Ahhh… Frazzled Port Orchard citizens can now relax. Literally. A new spa is in town to pamper them up, give their bodies that pleasant weightless feeling, and treat them like kings and queens — at least for the hour or so they spend at the newly opened Bodiwerks Day Spa & Massage.

And if that thought is not euphoric enough, how about an added bonus for visiting the spa: It is located in the formerly very ugly building on Bethel Road that housed the scuba shop.

Judging by the cheers and encouragement owner Megan Caddy, LMP, got while she remodeled the building, Bodiwerks couldn’t open doors fast enough. Remodeling, of course, is an understatement. The building was just about gutted, with new plumbing, drainage and other extensive improvements.

Caddy was working long shifts in mid-September to get ready for the opening at the end of the month. Even on limited amount of sleep and physically exhausted, she was very excited about the times ahead, and about the rebirth of the building.

“It was such an ugly eyesore for years,” she said. “Every time I drove by it, I thought why doesn’t someone just fix it up.” That she would be that someone she had no idea at the time. But when the for sale sign went up and she learned about the bargain price, Caddy, who wasn’t a newby to refurbished buildings, snatched the deal. After all, she had been commuting to her Seattle spa while living in Port Orchard for a few years, and her year-old Mile Hill location was only conducive to limited services like massage therapy.

“I thought, I could fix it up and make it look really nice,” she said about her decision to buy the building, which turned out to have some structural integrity problems that she had to address. “I came up with the design right away, then hired an architect to put it on paper.”

The 1,500-square-foot design includes five treatment rooms, a spa jet tub for two, steamshower, dry sauna, a wet room, as well as a staff room, and is wheelchair accessible. Five other therapists including a man, and an aesthetician will comprise the crew, which will be set up in a coop-style that Caddy has used at her Seattle spa; a reflexologist will also offer services. Clients will indulge in complimentary tea and other little treats. The focus is on holistic, relaxation and casual atmosphere rather than beauty-oriented, she said. Several packages will be offered, including “Partners in Paradise” for couples, and some insurance plans will be accepted.

Caddy said it’s all about taking care of yourself — and she speaks from experience. For 20 years, she did heavy construction work including demanding physical labor for 12 years for Seattle City Light. She recalls being severely injured during her career, as well as working 37 hours straight in the Kitsap area during the snowstorm a few years ago. Through necessity, she got introduced to physical therapy and massage — and after a friend went to training for it, Caddy followed suit five years later. Eight months out of school, she opened Bodiwerks in Seattle in 2000, after working out of her home for a while.

As a former Bainbridge Island high school graduate and now a Kitsap resident, she looks forward to her new venture in her community. “The people I’ve met so far are really excited to have a service like this in Port Orchard,” she said.

And then, there is that promise of being king or queen, even if for a seemingly fleeting moment.