Cūro Chiropractic is a Calgary-based modern and welcoming clinic designed with client comfort in mind, offering massage therapy and holistic nutrition consultations, on top of their chiropractic practice. These comprehensive holistic healthcare services promote overall well-being, especially when used in conjunction with one another, as the two founders know. We spoke with Co-founders Dr. Keith Belliveau and Dr. Sohan Fonseka to discuss their healthcare centre further in depth.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Cūro Chiropractic. We are a modern chiropractic clinic also offering massage therapy and holistic nutrition consulting.
What made you want to do this work?
One thing most of our practice members notice about our clinic immediately is that everyone who works at Cūro Chiropractic has a tangible passion for helping people. Our co-founders (chiropractors), are extremely passionate about sharing the benefits of chiropractic care with our practice members in a way that feels approachable and casual, and integrates into their busy and active lifestyles. The other services we offer – massage therapy and holistic nutrition consulting – help us round out our offerings and allow us to keep our practice members feeling and functioning optimally.
Having studied chiropractic in California (SF Bay Area), our co-founders ventured into many different chiropractic clinics and saw countless ways to operate and practice. We saw an opportunity in Calgary to open something unique that we were also passionate about. We are passionate about restoring proper function and structure to our patients’ spines, so we built a clinic that focuses on precisely that! We love working alongside our patients to help them live healthier lives, which typically starts with a combination of the services we offer in the clinic, and we are also very passionate about educating our practice members on how to live healthier lifestyles.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
There are more than enough chiropractic clinics in Calgary that essentially operate as sports clinics: you go to them with an injury, they help you rehabilitate the injury and then you’re on your way in a few weeks. We found that there were 3 major gaps in the Calgary market that we have built this clinic to solve:
First, after first caring for our practice members through their initial injury or issue, we have created an environment and clinical setting that allows for continued care on a ‘wellness’ basis. True health is not just the absence of disease, but the optimal expression of health and being. Therefore, if this is what our goal for health is, then we shouldn’t have to wait until we are hurt or diseased to take care of our bodies. From a chiropractic perspective, this means caring for our practice members on a routine basis to help keep their spines and bodies functioning well, and catching issues early on before they become more serious.
Second, we aim to not only restore optimal function to the spine and body but also address any structural issues the spine might have. Nearly every chiropractic clinic will assess you on a functional basis – ie. which joints are restricted, which muscles are tight, which muscles are weak, which tissues are injured/painful, etc. Very few will look at some of the structural issues people are dealing with that are contributing to these functional problems. Structural issues can be problems with the curvatures of the spine and/or with the overall alignment of the spine, and require a special approach to correct. Various aspects of our clinic and practice are centred around this approach.
Third, we aim to educate and empower our practice members to learn how to take better care of their spines outside of our clinic. Similar to how your dentist wants you to brush and floss your teeth daily to keep your teeth and gums as healthy as possible, we also give our practice members tools to use every day (from home or work) that help to keep their spines healthy. We actually provide these tools, which we call ‘Home Care Kits’, for free to our chiropractic membership practice members!
Who are your clientele/demographics?
We have helped all types of people achieve great results in our clinic. From children to seniors, acute injuries to chronic conditions, we are able to care for a wide variety of people and cases. The demographic who ends up in our clinic most often, however, is definitely in the young adult to middle-aged adult range. These people are typically living busy lives, trying to find a balance between their careers, families, and staying active with exercise and sports, and are looking for a clinic that offers a natural way to keep their body functioning optimally!
How does your business make money? How does it work?
We generate our revenue primarily through the services we provide in the clinic (chiropractic, massage, nutrition). For chiropractic care – the major driver of our business – we offer something very unique to our practice members: memberships. These memberships will span a few months and will have strategically laid out appointments, including progress exams and re-examinations scheduled at regular intervals. This allows our practice members to know exactly what to expect when it comes to cost, and also makes it easier for them to follow through with their care plan, which in turn leads to better results!
Where in the city can we find your profession?
We are located near the vibrant community of Marda Loop, on the corner of 14th Street and 29th Ave SW. We are on the ground floor with free street parking and a free parking lot in the rear.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
Our profession can vary greatly in how practitioners approach the body, and what problems they are best at solving. Some questions one could ask could relate to the current condition/issue the patient is seeking care for, and ensuring that the practitioner is well equipped to care for it.
Another question could be related to the practitioner’s philosophy or approach to care. Some patients are looking for quick fixes or band-aid solutions to get them back on their feet as fast as possible, and some practitioners and clinics are well-equipped to satisfy this demand. Other patients are looking for more in-depth, longer-term approaches to their health, and some practitioners and clinics are well-equipped for this as well. Alignment is key!
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
Best: Every day we get to see people have health breakthroughs. We get to see their eyes light up as they start to feel and function better, and we are deeply grateful to be a part of that process.
Worst: That not enough people are aware of the benefits of chiropractic care and we’d love to be able to educate and help more people!
What is your favourite joke about your own profession?
“How many chiropractors does it take to change a lightbulb?”
“One, but it’ll take 3 visits a week for 3 weeks”
Where can we follow you?
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?
Our neighbours! Our Daily Brett.
