What do a paint store and healing retreat have in common? Location is the answer, but if you guessed that they were the life dreams of members of the same family, you are also right.

Jane Lohan is the daughter of William Hassell founder of Home Paints Supply (now Stafford paints) on St. John's Road. "It was the dream of my father to open a paint store," she said. The Hassell's also had their house on the property with the entrance on Euclid Avenue.

But about 20 years after her father died she had a burning need to change her family home into a serene place of healing. "For at least 10 years I've had a vision of place where people of like mind could come and feel safe," she said.

The "like minds" she refers to are those in the community interested in alternative therapies and a holistic way of life. As medical insurance in Bermuda rarely covers most alternative modalities, having a practice is often too daunting or simply not viable for many practitioners. That is until a few months ago.

"I wanted a place where massage therapists or anyone doing any type of healing work, could rent a room by the hour," she said. "I didn't want them to have to worry about getting their own equipment and wanted them to have access to a place that's nice," she added.

To this end Ms Lohan applied for Planning permission to change the home into commercial space. 'It took a few years for my vision to take shape," she said. "It was two years getting Planning permission." And even then she didn't rush in making the changes. She renovated one room at a time and would try out different things until she arrived at what worked for her.

She's most proud of the success she had with converting the garage. It's the biggest room in the Center and is mainly used for meditation although with a DVD and flat screen it's an ideal venue for recorded workshops. "On Mondays at 6 p.m. we use it for guided meditations and it's used for drumming circle every other week," she said.

In addition to the meditation room, the Center has three treatment rooms and the living room/waiting area that can also be rented. At the moment quite few practitioners have taken advantage of the facility. Massage therapist Carolla Cooper virtually runs her practice from it, as does Ms Lohan herself. Counselor Kuni Frith-Black runs a weekly group therapy session in the living room area.

There's a bathroom complete with shower and a dining room turned library. Most alternative therapy disciplines are represented on the library shelves and members can borrow books, as they need them. An assistant explained the idea is that everyone has access to great material without having to fork out a lot of money. She said the concept is a much freer one than borrowing from a traditional library with rigid deadlines.

"You bring the book back when you are finished with it,' she said.

Ms Lohan retained a kitchen in which she also placed her office. There are shelves with retail goods - natural creams, cosmetics, healing oils and other healing products.

The most recent development is a garden back porch area. 'I wanted it to be a real flower garden and put window boxes as well," she said.

The porch has tables and chairs and serves as a relaxation area for those "like minded people" to hang out. "It's not a café, not at all," she said. 'It's a place to have some coffee or tea for someone who wants to relax."

A banana patch in front of what is still a paint store, will be converted this summer to a memorial labyrinth with bricks members of the public can buy in memory of a loved one. "It will be 24 feet across and seven-circuit, which means it will have seven turns before you get to the center," she said.

A 15ft medicine wheel in the Native American tradition is also planned for the area. "We will plant herbs in each quadrant and there will be a place to meditate," she said.

'These are sacred to Native Americans and I've just returned from a Navajo reservation.

An infinity meditation walk in the figure eight is to be yet another feature on the grounds. "This is especially helpful for dyslexics because it integrates the left and right brain," she said. She explained that this happens because you end up walking in all directions.

"You keep your head straight but turn your body. You will have exercised your eyes in every direction possible," she added.

And next year you can expect the Healing Center to become even larger. "Stafford Paints will move at the end of the year and I am looking at using that space for possibly yoga, qi gong, some retail space, offices and for more treatment rooms that will be rented by the month instead of by the hour."