Baxter, Esther & Dottie

Carol Vinci-Walker knows full well about the healing power of pets. She’s fostered hundreds of dogs throughout her lifetime, alongside forever pets like Baxter, a spunky year-old Shih Tzu, and Esther, a regal toy Manchester Terrier.

She also knows a thing or two about healing humans too. As owner of Southern Laser Medical Spa & Healing Arts, she works with a team of professionals to manifest calm and relaxation in her clients through various treatments and services provided at her medical spa at Lake Oconee.

It’s a reflection of the same positive impact that dogs can have on your health and well-being.

“It’s been proven that dogs have a medical effect on people,” says Carol. “They decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels, they give a person the drive to live a more satisfying life, they bring love and warmth in your life, and people tend to live longer.”

Dogs are calming and relaxing, which, says office manager Jan Murray, is exactly what they’re all about at Southern Laser. “People come in here frazzled and frustrated and they go into these rooms with our therapists – whether it’s massage, facial or laser procedures, or even nail care – and come out feeling better,” says Jan, who enjoys bringing her own sweet girl, Dottie – a 7-yearold Cavalier toy Spaniel rescue – to work with her on occasion. “Dogs are able to do that too.”

It all comes down to the power of a healing touch, says Carol. “That’s how we connect to our inner selves,” she says. “And whether that comes from petting your dog or practicing self care at a spa, it’s so important to our well-being.”