Remissio Wellness

Meet Julie Rioux, the Massage Therapist Behind Remissio Wellness in North Bay

When you book at Remissio Wellness, you are walking into the practice Julie Rioux built. Julie is a Registered Massage Therapist and Certified Matrix Repatterning Practitioner who has treated clients in North Bay since graduating from Sutherland Chan in Toronto in 2004. She came north shortly after massage school, started working at Body Back in Motion within a couple of months, and has now called North Bay home for more than twenty years.

She will tell you she nearly left. In her mid twenties, North Bay felt slow compared to Toronto. Then she met her husband, whose family has deep roots in the area and who introduced her to more of the outdoors. She also joined what was then Women in Business, now the Business Women's Network. Friendships and business connections followed, and North Bay gradually began to feel like home.

Massage Therapy in North Bay Since 2004

After a year and a half at Body Back in Motion, Julie purchased Remissio, an established massage therapy business. She continued practising for several years before taking a break after getting married. Upon returning, she worked at various locations before joining chiropractor Dr. William Johnston, where her practice flourished. Treating six to eight clients daily, she was booked a year in advance with a lengthy waiting list. When Dr. Johnston sold his practice, Julie stayed another six months before deciding it was time for a change. Faced with the choice of opening a solo office or building a clinic, she chose the latter, bringing Remissio Wellness into its next chapter as a multidisciplinary clinic in 2018. She incorporated the business in 2024.

The name comes from Latin and means a return to a previous state. To Julie, it represents a return to wellness and the body's natural capacity for healing. The butterfly in the logo symbolizes the transformation that can happen along that journey, while its geometric design represents the practitioners working together under one roof.

Matrix Repatterning in North Bay

Matrix Repatterning is the work Julie is most passionate about, and it is the only approach to massage therapy she is currently accepting new clients for. Unlike traditional massage therapy, clients remain fully clothed while Julie uses gentle, precise pressure to assess and address areas of tension and restriction throughout the body. Her approach focuses on improving comfort, mobility, and overall physical function.

At Remissio, Matrix Repatterning is incorporated into Massage Therapy treatments within the scope of practice established by the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario. Initial appointments are 60 minutes, with follow up treatments typically lasting 45 or 30 minutes. Julie particularly enjoys working with clients experiencing persistent discomfort or mobility challenges, especially those who have explored other treatment options and are looking for a different approach to care.

Swedish Massage, BrainTap and Thermography in North Bay

Julie continues to provide Swedish Massage Therapy to her longstanding clients, many of whom have been with her for years. While she is no longer accepting new clients for this approach, she remains committed to the relationships and trust she has built throughout her career.

Julie's interest in exploring different approaches to wellness extends beyond massage therapy. Remissio offers BrainTap headsets for rental or purchase, combining guided audio with light and sound technology to support relaxation and stress management. The clinic also welcomes Thermography Clinic Niagara for scheduled visits, providing the community with access to thermographic imaging as an additional wellness service.

Proud of her French Canadian heritage, Julie also offers Massage Therapy in French, something especially meaningful in a community with strong francophone roots. About one in five of her clients is francophone, and she values being able to communicate with them in their preferred language, helping them feel comfortable, understood, and confident in their care.

What to Know Before You Book a Massage Therapist in North Bay

Julie's advice is to find practitioners who listen, respect your boundaries, and tailor their approach to your individual needs. As our bodies and health needs change over time, so too might the care we benefit from. She encourages clients to explore different approaches, ask questions, and build a team of healthcare professionals who support their overall wellbeing. Sometimes, trying something new can offer a fresh perspective on your health.

Julie also encourages clients to consider the role they play in their own wellbeing. Sometimes, meaningful changes begin with the basics: proper hydration, nutrition, movement, and strengthening. Through her own wellness journey over the past several years, Julie discovered that while stretching was important, building strength was equally essential. It's a lesson she shares with clients, encouraging them to look beyond treatment and consider the small, everyday choices that can support their overall health.

What Julie Hopes You Take Home From Remissio

Ask Julie what she wants clients to say about her, and it is not about the massage. She hopes you leave feeling calmer and more hopeful, with practical resources you can use in everyday life and a personalized plan that feels manageable, so you know your next steps.

A Shared Wellness Space for Practitioners in North Bay

Remissio has evolved into a shared professional space where independent health and wellness practitioners can grow their own businesses within a supportive environment. Julie describes her vision as “collaboration without obligation, autonomy without isolation,” offering practitioners the freedom to work independently while enjoying the benefits of a professional community. The clinic brings together Registered Massage Therapists Keith Kerr and Simon Teixeira, Reiki practitioner Tana Corbeil, and reflexologist Brittany Oliver, alongside visiting practitioners offering services such as naturopathy, psychotherapy, and holistic wellness. Alexis Hillier and naturopath Samantha VanDeWal also book the space on occasion.

Remissio is also becoming a space for learning, connection, and community. In person workshops include sound healing with Tana Corbeil and monthly gatherings Julie cohosts with Melissa Maltais, who works with PARO Centre for Women's Enterprise, offering women entrepreneurs in the health and wellness field a place to share ideas, ask questions, and support one another. Julie sees a growing desire for meaningful, face to face connections and hopes to continue developing workshops that reflect the interests and needs of the health and wellness community.

While Remissio's permanent treatment rooms are currently fully occupied, opportunities remain for independent health and wellness practitioners seeking flexible hourly or daily rentals. Those interested in joining the Remissio community can contact Julie at info@remissio.ca to learn more or arrange a viewing.

Beyond the Clinic: Julie's Outdoor Life Around North Bay

Julie calls herself a bit of an “outdoor princess.” She can rough it with the best of them, but she'd much rather have four walls and a flushing toilet at the end of the day. Her husband's family has an off grid cottage near Temagami, where they enjoy spending long weekends together. Closer to home, Julie enjoys yoga, rollerblading the local trails, attending live country music events with her two kids, and hitting the ski hills with her son, who snowboards. For Julie, getting outdoors, staying active, and spending time with family are some of her favourite ways to recharge.

A New Chapter: Wellness, Connection and Personal Growth

For Julie, the future of Remissio Wellness is about more than massage therapy. As the clinic continues to grow as a collaborative space for independent health and wellness practitioners, she's also expanding her passion for helping people beyond the treatment room. Her newest venture, Re.You Coaching, brings together her years of experience in healthcare, entrepreneurship, and personal development to support women who are ready to create meaningful change in their lives and businesses.

Through coaching, workshops, and speaking engagements, Julie hopes to encourage women to reconnect with themselves, explore new possibilities, and build lives and businesses that reflect what matters most to them. It's a natural evolution of the work she's been doing for more than two decades: helping people feel supported, empowered, and confident in their next steps.