IF there was any trepidation for Charlotte Haynes in setting up a well-being centre for dispensing alternative medicine in Usk, it doesn't show on the faces of her staff.

In fact, Ms Haynes and her bevy of therapists at the Bridge Street premises are literally the embodiment of health and radiance.

Nor does the centre's location in a small rural town place it at a disadvantage in terms of a new business ready to take off.

The staff look upon Usk as an oasis of calm - just the mentality it is attempting to encourage with its array of treatments, which range from Reiki - the restoration of body energy - to Pilates - body-conditioning using lengthening and strengthening movements.

And the huge response from the public (around 90 inquiries about Pilates, for example, in the first week or so of opening) suggests that the treatments will be much sought-after. Conventional and non-conventional remedies are being offered side by side. Homeopathy, reflexology, counselling, sports massage, speech therapy and Indian head massage are among many of the other treatments available in what used to be a housing association office opposite the Three Salmons Hotel.

The centre was very much homeopath Charlotte Haynes' idea. She once attended business school and decided to bring purveyors of the different treatments under a single roof.

"The idea is to offer a wide spectrum of therapies and classes which all help develop a sense of well-being through relaxation and/or healing," she said.

"We can help people who are not feeling quite right but who cannot put their finger on exactly what the cause is. They may be feeling anxious or depressed but don't want to take drugs. There is a move away from anti-depressants, and more people are trying homeopathy extremely successfully.

"I think it is extremely important to concentrate on 'well-ness' rather than illness, and I wanted the centre to reflect that. I chose Usk because it is very well positioned from the business point of view. It is just 15 minutes from just about everywhere! It is also a calming sort of place itself, with lots of nice restaurants. People can come here and make a day of it."

Though the number of similar businesses in Gwent offering treatments is growing, they are often attached to hotels and health clubs. The Usk centre is on its own in an area where there are few, if any, offering a similar service.

Ms Haynes said customers' problems could be identified and then dealt with by one or more of the therapists, though all treatments were elective - there was no sense of being told what to do.

This allusion to the relationship patients sometimes had with doctors does not extend to local GPs, a few of whom turned up for opening day.

"Doctors have been very friendly," she said. "Obviously there are things that they are much better at."

The first meeting with customers is relaxing and friendly. "We start with a chat and identify which therapist appeals to a person the most, and then they talk to the therapist to see if there is something that the therapist thinks would work well. But it is very much a decision of the person involved," Ms Haynes said.

It is operating in a way that meets its customers' needs - opening on Saturday and late on some days, for instance, to cater for working people.

*PICTURED: Cath Reilly, Pilates instructor, demonstrates how it's done.