by: Cassidy Calliste
photo by Jacqueline Markham
UCI’s Health and Wellness Center opened up the Wellness Room–located on the third floor of the Student Center–in Spring 2019.
The room provides a place for students to get away from the stressors of school and daily life. Massage chairs can be reserved for 20 minutes, and other amenities such as puzzles, coloring books, hot beverages and yoga mats are available as well.
“Students can come in here and detach from social media, school, etc.,” fourth year program educator and sexual health peer educator Magdalen Ramirez said.
The main initiative in opening the room was to relieve student stress.
“We believe students shouldn’t just focus solely on physical health, but also mental health,” Ramirez said.
Students may lose access to vital resources because they cost money or are far off from campus. The Wellness Center provides the basics of wellness care—sexual protection, a lactation station and the wellness room—in hopes that students will learn effective strategies in dealing with their mental wellbeing.
“It was important to provide somewhere for students that was close to campus, and for free,” Ramirez said.
Relaxation is not a common feature for student life. The Wellness Room allows for this to become a developing part of student living, in an effort to help students gain skills on how to relax on their own.
“The Wellness Room is a peaceful space designed to help students relax and be mindful in order to reduce stress,” the Wellness Room’s website states.
“As students, it may be hard to take care of our mental and physical health, the Wellness Room is here for you to take advantage,” Ramirez said.
The center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. More information on the Wellness Center and Wellness Room can be found on their website.
