Silver Bullet Wellness sounds like a place that is pushing the latest fix-it pill for your body and your life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Aidan and Sophia Gscheidle believe in a silver bullet for people, especially people in pain, but it’s not a quick fix. It’s called “taking care of yourself,” and in their primary Lock Haven studio at 132 E. Main Street, Suite 7, you can get the help you need to feel better, to gain mobility, and feel your greatest. For Aidan and Sophia, it is a common goal, but they reached it by different paths. Their tagline says it all: “Life twists you in knots. We help untwist them.”

For Sophia, bodywork was in her blood. “Both Mom and Dad were massage therapists, and I grew up in the spa [Emerge Healing Arts & Spa] in Wellsboro, worked the reception desk, and saw the benefits of bodywork and natural skin care.” She graduated from Integrative Bodywork School of Massage Therapy in State College and earned her massage license in December 2022. She is also a licensed esthetician with a passion for skin care and uses her mother’s line of natural skin care products, Emerge Botanicals, in her practice.

For Aidan, the road was through the hard work of food service, the joy of trail running, and the chronic pain that developed doing those things. When covid closed restaurants, he went to school at IBSMT earning his massage license in October 2022, and shortly after earned his breath coach certification through YOGABODY. Perhaps as importantly, IBSMT was where Aidan and Sophia met and fell in love.

At first, the Gscheidles worked at the Spa in Wellsboro with Sophia’s parents. But it wasn’t long before they looked for a town to start their own business. Their choice was, perhaps, a bit surprising. Lock Haven isn’t a resort or a trendy city. “But it was the sweet spot,” Aidan explained—within an easy drive to Sophia’s parents and to State College and their connections there. Plus, it was close to Aidan’s parents, who live in Woolrich. More than that, it was the energy they found in this small city. “We were welcomed by Lock Haven right away—both by people and by other business owners.” The couple became part of the new generation of merchants and professionals who have made the town their home and, along with Downtown Lock Haven Inc., have made the center of the city more vibrant.

Silver Bullet has re-imagined itself and grown quickly in a couple of years. When they opened in 2023 shortly after covid, Aidan and Sophia thought the market was right for a service that went to people’s houses, providing massage in a private setting. They developed a clientele, but as Aidan explained, “People called and were flummoxed that they couldn’t come to us at an office.” Not everyone wanted to have a massage in their home, surrounded by family clutter or activities. Many needed the serenity of a location that took them out of the daily routine.

Suddenly, they were looking for a space, and it needed to be inexpensive, where the landlord could work with them. Aidan says, “So, an out-of-state friend sent me a link for a space in the Simon building. Dana and Sean Krieger worked with us to get started. But it was a leap of faith. We were sitting in our apartment counting dollar bills” to make the rent payment. The new studio opened a year ago on the third floor and was exactly what the new business needed to make it.

If that wasn’t enough, by late spring, the couple knew that they could use another spa room. Out of the blue, Dr. Leah Charney from Advanced Family Chiropractic called with a room for a massage therapist to complement the practice. Would Sophia and Aidan be interested? Less than six months after opening the first studio, they opened a second location. The Simon building studio is wonderfully secluded and quiet, on the top floor of an old brick building. But that’s two flights of stairs that some clients can’t manage. The Advanced Family Chiropractic office is on the first floor, with easy access. With two rooms, both Sophia and Aidan can work on clients at the same time, not possible in the first office. One year after making the decision to expand the direction of Silver Bullet Wellness, both locations are busy.

The original mobile service is still available and is often booked as couples massage. “People who rent a local Airbnb will contact us to do massage at that location,” turning a getaway into a relaxing spa. Silver Bullet Wellness is the only place in the area that does couples massage, which can be a couple, or simply two friends that want to get a massage at the same time. Clients can call (570) 209-8655 for appointment at any location, or book online at silverbulletwellness.com.

Beyond massage, Sophia and Aidan offer breath coaching, facials, cupping, aromatherapy, hot stones, functional fascial tape, and two new offerings—Thai massage (acupressure, deep tissue massage, and stretching) and craniosacral therapy, which focuses on the bones of the skull and spine for headache, TMJ, and migraine relief.

For Valentine’s Day, Silver Bullet Wellness is partnering with Jackass Brewing Company in Williamsport for Brews & Bliss. It’s their second annual Valentine’s partner massage workshop teaching favorite moves and techniques for couples. Combined with tasty food, drinks, and a stunning view from the third floor of Jackass’s state-of-the-art facility.

It’s more than you expect from a small town. The Gscheidles offer world-class care, enriching Lock Haven by eliminating one hurt body at a time.