Western Travis County grows as health and wellness destination

From new yoga and Pilates centers to medical spas and chiropractic services, several new businesses centered around health, wellness and fitness are popping up within the Lake Travis-Westlake area.

Briarcliff native Raevan Bielik founded Birthbabybody alongside lead clinician Katherine Melot to provide chiropractic care with a specialized focus on prenatal, postnatal and pediatric services. Their first location opened in Southwest Austin off Hwy. 290, but the business recently opened a Bee Cave location.

After having three children, Bielik decided to return to the Spicewood area after 10 years to live closer to her parents. In this time, she said she witnessed growth from Spicewood to Westlake. “Families are moving out in droves to the Hill Country area,” Bielik said. “It just made the most sense, since our demographic is mothers, newborns and families, to put our second location where all the families are moving right now.”

Fitness businesses include yoga and Pilates studios as well as a new martial arts studio, Six Blades Jiu-Jitsu, in Lakeway. The latter was started as a way to build a community of strong and confident individuals, co-owner Steve Hargett said.

One factor that may be contributing to the growth of the health and wellness industry in Lake Travis-Westlake could be the migration of people to Texas from the West Coast, where holistic care is generally more accepted, Bielik said.

“I feel like everyone is realizing that and jumping on board. There’s just more access to [these businesses], and I think because of that people are more open to the services we’re providing,” Bielik said. “As medicine evolves, people’s open mindedness evolves as well. To have these other options available to people is so important. It’s really validating to see the progression of what Bee Cave and Westlake have moved into.”