food truck, and make regular appearances in Wesley Chapel), and she recently finished a 12-day run at the Florida State Fair. “We have the space (at the fair) right next to Peachey’s (Baking Co. of Sarasota), which sells amazing Amish donuts. It’s a perfect spot for us.”

But, as someone who can take or leave the fair, I’m just happy that The Bean Bar Co. has a brick-&-mortar location so close to where I live. In addition to the variety of hot and iced coffee drinks (including a nitro cold brew), there’s also a large menu of hot and iced tea favorites, from Earl Grey and Florida orange blossom to chai tea lattés.

But, What About Breakfast?

I’m glad you asked. I am huge fan of The Bean Bar’s breakfast sandwiches — including the croissant egg sandwiches with garlic aioli, to which you can add turkey bacon or real bacon (for just $1 more), and my favorite waffle chicken sandwich with bacon & egg, served with breakfast syrup. So good.

*The quiche Lorraine isn’t house-made, but it’s still fluffy & delicious.*

But, even though Danielle says it’s been on the menu for a long time, I only recently sampled The Bean Bar’s light-&-fluffy quiche Lorraine. It isn’t made on the premises, but it’s honestly better than the quiche at most places that do house-bake their own. There also are garlic-&-cheddar and everything-&-gouda bagels and Danielle says mini-sized Dutch-style pancakes (with strawberry jelly, Nutella and other toppings) are being added this month.

*If you like your avocado toast a little spicy, try it at The Bean Bar!*

And, while I don’t eat avocado toast, photographer Charmaine George says The Bean Bar’s spicy version of it, served on multi-grain bread, is worth a try, too. The sandwiches also are available for lunch, as are tasty beef and chicken empanadas.

Danielle also has brought in new baked goods. The current options include (all shown on the plate below) apple Danish, apple maple and creme brulée muffin tops (think “Seinfeld”), chocolate pastry twists and lemon raspberry and pink & red marble mini loafs. Other tasty treats float in and out (including cream-filled whoopie pies and strawberry-iced scones) — so stop in to check out the latest.

Danielle and her husband Mark recently welcomed their third child — son Hudson (the others are 5-year-old son Peyton and 2-1/2-year old daughter Layne).

The Bean Bar Co. is located at 17018 Palm Pointe Dr. and is open Mon.-Fri., 6 a.m.-5 p.m., & 7 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sat. & Sun. For more info, call (813) 442-7699, visit BeanBarCo.com or on Instagram (#beanbar_co) or Facebook (“The Bean Bar Co.”). Also, see the ad on pg. 37 to save 15% off your entire order.

dining New Tampa the bean bar

NTPAC To Debut This Month; B&B Theatres Unveils Improvements

The New Tampa Performing Arts Center (NTPAC) will hold its first event for the community on Saturday, March 25, with a performance by the New Tampa Players (NTP), following a dedication to the theatre troupe’s founder, the late Doug Wall.

The doors to the new 20,000-sq.-ft. Hillsborough County-owned facility — located across from the entrance to the Hunter’s Green community — will open at 6:30 p.m.. Doors to the theater open at 7, with the ceremony and a performance scheduled for 7:30.

While the grand opening for the NTPAC itself actually will come at a later date, organizers are using the dedication and NTP performance as a soft grand opening and an opportunity to honor Wall, a major driver of the arts in the New Tampa area prior to his death in 2017.

Wall founded NTP, which held its first production “They’re Playing Our Song” at both Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club and at Hunter’s Green Country Club, in 2002. NTP has survived as a gypsy-like troupe, putting on performances at a number of different locations while Wall and others fought for a permanent New Tampa home for the organization, which NTPAC will be.

After the dedication, NTP will put on a cabaret-style show that will give attendees an idea of how a performance is put on by the group, as well as how the troupe plans its seasons.

