Acupuncture festival offers treatments in the open

Sarasota Community Acupunture is having a festival in Towles Court this Saturday to celebrate its one-year anniversary. Music, food and herbal teas are free. The treatments, a form of Chinese medicine that involves inserting thin needles at certain points on your body, are offered on a sliding scale based on your income, starting at $25 for a first-time visit. Saturday’s proceeds will be donated to the local public radio station, WSLR 96.5.

An unusual thing about the center is that people are treated on recliners in an open room, as opposed to in private. The group setting is more beneficial, co-owner Gene Burgess said in a release about the event

“Treating patients in a community setting has many benefits,” Burgess said. “It’s easy for friends and family members to come in for treatment together. Many patients find it comforting, and a collective energetic field becomes established which actually makes individual treatments more powerful.”

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 200 South Washington Boulevard, Suite 1.