Today we’d like to introduce you to Alexa Hulsey.
Hi Alexa, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
From a young age, I always knew I wanted a career centered around helping people. In my early working life I explored more conventional helping fields—social work, education, nonprofit management—but none of them ever felt quite like the right fit. I felt called to pursue medicine, but I also have a strong independent streak and couldn’t picture myself in a traditional healthcare setting. So I started exploring complementary medical professions and quickly landed on acupuncture. It felt like the perfect path—it’s a safe, time-tested, effective form of medicine, and just outside the mainstream enough to satisfy my desire for a slightly unconventional career.
I made that choice about 25 years ago, and I’m so glad I did. Early in my career, I treated patients in a one-on-one, private room setting, which is how many acupuncturists practice in the U.S. I loved the work, but I became increasingly frustrated because many patients simply couldn’t afford the high price of private treatments. Since most insurance doesn’t cover acupuncture, a huge majority of patients pay out of pocket. Many of my patients just didn’t have the financial resources to keep up with regular treatments—and even more people couldn’t afford to get started at all.
So in 2010, I opened a community acupuncture clinic. The idea actually returns acupuncture to a much more traditional model of care, similar to how it has been practiced in Asia for centuries—in groups. At Encircle Acupuncture, patients are treated in a large, peaceful community room. This allows our practitioners to care for multiple patients each hour, which means we can charge far less for treatment. We use a sliding scale pricing model, so patients pay between $25–$50 per treatment, and it’s always up to the patient to decide what to pay along the scale.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The first challenge is that I opened a business with absolutely no experience running a business. I knew how to treat patients, but I had to learn everything else about entrepreneurship on the fly, and often through trial and error.
As the clinic grew, new challenges came with it. I had to learn the technical aspects of owning a business, like hiring and managing staff, but also the more human side of leadership, like how to support my team and create meaningful, sustainable jobs.
Since opening, we’ve also gone through a move, a rebrand (our original name was East Nashville Community Acupuncture), expansion to two locations, tornado damage, flooding, ups and downs in the economy, and a pandemic. It’s been a lot! While those moments have definitely been stressful—and sometimes brought real uncertainty and hardship—they always bring me back to the core of why I started this work in the first place: providing affordable, accessible healthcare for everyone.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Encircle Acupuncture provides acupuncture in a peaceful community setting on a sliding scale of $25–$50 per treatment. We believe everyone deserves access to healthcare, and we work to create a safe, inclusive, and respectful space where all are welcome. We also try to be there when people need us most, which is why we offer extended hours—including evenings and weekends—with two convenient locations in East Nashville and Bellevue.
What really sets Encircle apart is our focus on affordability and accessibility. Acupuncture is a powerful form of medicine—but only if people can actually afford to use it. At Encircle, we truly believe the world would be a better place if everyone received acupuncture. It can help with so many conditions: pain, stress and anxiety, depression, allergies, hormonal issues, fertility challenges, digestive problems, skin conditions, and more. But acupuncture works best when people can come regularly, which is why our sliding scale pricing exists—so patients can receive the care they need as often as they need it.
Our community treatment room is also incredibly calm and welcoming. If you’ve never experienced it before, it might sound unusual to receive treatment in a room with other people, but that shared space is actually part of what makes community acupuncture so special. Think about going to a yoga or exercise class instead of working out alone at home—you often get more out of the experience because other people are there alongside you, working toward the same goal.
Something similar happens in our treatment room. People rest, nap, and heal quietly together. It creates a peaceful energy that’s hard to describe—but once you experience it, it feels truly magical.
As a business owner, it’s been incredibly gratifying to serve our community for the past 15 years and to know we’ve helped tens of thousands of patients find relief and healing with the simple tools of needles, rest, and stillness. That’s something I’ll never take for granted.
What’s next?
At Encircle, we’re always looking for ways to help more people and expand awareness of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Last year we launched a new targeted therapy for allergies called SAAT (Soliman’s Auricular Allergy Treatment). SAAT is deceptively simple—it involves placing a tiny semi-permanent needle on the ear that stays in place for about three weeks—but it can be remarkably effective. The treatment works by helping retrain the body not to react to a substance that is actually harmless. It can help with many types of allergies, including environmental, food, and pet allergies. It’s also one of the few treatments that can address alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne allergy that has become increasingly common in our region. Here in Middle Tennessee, it seems like almost everyone struggles with allergies, so it’s exciting to be able to offer something new that can help.
This year we’ll be adding a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) consultation service, for individuals wanting a deeper understanding of the TCM perspective on their specific health issues, and more guidance on steps they can take to support their health. We’re also looking forward to offering more patient education through workshops and community lectures. Acupuncture is just one part of the larger system of TCM, which includes many tools to help people maintain their health. Our practitioners at Encircle have a lot of knowledge and experience to share about nutrition, herbal medicine, and other simple but powerful self-care practices. We already have a few events in the works that we’re excited to roll out over the coming year.
On a personal level, I’ve reached a stage in my career where I feel a strong pull to give back and help guide the next generation of practitioners. I’m honored to be teaching courses in TCM Theory and Diagnostics at the European Institute of Integrative Health Sciences. Teaching has deepened my respect and love for this medicine, and I’m excited to see where that path leads in the coming years.
Pricing:
- New patient visit (consultation and treatment): $50
- Return visits: $25-$50 sliding scale
- SAAT allergy treatment: $250
Contact Info:
- Website: https://encircleacupuncture.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/encircleacupuncture/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/encircleacupuncture/