Shows already scheduled for this season include:

• “Beauty & the Beast Jr.: A Penguin Project Production” (Apr. 14-16)

• “Grease” (July 21-30)

• “Shrek” (Oct. 20-29) and

• “Dreamgirls” (Feb. 2-11, 2024).

For tickets to and more information about NTP and these upcoming performances, visit NewTampaPlayers.org.

MOVIE UPGRADES: Speaking of places to watch shows, the B&B Theatres Wesley Chapel (formerly the Cobb Theater) held a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event on Feb. 15 to show off some of B&B’s remodeling efforts since taking over management of the theater in 2022. Among the new options at B&B Wesley Chapel are:

• Premium Large Format (PLF) Grand Screen, which provides a true wall-to-wall experience.

• ScreenX, which, according to B&B Theatres’ director of communications Paul Farnsworth, is the world’s first multi-projection platform, allowing viewers to experience select films in an expansive, 270-degree presentation, as the two sidewalls of the theater are utilized to give a more immersive experience.

• The Lyric, a smaller (32-seat) theater designed for a more intimate and upscale theatrical experience. The Lyric will be used for showing independent and art films — such as the poignant comedy “80 for Brady” — and offers other high- end touches, including seat-mounted tray tables and elegant waterfall curtains

• Max Relax — Located in another smaller (only 50+ seats) theater, Max Relax offers commercial-grade, electric, heated, fully reclining leather chaise lounge chairs that are great for movie watching….and, if the movie isn’t great, a nice little nap.

*Among the new features unveiled at B&B Theatres Wesley Chapel’s ribbon-cutting event on Feb. 15 included (left) the Cycle Cinema*.

• Cycle Cinema, which is being leased to owner Pascal Collard of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness center in Zephyrhills and three partners (Nick Walton, Andy Sorrentino and SVB co-owner Andy Green), which brings a Peloton-type shared workout experience to the big screen, with classes for everyone from total beginner to expert.

• SideSplitters at The Grove, the comedy club which already has been operational for more than a year before the Grand Reopening event.

For more information, visit bbtheatres.com or Facebook.com/bbtheatres. For more info about Cycle Cinema, visit TheCycleCinema.com.

B&B Theatres NTPAC Wesley Chapel

Legacy At Highwoods Preserve Celebrates Vets, Centenarians & More

Congratulations to The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve (18600 Highwoods Preserve Pkwy.) — which was the first full-service assisted living and memory care residence to open in New Tampa when it made its debut more than a decade ago — for hosting a couple of great recent events.

On Presidents Day (Feb. 21), The Legacy hosted a unique celebration to honor its three residents who are all at least 100 years old — Grace Forsythe (age 101), Mary Carbonara (100) and Holocaust survivor Nat Ross (also 100). As part of the celebration, The Legacy executive director Mitchell Edelstein unveiled a unique wall mural adorned with the U.S. flag, an American bald eagle and photos of all ten Legacy residents who also are U.S. military veterans.

The next day, Edelstein and the entire staff at The Legacy hosted a North Tampa Bay Chamber ribbon-cutting event in honor of its Grand Reopening, with amazing food by Chef Josh. For more info about The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve, call (813) 375-9858 or visit LegacyPreserveTampa.com.

Tampa City Council member Luis Viera celebrates the lives of the three 100-year-old residents at The Legacy at Highwoods Preserve (l.-r.) Grace Forsythe, Nat Ross & Mary Carbonara.

A new wall mural honoring all of the U.S. military vets at The Legacy also was unveiled on Presidents Day

legacy at highwoods preserve New Tampa

Thousands Get A Preview Of BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel!

Scooping his free Island Fin Poké Co. poké bowl into his mouth, Trey Walker paused for a second before answering the question of the day at BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel’s open house last month.

“I don’t like hospitals,” the Tampa truck driver said, smiling, “but if I ever need to go to one, I hope it’s this one.”

