10/07/2026
🌴 THE WHOLE STORY 🌴
From Pain to Purpose: Ruth Haigh’s Journey to Whole-Body Wellness
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At 18, Ruth Haigh was in enough pain from that she was considering using a cane. She had tried nearly everything and turned to care out of desperation.
“I thought it was a bunch of bologna,” she remembers with a laugh. 😊
Then she got off the treatment table and walked normally. Any thoughts of a cane disappeared.
For Ruth, that moment changed more than her back. It changed the direction of her life and began a lifelong fascination with understanding the whole story behind what the is experiencing. ❤️
She had planned to pursue physical therapy, but that healing experience and working for a chiropractor during college introduced her to a different way of viewing the body. She trained in X-ray technology, learning to connect the structural problems she saw on an image with what patients were experiencing. She began to see how the body could reveal pathways toward relief.
That curiosity eventually drew Ruth to therapy, where she learned to feel through touch what she had once learned to see through X-rays. Ashiatsu became her signature modality. Using overhead bars for balance, she applies broad, controlled pressure with her feet in a technique that, after decades of practice, has become like a dance—fluid and deliberate for Ruth, deeply relaxing and highly effective for the client. 🌿
More than 30 years later, that evolving understanding of the body forms the foundation of Island Ashiatsu Wellness Center in . The Wellness Center offers therapeutic bodywork, restorative Head Spa experiences, breathwork and personalized guidance, using science-informed modalities to support relaxation, regulation, movement and overall well-being.
But sometimes, fully recharging means bringing together all of the tools Ruth and her team have gathered over decades — bodywork, beauty, nutrition, coaching — in an immersive wellness experience. ✨
That realization helped shape Wellness Journeys, Ruth’s intimate, twice-yearly designed to give women more time and space to recognize what may be depleting them physically, emotionally or professionally—and to learn practical tools they can take home.
“It’s an experience for the whole woman, and limiting it to eight women gives us the space to really care for each person,” Ruth explains.
Held at an oceanside villa, Ruth conducts an intake beforehand to ensure the retreat is a good fit, then leads workshops in mindset, , nutrition and nervous system reset. Guests also experience a full mind-body-beauty spa day and excursions such as a dinner cruise. 🌊
She also brings in a carefully selected team of specialists. Pilates instructor Gretchen Hall leads daily movement; Dr. Rose Littlejohn explores passion, purpose and work-life balance; holistic nurse practitioner Tara Lee shares expertise in gut health and wellness; and Nourish & Thrive provides thoughtfully prepared and tailored meals.
For Ruth, the villa’s picturesque setting is nurturing, but she believes growth is still possible wherever you are if you have the right tools. She puts that belief into practice through her Bible-based ministry in the community and at a women’s prison, where she encourages women to use their difficult circumstances as an opportunity to examine patterns, learn to rely on timeless principles and make healthier choices. ❤️
That philosophy also leaves plenty of room for joy. In the , Ruth loves snorkeling, pickleball, Pilates and time with friends and family, along with dancing, travel and just about anything that creates space to play, connect and enjoy life. 🌴☀️
Wellness, as she has come to understand it, means looking at the fuller picture—what the body is communicating, what life is demanding and what may need to change. Because sometimes, understanding the whole story is what finally helps us begin a new chapter. 💙
Limited space remains for the upcoming Wellness Journey, with another retreat planned for spring.
Learn more about the Island Ashiatsu Wellness Center and retreats at WellnessJourneyRetreats.com.
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