Bath residents now have a new option for massage therapy right in their own backyard.

Melissa Johnson, owner of Still Waters Massage and Bodywork Therapy, has recently moved her business from Greenville to Bath, starting a brand new chapter of life.

It all started with a home advertisement in Greenville, which showcased a beautiful new home on the market in Bath, Johnson said.

Before she or her husband David knew it, they had decided to sell their home in Greenville and snatched up the Bath home from the advertisement, moving in February. It was a little bit of chance but mostly the work of fate.

“That was totally unplanned,” she said. “I love Bath. I love living here.”

Johnson had lived in Greenville for about 30 years, working in communications for the Greenville Police Department for a lot of those years. David also worked at the police department, and he is now involved in law enforcement training at Pitt Community College. The two have three grown children.

However, despite being happily established in Greenville and after a lot of thought, she said she wanted to try a new, more fulfilling career. It was a big turning point for her in her life, she said.

With her family’s support, she attended the North Carolina School of Healing Arts and started her own massage business; she would spend 12 successful business years in Greenville.

But once Johnson and her husband David — her “huge supporter” — moved to their new home in Bath, they fell in love with the community, its history and beauty. The logical next step was to move the massage business to Bath.

Johnson said finding a new office in Bath wasn’t too difficult, and she was lucky to find one already zoned for her type of work.

“There aren’t a lot of properties available in this area,” she said. “This just seemed for me a good place to start.”

“I’ve always been a small business owner and built it from the ground up,” Johnson said. “I truly feel like I am helping people.”

One of Johnson’s main types of therapy is reiki, which is a technique based on healing by using touch to channel energy to the patient’s body.

She said some people don’t even know about this kind of massage therapy, but the ones who do have been excited to find out she knows how to practice it.

“Massage is by no means a substitute for medical care; however, it can be a very good complementary care,” Johnson said, adding that she has many clients referred to her by physicians. “I just want people to know it’s … a very beneficial therapy.”

For all of the big changes happening in her life at this point, Johnson is incredibly calm about it all, not to mention excited.

For her, she knew things would work out how they were supposed to, she said.

“I’m a huge believer in the law of attraction,” Johnson said. “I’m just really, you know, praying that people will respond to me and this business.”

Since her opening day last week, Johnson said she is trying to build up a client base in the Bath area, but she has already had appointments with new and old clients alike, some of which commute from Greenville.

“I feel like I’m bringing something to this little area. … I hope they will benefit from me being here,” she said. “I do truly feel blessed to be able to do this work.”

Still Waters Massage and Bodywork Therapy is open Monday through Friday, and sessions are available by appointment. The office is located at 424 Carteret St. in Bath beside the fire department. To set up an appointment, call Melissa Johnson at 252-321-1293.