Healthy Gift Ideas

​Prevention magazine recently published an article about the 66 best wellness gifts for 2022. After reading it I began to think about all the local Rowan County resources we have for similar wellness gifts!

Wellness can include everything from relaxing practices like aromatherapy and sleeping well to physical practices like exercise and nutrition and of course mental-health support like affordable therapy and meditation, as well as creative outlets. And now, there are so many options out there that you can incorporate into your life to support your wellness needs. This means you have plenty of options when it comes to buying the best gifts to promote health and wellness for those you love!

To save you the legwork, I took a recent walking tour of Downtown Salisbury and beyond and narrowed the offerings down to 18 ideas for you to consider. If your friend needs a creative outlet, we have just the thing (or two!). Perhaps they’re looking for extra motivation to get moving with physical activity. I found a few items to help them do exactly that. And for the ones who simply want to do more cooking and order less takeout, there are a handful of picks to get them back in the kitchen. Covering a range of categories, all of these gifts put wellness first. Choose one (or a few of these) gifts for the people on your list this holiday season, and at the same time support our local Rowan County businesses. I’ve tried to include ideas for the body, mind, and spirit and found the following:

1. Skin Care, Hair, Nail and Massage Services-These abound between Merle Norman and Blush Boutique (119 S. Main), Salisbury Salon and Spa (210 E Innes St.), Rachel Joyce Skin at 123 N Ellis St, or Greystone Salon and Spa (120 N Main St)– gift certificates are always appreciated, and these businesses offer items ranging from facials to hot stone massages. Finding one of these in my stocking makes my Christmas!

2. Heart of Salisbury, (down the alley just off 120 N Main St) has many creative ideas. Sue McHugh shared with me tremendous options including gift certificates to Cooking Classes in their on- site teaching kitchen to experiences that range from yoga to meditation to reflexology or reiki, with gift packages to suit your needs. You can even book a private party where you and your friends create your party fare. Numerous wellness products are also available to purchase in their store, including clothing for yoga, crystals and spices.

3. Juice Life and Soulful Nutrition (123 E Innes St) offers many interesting products for the health conscious such as meal replacement shakes and energy teas. They have a wide variety of aromatherapy products as well, including “make your own wax melts” with calming scents by Scentsy.

4. The Kitchen Store (106 N. Main St) can hook you up with excellent products for preparing healthy meals. The Cuisinart air fryer or the Cuisinart Juicer are just 2 of the many items to choose from to get your loved one on the right path for good nutrition.

5. The Spice and Tea Exchange (111 N. Main St.) has an endless supply of wonderful teas to soothe and calm, cute gift ideas such as infusers, and also an extensive selection of spices for the budding chef. Dionna can help you put together a great gift basket, or you can choose from an already-prepared gift box.

6. The Hive, (126 E Innes) carries products from over 132 local artists, with a focus on natural products and sustainability. Put together a natural body care basket with goat milk and other products for sensitive skin. Add a beeswax candle from local bee keepers. Even their gift boxes and wrapping paper are sustainable. I was particularly intrigued with the Herbal Bath Soaks!

7. Skinny Wheels (111 W Innes St) can recommend excellent bikes and exercise equipment, and can connect you with biking groups. And along those lines if your budget is limited, used bikes from The Pedal Factory (311 E Council St.) are refurbed and of excellent quality. The Pedal Factory is a local non-profit, and also has bike-associated safety equipment and gift certificates.

8. Back Country and Beyond (322 S Main St). has gear from footwear to grilling, paddleboarding and e-Bikes, so you are sure to find the perfect gift to get someone out of doors and moving!

9. Speaking of moving, the Rowan County YMCA (828 Jake Alexander in Salisbury, 215 Guffy St in the East Rowan area, and 950 Kimball Rd in China Grove) can provide introductory memberships with many active ideas such as a gift that includes a racket for racket-ball, eyewear or an introduction to pickleball including a racket.

10. To exercise the mind, The South Main Book Company has an endless supply of books for every age and genre, and can also hook you up with a book club or discussion group for intellectual stimulation. Reading improves your focus, memory, empathy, and communication skills. All important for a healthy life.

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11. Plant World, (109 E Innes St) is a fascinating shop, and can offer “easy to care for” plants that add ambience as well as enhance your environment. Your gift could be a plant or a class to learn to create beautiful planters, to get the creative juices flowing. The air seemed so clean in Plant World because live plants indoors are reported to be cleansing to our environments.

12. Pottery 101 (101 S Main St.) not only has beautiful gift items but offers gift certificates for a multitude of classes for those who want to try their hand at the wheel. Cheryl Goins, owner, recommends making pottery because “it allows people to use their creativity in a different way.” She says she has a lot of professional people who take pottery classes as a release from the tension of challenging jobs such as medicine or law. Pottery certainly would be beneficial to enhance mental health.

13. To further stimulate the mind and creativity, other artistic gift ideas include gift certificates from Waterworks (123 E Liberty St.) for soothing art selections to purchase, or for creative classes. Anne Scott Clement is excited about their spring line-up of classes that will be released in the next couple of weeks!

14. The Rail Walk Studios and Gallery (409 N Lee St) has a tremendous variety of artists, many of whom can offer experiences such as “paint and wine” parties which would make a wonderful gift. Scheduling your friend group for paint and wine might make a great experiential gift rather than another ornament party.

15. People with too many “things” may really appreciate experiences as a gift. Season tickets, or one-time event tickets to plays like Godspell at Lee St. Theatre Salisbury’s Off-Broadway theatre (329 N Lee St), the Piedmont Players at the Merony Theatre (213 S Main St) for such productions as Bye Bye Birdie coming in July, or the Norvell Theatre (135 E Fisher St) for an all-youth production make wonderful gifts.

16. Encouraging or helping someone start a hobby also makes a great gift. Go to Godley’s Garden Center (2281 Statesville Blvd) and let Kate Pagano help you create a gardeners basket. They have bulbs and seeds as well as supplies a budding gardener would need, and they also have gift certificates!

17. Creating your own “Date Night Basket” is another option, choosing a healthy menu and including healthy ingredients that are ready to go from many of our local food suppliers, similar to ready-to-cook meal plans that are so popular. Ingredients can come from Food Lion or Harris Teeter or our own farmers markets, such as Father and Son Produce Market (1774 Sherrill Ford Rd, Salisbury).

18. Finally, when we think of a gift from the heart, many are touched when you make a donation in their honor to a charity that they are passionate about. Whether it is helping the homeless (Rowan Helping Ministries (rowanhelpingministries.org), helping the less fortunate with healthcare (communitycareofrowan.org), or helping animals in need (faithfulfriendsnc.org), a donation in honor of someone certainly nourishes the soul.

Good luck with your Christmas shopping this year and I hope you take the opportunity to improve the health of someone you love.

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