Mike Nichols of Sootheze Therapy Products: A Hug from Red Bluff to You

Spring is upon us and with warmer temperatures and longer days there are sure to be more celebrations ahead—baby showers, bridal showers and birthdays, to name a few. Have you considered an adorable plush, weighted and aromatic animal or a weighted blanket for a gift? It is no longer an assumption that these products are only for people with diagnosable disorders—all people desire to feel comforted and secure. Giving these soothing items to your loved ones is essentially giving them a hug, over and over.

Inspired by his work as a caregiver, Mike Nichols developed a line of irresistible weighted stuffed animals to help ease anxiety and provide comfort.

Sootheze products bring comfort by appealing to the senses

Red Bluff’s Mike Nichols, CEO and owner of Sootheze Therapy Products, has long been a caregiver. “People and the desire to help and heal have always been my passion,” Mike says. Sootheze products have been the avenue for Mike to bring comfort to people on a worldwide scale through irresistible plush animals stuffed with a weighty blend of flaxseed and 10 all-natural herbs. The products ease anxiety by appealing to several of our senses. Depending on your needs, these “soothers” can be heated in the microwave or cooled in the freezer. These ingenious products have moved us beyond the days of hot bricks and hot water bottles into a much more convenient and cuddlier experience.

Sootheze products born from a desire to help others

Tehama County residents are famous for their love of animals, so it is fitting that Mike started his friendly and soothing stuffed animal business here. Originally from the bay area, Mike visited friends often in Red Bluff and then finally bought his home there in 2002. With his degree in psychology from Cal Berkeley and his desire to help others, Mike volunteered as a crisis intervention and suicide prevention counselor and worked in construction to, as he put it, “pay off his hefty tuition.”

Soon, Mike was able to fully follow his passion to help people when the opportunity came to partner with an old friend and family member, Harry Nizamian. Harry was known as the father of Garfield as he had been the one to bring a plush Garfield to market in addition to a plush Snoopy. Harry’s new line of aromatic and therapeutic weighted animals was being sold in spas and gift shops, but Mike had the vision for a new niche. Mike spoke with therapists and counselors at a time when awareness of autism, ADHD, anxiety and sleeplessness was on the rise. In 2015, Mike and Harry launched Sootheze Therapy Products. Mike says, “We attended many professional conferences including the National Play Therapy Association, American Counseling Association and the Preschool, Kindergarten and 1st Grade conference, among many others. We were able to develop a nice following and very loyal customer base.”

Mailee and Stella cuddle their favorite Sootheze stuffed animals at Dandy Lions in Red Bluff.

Supply chain challenges spurs innovative thinking

The strain on the supply chain during COVID brought new challenges to the company. “It was a tough time,” Mike says. “Especially since I would receive many emails from customers asking for their favorite Sootheze animal and I didn’t have it to give them. Through the years, many therapists and counselors would use our products in their school and in their practice to help ground and soothe their clients and students and they would recommend us to their parents for a way to bring the therapy home. When we couldn’t deliver, it was a very sad time. In the face of potential failure, I decided to switch gears and offer some complimentary products in the educational and therapeutic field to help us get our feet back on the ground and rebuild so we could bring back all the favorites and serve our customers as they had been accustomed to.”

Sootheze products provide relief for anxiety-related symptoms

The feedback from clinical therapists, parents, the elderly and even college students has been very encouraging. Parents have reported that Sootheze animals make bedtime easier and offer an ingenious way to transition away from pacifiers. Therapists report that the weighted products help with restlessness, anxiousness, insomnia, autism spectrum disorder, sensory input disorder, ADHD, PTSD and more. One therapist who works with survivors of trauma had a teen girl fall asleep holding a “Drooper Sr.” (a heatable, weighted, scented plush dog) while waiting for her mom to finish a parent consultation.

“As a mom of twins on the spectrum and a professional who works with children with disabilities, I have seen many sensory products throughout the years. I can say without hesitation that the Sootheze products are of the highest quality and I would recommend them to anyone—parent or professional,” wrote Josephine Blagrave, director of Chico State Autism Clinic. “My boys currently can’t stop playing jungle with the tiger and panda which provide a ton of sensory feedback as they wrestle with them. They have also been great for weighted calming while in the car and at night during bedtime routines. Sootheze has a client for life with our family. Thank you for making such quality products with caring.”

Helping and healing is challenging and rewarding for Mike Nichols

Mike feels so fortunate to send out comfort and healing to people worldwide from his home base in Northern California. “The human body and mind are the most interesting things to me,” Mike shares. “I love to learn about people and to meet people. The human connection and hearing people’s stories are the best. Helping and healing are the things that bring me the most joy and fulfillment. I was privileged to be a caregiver for both my father and mother until their passing a few years ago. Although challenging, those were the most rewarding years of my life.”

The loss of Mike’s parents, and then also losing Harry last year, has made Mike even more sympathetic to the needs of his customers—nothing could be more rewarding than to keep offering them comfort and joy in a cuddly package. Locals can find Sootheze Therapy Products at Dandy Lion Children’s Shop in Red Bluff. Everyone can find that special “hug” by visiting the Sootheze website.