Walker was one of an estimated 4,000 people who took part in the area’s newest hospital’s open house on Feb. 18, which featured tours, food trucks, vendor booths and a kids area.

BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel was expected to open to at least emergency room patients today (Mar. 7). The 86-bed, state-of-the-art hospital is located on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. just south of S.R. 54.

BayCare Wesley Chapel president Becky Schulkowski was thrilled to finally unveil the hospital to the public.

“It’s just been extremely exciting, rewarding, and humbling seeing the response from the community,” she said. “I’m being thanked for coming to this community. It just feels like such a blessing…and we will live up to their expectations.”

*The new hospital features private rooms with Alexa-enabled services, and a Da Vinci Robotic Surgical System*. (*Photo: John C. Cotey*)

BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel boasts 318,000 sq. ft. of space, and will feature comprehensive medical services and health care resources, including an emergency department, an intensive care unit with virtual-monitoring beds, diagnostic services such as imaging and on-site lab services, and physical rehabilitation. BayCare is investing $246 million in the project, which will be the 16th link in the nonprofit’s chain, which has locations throughout Central Florida. The Wesley Chapel location will be just the second full-service BayCare hospital in Pasco County and will feature outstanding technology like the CT scanner and a DaVinci Robotic Surgical System.

The DaVinci robot drew a few oohs and aahs from those on the tour, its multiple arms coiled like a resting octopus. It allows for very precise incisions and techniques used by surgeons, including things like hernia repairs and colorectal surgery.

“So, if anyone with colon cancer needs to have parts of their colon removed, it can be done with the robot,” Schulkowski said. “The procedures with the robot really allows you to heal faster and get out of the hospital quicker. With some of those bigger surgeries, before we started using the robotic surgery, you would be in the hospital for five days (or more) after that procedure. Now, you can be home in one or two days.…and what most people want is to get out of the hospital and get home.”

Much of the planning that went into BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel was about comfort.

“We really thought about what it feels like to be a patient, and how much most people really don’t like to be in a hospital,” Schulkowski said. “So, we really tried to design it with that perspective in mind, and really make it a comfortable, healing environment.”

That means all of the patient rooms are private, and have integrated Alexa, a voice-controlled virtual assistant that allows you to call your nurse, dim the lights, raise the blinds or the thermostat and other things, with just your voice.

The hospital provides most general surgeries, orthopaedic surgeries, urology and a cath lab to diagnose any heart issues, Schulkowski said.

“We went all out to make sure we had the absolute best technology available for the community,” she added.

While 86 rooms may not seem like a lot, BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel is expandable. Schulkowski said the option is available to build a second tower directly above the ER if needed. “We can pretty much double everything,” she said.

Also planned is a 20-bed observation unit, which could be built next to the ER on the backside of the hospital, by 2027. “That will allow us to cohort what we call observation patients, patients that come in and maybe have chest pain, and we need to run a couple tests and see is it a heart problem? Or is it just really bad heartburn?,” Schulkowski said. “While you’re waiting for those tests, you don’t need to be up in the hospital, you’re just waiting on getting some test results. We’re gonna keep you comfortable, get those test results and then, hopefully, send you on your way.”

It was ten years ago that AdventHealth (then Florida Hospital) Wesley Chapel opened its doors, giving the Wesley Chapel and New Tampa areas newer (and closer) options for care. And, next up is Orlando Hospital Wesley Chapel, a 300-bed facility under construction on S.R. 56.

The nonprofit company that is opening BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel understands that there are options. Schulkowski said her staff is ready to meet the challenge. In fact, one of her pet projects was the sculpture out front — five ribbons coming together. Each ribbon has one of the five BayCare values engraved on it: Trust, Respect, Responsibility, Excellence and Dignity.

“I wanted the very first thing that our community saw when they came onto campus (were) the BayCare values, because that’s what we bring to this community,” Schulkowski said.

For more information, visit BayCare.org.

BayCare hospital Wesley Chapel