By Clare Sherman —
At a commuter-heavy campus, where balancing classes, work, and personal life feels impossible, taking the time to destress is certainly a challenge. The Regional Wellness Studio offers a quiet place to recharge, but it’s also a resource dedicated to making personal well-being more accessible and present in everyday life. Since its opening, the wellness studio has become a space of self-care and connection, or as one student put it, a place that feels like you can put your feet up on the coffee table and no one will care.
The Regional Wellness Studio, located in the Hamilton Campus Gymnasium, is a community-oriented space dedicated to supporting the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of Miami students and faculty. With comfortable couches and chairs, a self-serve coffee and hot chocolate station–and a “take what you need” wall containing free hygiene supplies–the studio’s atmosphere makes one feel included and at ease. A multitude of crafting activities, like crochet and scrapbooking, are available for use, as well as fidget toys, puzzles, and card games. Students drop in to chat, paint, nap, or join free wellness events.
Going back to the initial stages of the wellness studio, Senior Director of Clinical Services Claire Ruberg and a student intern brainstormed what inclusions would make the space a reprieve from classes and work. According to Claire, having a student perspective was crucial to connecting with how the student body needed to destress, and ideas often started with Claire asking, “You’re a student, what would you like?” The Hamilton Community Foundation funded the building stage and continuously supports current operations. The thoughtful planning of the Wellness Studio reflected a deeper reality: in the initial years after the COVID-19 pandemic, many students and faculty needed a place to reconnect with themselves.
Miami Regionals has always excelled in providing readily available counseling services; however, when people returned to normal routines post-pandemic, the wellness of students and faculty needed extra attention. According to Claire Ruberg, the Regional Wellness Studio was created to bridge the gap between levels of wellness care. Not everyone needs counseling services when they feel mentally unwell, and the Wellness Studio presented a resource that teaches people stress reduction techniques for everyday life.
The Miami University Oxford campus opened its own wellness center in 2023, and its success inspired faculty to build a regional version. “Our regional students are busy,” says Claire, “The average student is taking classes, working a job, trying to get involved, and doesn’t have time for big chunks of wellness.” With a come-and-go space and flexible hours, commuter students have the opportunity to build a community around wellness engagement. Even just starting a conversation around “How are you taking care of yourself?” can begin bringing wellness into someone’s life.
When the Regional Wellness Studio opened in October 2024, over 70 people attended the opening party in a stunning turnout. Along with MUH faculty’s enthusiastic recommendations for students to check out the space, this moment confirmed for Claire Ruberg that the Wellness Studio would thrive. Since then, student engagement has steadily increased, with student visits for the current semester already rivaling numbers from last spring. Recent events include “Bae-goals and Bagels,” where bagels were available for students alongside healthy relationship tips, and “Hydrate and Create,” which featured a spread of craft supplies for personalized water bottle activities.
Regional Wellness Studio Coordinator Morgan Ramsey plans the events so students can drop in and work at their own pace. Constantly updating the events and space through student suggestions, Morgan noted, “I love getting ideas from students. I want people to be excited about the events.” Unsurprisingly, students yearn for longer hours, a goal that Claire and Morgan are trying to make a reality. Movie nights, community dinners, and dog therapy are other notable goals that the Wellness Studio is working towards. “We’re always in a building phase,” Claire explained.
Besides planning events and brainstorming new ideas with students, Morgan Ramsey also monitors the space on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Witnessing the growing community at the Wellness Studio has solidified for Morgan the positive impact it has on campus. She noted that students use the space to unplug more than anything, by keeping their schoolbags closed, their phones off, and relishing in the stress-free environment. Returning studio users build connections, making friendships that continue outside the space. Such a thriving community confirms the student need for an accessible, wellness-oriented environment.
While a post-COVID world brought rampant stress and anxiety for all ages, it also created intimidating ideas of wellness. People were increasingly turning to social media for inspiration and entertainment, but they were also seeing curated forms of wellness, like pristine kitchens and expensive bath bomb collections. The Wellness Studio sought to reverse the pressure of doing wellness a specific way with approachability. A core value that studio faculty believe in is that wellness looks different for everyone, whether that be a workout class, a crochet session, or something as simple as a crafting exercise. Whatever it may be, the Wellness Studio aims to be the place where students can ask, “What does it mean for me to be well?”
As the Regional Wellness Studio continues to grow, so will its impact. The Regional Wellness Studio has become a space that feels personal and collective. Whether it’s through hanging out with friends or trying a hands-on craft, students can build a community by taking care of themselves. For Claire Ruberg, the intention is simple: that people feel comfortable bringing all of their authentic parts, and take away a sense of how they want to take care of those parts.
To learn more about the Regional Wellness Studio, please visit their website.