Dr. Matt Gilbertson stands in front of the still-unfinished entrance to Downtown Health and Wellness. It faces the new extension of Sixth Street on the north side of Center Avenue.(Photos/Nancy Hanson.)

Dr. Matt Lau

Dr. Matt Gilbertson

Downtown Health and Wellness, formerly Downtown Chiropractic and Massage, has moved into its new quarters at 22 Sixth St. N.

Nancy Edmonds Hanson 

Downtown Chiropractic has entered new territory with its move last week to the handsome four-story building rising above Center Avenue: A new address, new services, a new name, and – most of all – an expanded, holistic focus on health and wellness.

“We’re broadening our emphasis,” says Dr. Matt Lau, who has been practicing in the now-defunct Moorhead Center Mall for 15 years, along with Dr. Matt Gilbertson. “Chiropractic care and massage continue to be our main areas. But we’re adding other services to help people live an overall healthy life, both physically and mentally.”

Downtown Health and Wellness occupies part of the street level of the 650 Block, one of two mixed-use buildings developed by architect Kevin Bartram on what once was the mall’s east parking lot. It’s the first of three complementary businesses established by the two chiropractors. The rest of the ground floor fronting along Center Avenue will host The Forge, a new fitness facility, and Oasis Spa, the two doctors’ planned site for therapeutic bodywork, skin care and energy healing services. Those are expected to open this fall.

Chiropractic patients now see the doctors in treatment rooms near their new front entrance at 22 Sixth St. N. Along with the treatments for which their practice has long been known – chiropractic adjustments for patients of all ages and, more recently, massage therapy to loosen tight muscles, knots and muscle spasms, allowing for easier and more effective adjustments. They have added several other advanced modalities as well, including shockwave therapy and electronic stimulation.

As the practice settles in, other professionals will be coming on board, including a dietitian, physical therapists and a naturopath

Licensed clinical therapist Sheridan Averson has joined the doctors, offering mental health counseling and therapy. “I wanted to join forces because research has shown that the brain and body influence each other,” she says. “That’s why a whole-body approach works better for people with physical and mental health issues, instead of just focusing on one facet.”

“A patient who is not healthy mentally is harder for us to help physically,” Gilbertson continues. “The relief we offer may be temporary.”

Lau adds, “Stress and anxiety affect us physically. When they’re part of the picture, we as chiropractors are working only on the symptoms. By adding attention to mental health to the services we offer, we can treat the causes.”

Though Downtown Health and Wellness’s new entrance is only a few hundred yards southeast of where patients used to find the doctors in the mall, locating the new address — 22 Sixth St. N. – can be a bit of a challenge right now: Its doors are just north of Center Avenue, flanking the area where the extension of Sixth Street is currently being carved out. Though construction equipment and crews still swarm the area by day, the west-facing entrance just north of Center Avenue is clearly marked.

Lau and Gilbertson’s move closes a chapter of history at the Center Mall. The original firm that became today’s Downtown Chiropractic, Dr. Roger Larum’s practice, was the very first business to occupy the mall. It opened even before the mall officially opened its doors 53 years ago.

Now the venerable practice is making history again as one of the last to depart. Lau and Gilbertson’s move July 30 left only one in that once-booming business center, Bob Grantham. Known as Bob the Barber, he continues to cut hair in the space

Drs. Matt Gilbertson and Matt Lau moved into their brand new quarters last week in the first commercial building to emerge in Moorhead’s downtown redevelopment. Sharon’s Hair and Massage departed earlier this spring. Only His Styling Salon remains, where Bob the Barber – Bob Grantham – continues to cut clients’ hair, awaiting space in the FM Center across the street.

Downtown Health and Wellness is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. More information is online at https://moorheadchiro.com.