One year ago, Naturopathica announced its Oncology Care Program to provide massages to cancer patients via its spas and a partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital. Shortly following this announcement, Naturopathica chief executive officer Cathy O’Brien was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer herself. Now, the company is doubling down on its efforts to support cancer patients by expanding this program.
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O’Brien was in Wisconsin visiting the Kohler Waters Spa, one of Naturopathica’s partners, before heading to Palm Beach, Fla., to open the brand’s new spa at The Colony, when she received the call from her doctor notifying her of the diagnosis. She texted the head surgeon at Mount Sinai and quickly made an appointment to determine her treatment plan.
“I had my lumpectomy two days before Thanksgiving, and my first chemo two days before Christmas,” said O’Brien. “What was really great about the experience is I did get to experience all that we do. It actually works. When you’re going through it, your body just changes.”
On her first day of chemo, one of the therapists, not knowing about her recent partnership with the hospital, offered her a massage. O’Brien remembers the experience fondly and said she got a massage during all of her sessions.
Having experienced the massages herself and completed her treatments, O’Brien is on a mission to expand Naturopathica’s offerings particularly for those with cancer. Specifically, the brand is working on three products that will each be priced at around $20 for those undergoing treatment — the brand had been thinking about launching a single product, but following her experience O’Brien knew there wasn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
“Having gone through it, I realized there’s not one thing,” she said. “We’re working now on three products, two for the face and one for the body for radiation that would be in a significantly lower price point.”
These products will be stored in tubes for portability, as O’Brien found that she was constantly applying product throughout the day during her treatments, including the Calendula Essential Hydrating Cream and Carrot Seed Soothing Facial Oil, which are both oncology-safe.
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In addition to its oncology treatments in spa and the Mount Sinai partnership, Naturopathica has also inked a similar partnership with Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center. Additionally, the team is training more people at professional spa partners nationwide, including more at Kohler and Miraval.
“We want everybody to get trained,” O’Brien said, adding that she is also on a mission to have these types of therapies covered by insurance.
While Naturopathica is on a mission to alleviate the pain of cancer patients all year round, during October/breast cancer awareness month, the brand will be donating a portion of sales to Penn and Mount Sinai.
Now, as O’Brien is reaching the one-year anniversary of her diagnosis, she also has a birthday coming up in December. While her friends suggested a big trip, O’Brien decided she wanted time to herself to reflect over the last year, so she is headed to The Ranch Hudson Valley.
“I’m just going to be by myself and just do what they tell me to do and move and experience the treatments and the movements and the walks and all of it and just clear my head, so that I can actually take a minute to regroup and think about what I want for myself for this next chapter,” she said.
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