Getting students excited about manufacturing
Making IT personal for 25 years
December 15, 2025
STURGEON BAY – At The Kind Body Co. – 50 S. Madison Ave., Unit 01 in Sturgeon Bay – Owners Megan Srnka and Tiffany Dufek said they are redefining self-care by blending Pilates, massage therapy and infrared sauna into a seamless wellness experience.
Spanning nearly 1,300 square feet, with potential to expand in the future, the duo said the studio combines comfort, functionality and versatility to create an inviting environment for all visitors.
“There’s a nice welcome area, our Pilates and sauna areas and our massage room that offers its own sink with hot and cold water,” Dufek said. “We have a room that accommodates our own private restroom and our office.”
The inspiration
After losing the studio where they practiced Pilates together, Srnka and Dufek said they decided to open their own space, offering more than just Pilates.
Originally meeting about seven years ago while bartending and serving at the same small, local restaurant “in the middle of nowhere,” the two said they quickly became friends and, about five years ago, started doing Pilates together at a nearby studio.
Though they both had careers in other industries prior to pursuing small business ownership together, neither said they felt completely fulfilled.
When the local studio where they did Pilates closed, Dufek said “that kind of sent me on my own Pilates journey to become an instructor.”
The closer she got to becoming an instructor, Dufek said, the more she knew that’s what she wanted to do with her life.
“Not only did I not want to go without Pilates in my own life, I knew I wanted to bring a studio back to Sturgeon Bay for others as well,” she said.
Coming from a holistic-minded family, Srnka said she understood Dufek’s perspective.
“That really helped me along my journey to become a massage therapist,” she said. “Plus, I’ve been getting massages since I was about 12 years old. So, I’ve kind of got a lifelong background in massage. That’s been very helpful.”
After earning her Comprehensive Pilates Certification about two years ago, Dufek said she began offering private Pilates sessions.
Around the same time, Srnka said she had become a licensed massage therapist and spent about three years providing massage therapy to clients in a small studio above her garage.
After experiencing the relaxation and physical benefits of spa treatments while on vacation in Mexico, Dufek said one day she said to Srnka, “Let’s just open up a studio space together.”
“That was pretty much it,” Srnka said. “It took us a while to find a brick-and-mortar space and figure some other things out, but once we got there, everything else fell into place.”
Dufek said the goal was to open up something together, and “here we are today.”
Why Pilates?
Dufek said Pilates is a great, gentle, low-impact form of fitness – one that’s good for all body types, sizes, ages and mobility issues.
“It is different from yoga,” she said. “It focuses on a different type of breathing, flexibility, core strength and reducing risk of injuries. It’s great for individuals with injuries and chronic pain and is an ideal exercise for those recovering from injuries.”
At The Kind Body Co., Dufek said exercises are modified to suit individual ranges of motion, with adjustments made as clients improve and build strength.
“So it’s accessible for a wide range of people, including the aging population, as well as younger people like athletes,” she said. “It increases body awareness and helps people focus on their mind-body connection. It can help reduce stress and anxiety. It’s good for everyone in every capacity.”
Srnka and Dufek said the studio offers private, personalized Pilates sessions that cater to a person’s needs.
“So, if something is going on in your body that you want to work on, we can work toward that,” Dufek said. “There are small group classes that we offer, as well as semi-private and private sessions.”
Dufek said the studio also offers group classes designed to support accountability and help participants stay on track.
“Our Pilates Reformer equipment assists with finding the best kind of movement in the body,” she said. “We can pretty much do any type of Pilates someone would want – mat Pilates, Reformer Pilates – where we do small group classes – and next year our goal is to get Pilates chairs, so we can keep adding on and expanding to our repertoire of equipment and classes of what we’re offering.”
Massage – not just a luxury anymore
Not so long ago, Srnka said massages were seen as a luxury.
However, today, she said many – especially those in the healthcare field – view them as a necessary part of wellness rather than an indulgence.
Srnka said she views massage as a key component of wellness, blending relaxation and deep-tissue work in a therapeutic approach.
“I’m also a little bit into neuro-muscular work and have [some training] in lymphatic massage as well to be able to accommodate different populations,” she said.
Srnka said she even uses massage therapy with prenatal, infant and pediatric clients.
“I love that I’m trained in and able to accommodate all populations,” she said. “I never want to have to turn away a client because I can’t accommodate them.”
Srnka said she also offers cupping therapy – a form of alternative therapy using suction on the skin for a variety of effects – either as a stand-alone treatment or as something added to a massage.
Cupping therapy, she said, lifts the fascia, which is the layer of fibrous connective tissue that surrounds muscles, blood vessels and nerves.
“We have a better understanding these days of what role the fascia plays in therapy and pain relief, so this is something else I offer,” she said.
Additional services, future growth
Another service offered at the studio, Srnka said, is an infrared sauna, which provides dry heat compared with the moist heat of a traditional steam sauna.
“They’re very similar in terms of providing pain relief, improving circulation, improving skin health, cardio-vascular health, muscle recovery and those kinds of things,” she said. “It can also help with detoxification and weight loss.”
Dufek and Srnak said they view the services at the studio as both valuable on their own and complementary when combined, and hope to expand with additional offerings in the future.
“The spa we like going to in Mexico with each other and our families has a hydro-therapy circuit that we all love,” Dufek said. “It has a cold-plunge pool, hot tub, ice room, sauna, steam room and relaxation area. It’s the whole nine yards.”
Dufek said they hope to gradually bring some of those elements into their space.
“It’s part of our big vision for the future, maybe five to 10 years down the road,” she said.
In the short term, the duo said they plan to grow the business gradually to ensure long-term success.
Since opening their studio, Dufek said she has become a nationally certified pilates teacher, and to support their growing business, they have also brought on another certified pilates instructor.
“In the next year or two, I would love to see our studio be fully booked to the point where we have to expand to maybe incorporate some of our bigger visions,” she said.
Dufek said that future growth could include leasing space to other practitioners – such as massage therapists, Pilates or yoga instructors, Reiki and acupuncture specialists, barre teachers or chiropractors.
“It just depends on what it is and how it fits in with their vision of having a holistic wellness studio,” she said.
‘One client at a time’
Srnka and Dufek said they are both pleased and pleasantly surprised by how quickly their business has grown using only their social media pages and website for promotion.
Following a July 1 soft opening to work out any operational kinks, the co-owners said they celebrated a ribbon cutting and grand opening in November with the support of Destination Sturgeon Bay and Destination Door County.
“That certainly helped with marketing and announcing our entrance into the community,” Dufek said. “We had a great turnout with lots of new faces.”
Dufek said she estimates that more than 50 people attended the two-hour grand opening.
“We were very excited to see that,” she said. “We actually booked a couple of new clients that night. Our existing customers also came that night to support us and were probably some of our greatest advocates – telling people how great our classes and massages are and how much they love it here and recommending others give it a try.”
Since that night, Dufek said a steady stream of new clients has continued to visit the studio.
“It’s been a lot of word of mouth from our clients, so we’re really thankful and appreciative of [people] helping spread the word,” she said. “We’re also really grateful for the support we’ve received from our family, friends and others in the community who are so happy we’re here and keep spreading it around.”
For more details, head to TheKindBodyCo.com.
