We had the good fortune of connecting with Katey Wheelhouse and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Katey, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I began Wheelhouse Wellness fortuitously when I began working with organic and natural skin moisturizers after being diagnosed with Psoriasis. After doing some research on natural treatments, I developed a combination of Coconut Oil, Shea Butter and tea tree oil that really calmed my skin. This got me hooked on making my own body butters and then I started making a version with Coconut Oil, Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E, Rosehip Seed Oil and Sea Buckthorn Oil. I used different essential oils to create the scents I have available today. I also improved my original blend for psoriasis to include essential oils of Melaleuca (Tea Tree), Lavender, Geranium and Peppermint- all oils that have shown to help calm both psoriasis and eczema. I call this blend Calma for obvious reasons 🙂

At first, I was giving these body butter blends to friends as gifts, but slowly over time- the idea to start my own business emerged and I started Wheelhouse Wellness. I now have 5 Body Butter blends, a face mist, a pillow spray and a facial oil. I love creating new products and I love every second spent making the Wheelhouse Wellness line.

After spending 15 years as an Assistant Director on big Hollywood productions, I have now moved to Crestone, Colorado where I’ve opened a yoga and massage studio called The Crestone Studio. The full line of Wheelhouse Wellness products are available in my studio and I now spend my days teaching yoga and offering Thai massage. What a dream!

What should our readers know about your business?
I have just opened The Crestone Studio in the spiritual mecca of Crestone, Colorado. For a town that has upwards of 30 spiritual centers, one would imagine it would be over flowing with yoga offerings, but that just was not the case. The studio I feel is serving a real need of the community- yoga for every body. I offer mother/ baby yoga, golden yoga for older practitioners and a strong vinyasa flow class. I have joy in my heart every time a new student walks through the door, and because our community is so small, I know this is a person I will see at the grocery store our at our newly opened Brew Pub. I also offer Thai Massage and The Triple Vagal Method. Thai Massage is a modality that I connected to in a profound way. I truly believe that what I offer is more than a massage, but a mind reset. In January of 2022, I became certified in the Triple Vagal Method which is accessing the Vagus Nerve through 6 different points in the body to calm and tone the nervous system. I incorporate this method into my Thai Massages and the healing that my clients receive is profound. I am one of under 10 Triple Vagal practitioners in the country.

To get to where I am today, I left a very lucrative career in Hollywood behind. I chose to follow my heart and what I feel is my true soul purpose on this planet. In Hollywood, I often felt that what I was spending 18 hours of my day slaving away at was just filler to distract people from reality. While there is absolutely art in film making, I found myself often working on TV shows that were more of a grind than an artform.   Opening The Crestone Studio has renewed my sense of purpose and I do feel honored to work with people at such an intimate level.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting me in Crestone- we would go on many, many hikes. Crestone Creek is one of my current favorites. Another highlight of Crestone for me is the opportunity to take a cold plunge in about 100 different places! I love to get sweaty on a hike and then stumble upon a deep part of one of our creeks and jump right in. In ‘downtown’ Crestone- we have a new Brew Pub that is quite honestly the new heart of Crestone. It’s such a pleasure to grab a table and see who will pass by and what conversations will transpire! Crestone is full of unique characters and I know that if my best friend was to visit- they would leave with MANY amazing stories of the people who call Crestone home. We’re an hour from Salida, so a day trip to visit the perfectly preserved downtown and maybe a river rafting trip would also be on the agenda.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My friend Julia Corlett in Crestone. She inspired me to move to Crestone and gave me faith that the studio could work. She has introduced me to COUNTLESS people here in Crestone and always the first to champion what I do.

Website: www.wheelhousewellness.com

Instagram: wheelhouse.wellness

Facebook: wheehousewellness

Image Credits
Carlos Celis

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.