Student Recreation Center opens wellness suite

New space gives students a place to relax between classes, focus on well-being

By California State University, Bakersfield

June 13^th, 2023

Walking into the Student Recreation Center’s new wellness suite, you are immediately filled with a sense of tranquility.

Soothing scents fill the room as soft music plays and natural light floods in from nearby windows. The walls are all painted a calming seafoam green. You can’t help but feel relaxed — which is exactly what was intended with the new facility.

“We wanted to invest in a space for students to be able to relax and find some quiet time in between classes, to kind of have a home base where they can have a sense of calm within the chaos of the busy campus life,” said Leah Bank, senior coordinator of fitness and wellness at the SRC.

The suite — located in the former FitLab on the second floor of the center — currently includes two nap pods and massage chairs, as well as lounge and meditation areas. Programming is planned to start in the fall including workshops, arts and crafts activities and wellness coaching led by Bank to help students meet their health goals.

“I think on our campus it’s a very progressive step in being so forward-thinking about the importance of wellness,” she said. “We now have this dedicated space that will target physical well-being as well as emotional well-being.”

The creation of the new space was funded through the AB 74 grant that was provided to CSUB in 2020 by the Chancellor’s Office to help meet the basic needs of students. The university received $150,000 for wellness projects.

The suite, which opened in May, is available to anyone who has access to the center, including faculty and staff. Walk-ins are accepted but online reservations are requested for those looking to use the nap pods and massage chairs.

The SRC team is excited to finally be able to showcase its new space after years of work. A grand opening for the wellness suite is scheduled to take place in the fall.

“Seeing the project go from conception to development to being a built space is really exciting,” Bank said. “There’s been a lot of hard work that’s gone into it."

The center has already been offering some sneak peeks and informal tours of the new space and has been getting positive feedback so far from students, faculty and staff.

“Being an athlete and on campus all day, I need a place where I can relax and escape from day-to-day activities,” said student-athlete Sophia Brandstetter. “Having this relaxes your mind and muscles and leads you to be successful in your daily life.”

Bank believes a space like this on campus is important for students, especially given the effect the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their mental and physical health. She also believes the suite can be especially helpful to students who live off-campus.

“Students who are commuting don’t always have a place to go between classes. We know students sometimes hang out in their cars between classes, or they don’t have places to eat lunch," she said. "We want this to be an open, welcoming environment for all students.”

Student Recreation Center opens wellness suite

‘More than just the classroom experience’

Sarah Mebane wishes she was able to utilize a space like the wellness suite while she was working toward her associate degree at Bakersfield College and her bachelor’s in kinesiology at CSUB.

“There wasn’t really a space that disconnected you and allowed you to focus on your personal well-being,” she said. “There are times where it would have been beneficial to me as a student to have that resource available.”

Mebane is now helping other students have the experience she didn't. Mebane, who will be starting a master’s program at CSUB this fall, has been working to get the wellness suite open ever since she was hired as the SRC’s student manager of wellness in 2021.

“Coming back from being so isolated and so separated, I really think this is absolutely needed,” she said. “[Students] need more than just the classroom experience — they need to feel a sense of belonging, a sense of community, and this is a great way to incorporate that into their education.”

Mebane is excited that students are finally able to use the wellness suite. She expects they will take full advantage of it once the fall semester gets going.

“I hope they’ll take a moment to come in here and be able to rejuvenate and relax,” she said. “It’s definitely important to have those micro-relaxation moments as a student. Everybody has different responsibilities in their life, including outside of school. I think having a dedicated space for people is really necessary for our mental well-being. It also makes us more successful in our academics as well.”

Mebane is looking forward to seeing how the wellness suite will grow in the future to provide even more help to students. She hopes to see the facility eventually provide some special programming, such as having guest speakers from the community come in to talk to students and hosting workshops centered on various types of emotional and physical wellness.

She also expects that the wellness coaching that starts this fall will be a great resource for students.

M believes the wellness suite as a whole will have a positive impact on students, both inside and outside the classroom.

“It’s really a great spot for students to start their journey with well-being and navigate out to other student affairs branches where they can get help in other areas,” she said. “We want to tie in all the different elements of student affairs and be able to help students navigate those resources so they can be more well college students.”