Kate Dobbs, a former senior healthcare assistant at Grimsby’s Diana Princess of Wales Hospital, says treatments like reflexology, reiki and lymphatic drainage massages got her through turbulent times
Bethany Lodge Senior Reporter
05:00, 13 Jul 2026
Kate Dobbs Therapeutic Wellness Practitioner offers reiki, reflexology and lymphatic drainage massage(Image: Ben Kirk)
A former NHS worker has turned to holistic treatments and has followed her dream of setting up her own therapeutic wellness studio. Kate Dobbs opened Kate Dobbs Therapeutic Wellness in Waltham and started taking clients in June. She offers services like reiki healing, lymphatic drainage massages and reflexology, saying the “powerful” treatments have helped her get through turbulent times in her own life.
The single mum-of-two from Grimsby says everything she does is for her two children. She wants to make her daughter – who is at university – and her 13-year-old son proud. “I’ve done this for them, I want them to say ‘my mum has got her own shop’. Everything I do is for them,” she said.
Kate, who used to work at the Diana Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby as a Senior Healthcare Assistant in theatre, said: “Whilst I was working in theatre I started training in reflexology – that’s where I started all the holistic therapy training.
“Reflexology is my passion. Then from that I went on to do lymphatic drainage massage, which is really good for a lot of things: sculpting, contouring, bloating. The before and after images are amazing. I was at The Attic Medi-Spa for five years, I would like to reiterate how grateful I am for my time there. But I had an opportunity and I took it with both hands.”
Kate Dobbs outside Kate Dobbs Therapeutic Wellness in Waltham(Image: Ben Kirk)
Kate said she started having reflexology treatments after “going through a turbulent situation” in her life. After thinking it was initially a “load of rubbish”, Kate said the treatments made a real impact on her and she decided to explore more. “You have 7,000 nerves in each foot that represent different parts of the body. The map of the foot is identical to the body, it’s so powerful, it’s amazing. I decided to do it for myself and it changed my life. I thought, ‘If you can feel that good after a treatment, I needed to do my training’.”
Kate trained in Lincoln while working at the hospital. After 18 months, she was able to leave the hospital to concentrate on reflexology full time. She is now opening her own space in Waltham, operating under Kate Dobbs Therapeutic Wellness Practitioner. She has turned the building, which used to be a tanning salon and before that an optician, around in three weeks, with a few setbacks along the way.
“I’ve had a leak, drainage issues, everything that could go wrong has done. But now we are open for business. I’ve been stacked all week, it’s amazing. It’s so rewarding. The space is beautiful. I’ve been decorating for three or four weeks and I’ve completely transformed it. People are popping in and introducing themselves. People are so lovely, I don’t even know them, but people are welcoming me to Waltham. It’s quiet, quaint, and there is free car parking. There are so many advantages to being in a little village. I’ve got a five-year lease and I will, with every breath in my body, make it work.”
And it’s not just reflexology on offer at the wellness space. Kate offers reiki crystal healing, which she describes as “really, really powerful”. While reiki is not a hands-on treatment, Kate says it’s ideal for “de-stressing the mind”. She also offers lymphatic drainage massages, which help the immune system, endocrine system, and is “a complete detox of your body”. “It’s like taking your car for an MOT and service,” she said. “It’s getting rid of all the toxins in your body. You have to adapt it to each individual so it suits their needs so they end up leaving feeling better.” She says lymphatic drainage is particularly helpful for people post-surgery.
Kate is planning an online booking system in the coming weeks. Anyone who would like to book a treatment or find out more can search Kate Dobbs Therapeutic Wellness Practitioner on Facebook or Instagram.
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