Cereset, a Scottsdale, Arizona-based wellness company that uses a BrainEcho technology to help its clients manage stress and achieve restful sleep, has opened its first North Idaho franchise location at 1110 W. Park Place, in Coeur d’Alene. 

Linda and Gino Agostinelli, co-owners of GA Massage and Fitness Inc., are the franchisees for the new location, which opened in March. 

Linda Agostinelli says the couple is leasing the 600-square-foot space, which includes a reception room, a private session room with windows to the outside, as well as office and storage space, from Coeur d’Alene-based Parkwood Business Properties.

“Our massage business is still in operation, but at some point, we’ll be transitioning to working full time at Cereset,” she says. 

So far, the Agostinellis are the company’s only employees, although they hope to eventually hire one or two more technologists. 

“It’d be nice to have another technologist or two to give our potential clients more scheduling options,” she says. “This technology is amazing, and we’re excited to be able to offer it to our community.”

Prior to opening Cereset, Gino Agostinelli was a licensed medical massage practitioner for over 30 years, starting in the Chicago area and moving to Spokane in 1995. He has practiced massage in Spokane Valley, Post Falls, and Coeur d’Alene areas for the past 25 years. 

Agostinelli says she and her husband both trained to become Cereset technicians online and at the company’s headquarters in Scottsdale.

 “We really feel committed to helping people feel better, and when we heard about this technology, we were fascinated,” she says. “Gino is looking to slow down hands-on, massage business, and this seemed like an excellent chance to serve people in a different way.”

Agostinelli says Cereset uses non-invasive BrainEcho technology, which works by using sensors placed on a client’s scalp to detect brain rhythms. The rhythms are echoed as audio tones and played back to the client via headphones.

While the client relaxes, the brain “hears” those tones and uses them to repair and re-balance itself back into healthier, more relaxed rhythms using a process called neuroplasticity. 

“Cereset is basically a tool that helps the brain to relax and reset itself, with the biggest benefit being through enabling a restful sleep,” she says. “We’re not a medical service, but this technology has been known to help with sleep, anxiety, and even conditions like PTSD.”