If you walk down King St. in Oshawa toward Division, you will find an old-school wooden door with a yellow-tinted stain glass window. If you open the door of the renovated brick home and go up the slightly curved staircase, you walk into a spa.
The first thing you see is the phases of the moon, an art mural that arches over the door to Shelley Walsh’s office.
This is not your traditional spa.
Walsh, who goes by the name Wynter Raven, owns the Majestic Spa, which is operated out of the Bent Willow Academy.
Wynter Raven is a mother, stepmother, grandmother, and witch. Growing up in Pagan traditions, Walsh now considers herself an “elder witch.”
When she was a child, she was taught to honour every living creature on earth, including trees, plants and creatures as small as ants and as big as whales.
“It taught us about imagination,” Walsh said. “We went outside, we played in the forest and built tree forts. we loved the little bugs and the big animals.”
When Walsh had children, she decided to leave the religion because she wanted her kids to be able to celebrate Christmas.
“We didn’t have Christmas, we had something called Misrule,” said Walsh.
When her daughter was in a serious car accident at 11 years old, and fighting for her life, Walsh decided to pray to her gods and goddesses again.
Her daughter made a full recovery. “That’s what brought me back to my Pagan ways,” Walsh said.
Walsh started at the Bent Willow Academy teaching “witchery classes” before COVID, in February 2020. She said the idea to start witchery classes came to her when she noticed videos on social media of people practicing spells with no knowledge of how.
“You have to be very careful of the words you use when you’re doing a spell,” said Walsh, who then used a love spell as an example.
For example you want a man to have eyes for you only and have his loins yearn for you only, it is essential, said Walsh, to avoid certain words. Otherwise, unexpected things can happen.
“The problem with that is that he will be all up in your bubble and there is nothing you can do to stop that,” she explained, saying that’s why it’s important to learn before you practice any spells.
Walsh continues to teach witchery classes but says opening her spa is something she has wanted to do for a long time.
It took her over five years to find the right location.
“It just didn’t happen,” Walsh said.
Despite things not turning out right away, Walsh’s optimism and family support kept her hopeful.
“I believe everything happens for the right reason, at the right moment,” Walsh said.
She explains the first time she stepped foot in the Bent Willow while on a hunt for a new local metaphysical store.
“When I first walked into the Bent Willow, the greeting I got was, wow, are we sisters?” Walsh said.
She said the owner of the Bent Willow and Bent Willow Academy, Tera Keeler, asked if Walsh would be interested in opening a spa at the Bent Willow Academy.
“Everything just worked out,” Walsh said.
Walsh is well-versed in esthetics and knows what she’s talking about when it comes to facials, waxing, eyelash tinting, skin peeling, and chakra healing.
She is also certified as a skincare specialist, relax massage therapist and she has her first and second level of chakra training.
“Everything about my spa has to deal with metaphysical, spiritual, love and light,” Walsh said. “When I’m giving a massage not only am I pushing and moving energy around, I naturally start healing the body.”
Walsh says she was born with healing hands.
To her, owning a spa is more about what she can do for her clients and not the money. She says she cares more about the people who walk through her door.
“It’s my passion,” Walsh said. “Every single client feels that love and light.”
She believes when you abuse a gift, such as healing hands, by overcharging, you will lose the gift.
Walsh said her clients are always downloading her with heaps of personal information, as though she were a USB drive. This is because of how comfortable they feel in her aura.
“Sometimes people just need that,” Walsh said. “Not an opinion, not advice, just someone to listen to them.”
Walsh believes that people should feel beautiful and loved everywhere. That’s why she offers her clients more un-traditional treatments like butt and breast microdermabrasion (micro).
“So, I literally steam the boobs,” Walsh said. “To open up the pores, I give them a cleanse, like I would a facial, and then I’ll micro them.”
She says microdermabrasion will take off all the dead skin cells that are trapped under new skin and raises oxygen and blood to the skin.
Walsh believes it’s important to educate her clients and explain each step and what she is doing to ensure they feel comfortable and know what’s going on.
She considers herself a healer, teacher, protector, seeker, and giver.
Walsh’s unforgettable laugh and overall witchy vibe is what makes the Majestic Spa truly one-of-a-kind.