The Shen Den will officially open on September 11. (Image: Katherine Hanlon)

Aimee Perdrix will launch The Shen Den at the Wellness Barn on London Road, near Junction 42, on September 11.

The clinic is already operating, but the date will mark the start of Aimee working there full-time.

Ms Perdrix will provide traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture alongside Reiki, reflexology, Indian head massage and Eastern LED facials.

The idea for her business grew from her own experience of burnout after spending 15 years working as an operations manager for a large company. She left this career after struggling following the birth of her daughter.

Ms Perdrix said: "I went back to work very quickly after she was born. She was only five weeks old when I went back to work and within a couple of years I just absolutely crashed."

She added: "The acupuncture was sort of accidental in that I found it there as a qualification, was very interested in it, signed up to it, from the very first day that I went for the training just knew that it was what I wanted to do."

She hopes to raise awareness of acupuncture as a treatment that can support emotional wellbeing, stress and burnout. Aimee said she wants it to be seen as more than a treatment for physical pain.

Ms Perdrix said: "You don't actually have to know how to relax; acupuncture can help to calm the nervous system without you having to actively do anything to make it happen.

"You don't need to know how to switch your mind off, you just need to lie down."

The name The Shen Den comes from the Chinese concept of "Shen", which Ms Perdrix describes as a person's spirit or inner spark. She said the name reflects her aim of helping people reconnect with themselves during difficult times.

Reflecting on her own experience, she said she wished she had discovered acupuncture sooner, including after her daughter was born and during her burnout.

Ms Perdrix hopes people facing similar difficulties will consider acupuncture as one possible form of support.

She said: "My main point is ultimately I think it is a very, very good complementary treatment for anybody who is just feeling a little bit not like themselves."