ZIVEL Performance & Recovery, a new health and stress management spa, held the grand opening for its Katy area location Sunday afternoon from 1-6 p.m. The event included tours of the spa and a chance to meet ZIVEL cofounder, Brian “Head” Welch of the nu-metal band Korn and franchisee Daniel Salce and his family, who run the relaxation therapy center.

“I’m a huge believer in taking care of the client – making them feel at home,” Salce said. “And you know, being family-run, we have that luxury. Every one of us, all four of us, care deeply for this facility and the people that come in here, we want to see succeed, so we’re going to treat everyone like family.”

ZIVEL is located at 9727 Spring Green Blvd. and offers a variety of spa services researched by Welch’s business partner, Dr. Matt O’Neill who specializes in physical therapy. ZIVEL services include floatation therapy, infrared saunas, cryotherapy and an oxygen bar, all of which were researched by O’Neill with a focus on stress reduction, speeding up recovery from injuries and helping in overall wellness, Salce said. O’Neill’s research shows therapies offered by ZIVEL can help patients not only manage stress but recover more quickly from physical ailments, but also improve general health, Salce said.

The therapies located at ZIVEL make it a one-stop location for those seeking relaxation services, Salce said. Some clients find they can touch their toes for the first time in years while others use the spa’s services to help them focus after therapy or to recover from practice at various sports while mentally digesting what they learned in practice.

It also offers a chance to schedule self-care, Welch said.

“It’s like being accountable to yourself, you know,” Welch said. “Giving yourself what you need that usually, we don’t allow ourselves. So, (when) you book the appointment, you’re actually scheduling something for yourself.”

Welch said he knows about self-maintenance. In 2005, Welch left Korn because he wanted to focus on being a good father and husband. His daughter, Jennea Welch, had been born in 1998. From the time of his daughter’s birth through what he thought was his permanent departure from the band, Welch was constantly on tour and had continued to drink – a habit he said he’d had since high school – and had gotten into other drugs. Add to that the other activities backstage at rock shows and the depression he was dealing with at the time.

“Yeah, so I got to the rock bottom,” Welch said. “And, you know, I was suicidal. I thought my daughter and my family would be better off without me and all these lies I was (telling myself and) believing.”

During his time away from the band though, Welch focused on his family and recovery from his addictions, with the biggest help coming from his eventual discovery of his Christian faith, he said. He’d been raised Christian but hadn’t found faith until he applied it while he was away from Korn.

“That’s a real thing when Christ comes in and lives inside of you,” Welch said. “And if you don’t feed it, it won’t become real and active in your life. (Jesus) won’t show himself – but if you start to feed that faith, your life will change dramatically.”

Welch went to a Korn concert in 2013 with his daughter, Jennea. He played one song with them that night and after the band saw how his overall health and mindset had improved, they forgave him for walking away and asked him to rejoin the band, he said. A few months later, he accepted after gaining assurance he could continue to work with his project band, Love and Death.

While touring with Korn, Welch met O’Neill who had come along as the band’s physical therapist. Welch heard O’Neill talking to a member of the crew about the concept for ZIVEL and wanted in on setting up the business. He said he hopes that, through ZIVEL, he can help others recover from the stresses of life and maintain themselves in a way that makes them better people.

Salce agreed and said that, as the local owners of ZIVEL, he and his family are excited to bring a unique business to the area with a focus on improving lives in their hometown. Daniel is a graduate of Katy High School and both of his daughters, Rain and Raven, are graduates of Taylor High School.

Salce said he and his family became interested in working with Welch after a screening of “Loud Krazy Love,” a documentary about Welch’s addiction recovery and road to faith. He had reached out regarding a partnership with Welch on other projects and eventually a ZIVEL franchise agreement was set up. The Salces’ goal, like Welch’s, was to form a business that would make people’s lives better.

“We just want to help people,” Salce said. “This is our ministry. This is where we love spending our time. That’s why we wake up in the morning to get here – so we can see people when they walk out of these (floatation therapy) pods … in relief.”