Can comfort be care? 5 ways to bring joy into your clinic space

Not every clinic feels like a place to exhale. But what if it could?

In this episode, Denzil shares five delightfully intentional choices from Road to Hana Counselling and Wellness that completely reframe what care can feel like. From bold colour palettes to cherry lemonade and therapy dogs, owner Andrea invites patients into an experience that’s warm, sensory, and welcoming… before a single word of therapy is even spoken.

Here, Denzil explores how small luxuries and thoughtful details can signal safety, presence, and worth. She reflects on:

• Why delight isn’t fluff, it’s a form of care
• The power of scent, softness, and slowness in a clinical space
• What it means to design for arrival, not just efficiency
• Why team spaces deserve the same beauty and intention as patient ones
  
  

If you’ve ever wondered how to make your clinic feel more human, more generous, or more you, this episode will give you that inspiration.

Want to see what delight really looks like? Check out the latest edition of Denzil’s bi-weekly newsletter for photos of Road to Hana’s stunning clinic space.

If you have your own rituals of welcome, we’d love to hear them. Send an email over to [e-mail]. And if you’re enjoying these reflections, hit follow to stay close

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:05):
Hello, it's Denzel here.
You know that feeling when youwalk into a place and have a
mild panic attack and askyourself, wait, am I in the
right spot?
That's how I imagine it feelsstepping into Road Tahana
Counseling and Wellness Clinic.
Let me explain.
In our recent Radio Front Deskconversation, Andrea, the owner

(00:28):
of Road Tahana, shared with mewhat the experience was like
when you walk into her clinic.
What I didn't expect was whatactually inspired it.
Andrea told me she's alwaysloved hosting tea parties.
You know, the ritual is settinga table, offering a drink, and
creating that moment of calm andconnection.
Then one day it clicked for her.

(00:50):
That's what a counseling spacecould feel like too.
So picture this.
You walk into her clinic.
You might be greeted by a quirkyor another friendly dog.
The walls are bright andcolorful.
You sit down and enjoy a drink,a little snack, and a
flip-through a magazine.
And then you start your therapysession.

(01:12):
Now, if you've been here for awhile, you know I'm pretty
passionate about infusingmoments of delight into your
business.
To me, delight is kind of likethe secret sauce of a business.
And what Andrea is doing herecaptures this perfectly.
She isn't just sprinkling smallbits of delight around the edges
of care.

(01:33):
She's actually embedding theminto the experience itself.
The warmth, the welcome, thelittle luxury.
It's all part of the treatment.
So this week, I wanted to sharefive of Rhodehana's delightful
touches that changed how I thinkabout what care can feel like.
And maybe they might inspire youtoo.

(01:55):
First, let's talk about thatcomplimentary specialty drinks
menu.
When I saw the drink menu atAndrea's clinic, my first
thought was, that's expensive.
And my second thought was,that's really generous.
She goes all out for herclients.
They've got these elaboratedrinks like cinnamon apple tea,

(02:15):
pistachio lattes, and my topchoice, cherry lemonade.
It's not just that the menu islong, it's that there's flavors
and scents, even the names, theyevoke something.
A softness, a slowness, um youcan take your time here kind of
vibe, which in a healthcaresetting is rare.

(02:36):
Truthfully, I usually turnthings like this down.
There's a weird reflex I have,like, I don't want to be a
bother.
And my brain thinks, can Iaccept something like this of
such high value and not pay forit?
But Andrea's setup made merealize that accepting care can
also be a part of healing.
Small luxuries like these don'tjust say we care.

(02:58):
They say you're allowed to carefor yourself and you are valued.
Next, let's talk about theirbold colors and decor.
If you walk into Rhodehana,you'll see yellow and pink walls
complemented by cozy orange andblue couches.
They have art and decor that'sbold and playful rather than the
typical soft and mellow tonesyou picture when you think

(03:21):
clinic.
The space is not neutral andit's definitely not quiet.
And it isn't trying to be.
It feels like it's trying tointerrupt your day in a good
way.
What I loved about this is howthey invite you to step out of
your regular life and toliterally enter a new headspace.
And that, for therapyespecially, can be really

(03:41):
powerful.
It's like a signal to your brainthat says, okay, let's begin
now.
Now let's talk about the littleextras, like hot towels and
sweet treats.
Okay, when I saw that video ontheir Instagram page of someone
showing off the macaron and hottowel they got before their
session, I was like, wait aminute, those are for fancy

(04:03):
spas.
But Andrea is doing somethingdeeper here.
It's not about indulgence justfor the sake of it.
It's about softening andpreparing you to fully arrive
for your session, allowing yourmind to catch up to your body.
She's creating a full bodywelcome.
One that doesn't rush you in andout, but gently says, You're
here now.
Let's begin when you're ready.

(04:25):
Okay, we have to talk about theoffice dogs.
As someone who can't have petsright now, when I saw all the
dogs on road to Hannah'sInstagram, I couldn't help but
smile.
Andrea's clinic is pet friendly.
Not just with office dogs, butclients are welcome to bring
their own.
And what I find so delightfulabout that is that it really
breaks the script.

(04:46):
The space is otherwise socurated and so intentional.
And then comes in thisunpredictable, joyful little
creature.
That little bit of chaos thatactually makes the Kong.
And I think there's somethingreally special about the
balance.
And finally, I want to touch ontheir staff room.
When I saw that Rhodehana'sstaff room was just as beautiful

(05:06):
as their client-facing rooms, Iwas in awe.
There's this retro fridge, apink espresso machine, and a
table that looks like it's setup for a tea party.
Of course, a tea party, not justa coffee break.
And you can see how Andreadidn't stop at patient
experience.
Her staff room is just as caredfor.

(05:27):
She's saying to her team, whoshe refers to as heroes, you're
worth it too.
This made me realize that thereare so many different ways that
delight can bloom.
Because when you're also makingpeople feel valued behind the
scenes, it changes how they showup out front.
So here's where I've landed.
Delight isn't fluff.

(05:47):
It's not a distraction, it's asignal of welcome, worth, and
care.
And maybe when done withintention, it can help unlock
something really beautiful inthe work we do.
If you've added your own littleluxuries to your clinic, or if
you're thinking about tryingsomething new, I'd love to hear
about it.
Send me an email at frontdesk atjane.app and let me know what

(06:10):
joy looks like in your space.
Until next time, you got this.