Greg and Carolyn Gurski have turned their passion for wellness into a new business venture, opening a studio to provide hyperbaric oxygen therapy and red light therapy.
O2 & Red Light Therapy opened in April at 2815 Old Jacksonville Road in Springfield. The 1,700-square-foot studio features three hyperbaric oxygen chambers and two private rooms for red-light therapy.
The Gurskis are both retired from the corrections industry, but Carolyn Gurski said they’ve always had an interest in health and wellness, with Carolyn Gurski earning health coaching certifications.
“I’ve always been interested in deep diving into health and nutrition and healing,” she said. “Even when it wasn’t a job for me, it was a side hustle.”
Gurski said she first became aware of the benefits of hyperbaric therapy when the treatment was recommended for a friend who was healing from skin grafts. Gurski and her friend, who lived in Bloomington at the time, had to travel to Tennessee for the therapy, which wasn’t available locally.
“I thought bringing it to Springfield would be a great fit for the area because we’re centrally located,” she said.
Gurski said the hyperbaric treatment delivers concentrated oxygen that can help reduce inflammation and promote cellular repair, while red-light therapy allows more oxygen to flow into the blood tissue and improves blood circulation. She said the therapies can help individuals who are seeking to manage chronic pain, reduce inflammation and improve anti-aging, among other things.
“We only offer these two things because they work synergistically,” Gurski said.
O2 & Red Light Therapy is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with additional times available by appointment.