Back Behind the Counter: José Ramón Bauzá Rediscovers His Pharmacy in Marratxí

Back Behind the Counter: José Ramón Bauzá Rediscovers His Pharmacy in Marratxí

In Pont d'Inca Nou the former president of the Balearic Islands has set up an elegant, daily-open pharmacy – with a focus on pediatric and natural medicine.

It is a warm morning in Pont d'Inca Nou. On the narrow Carrer de Son Frau, between magnolias and quiet villa driveways, neighbors open doors, a delivery van rumbles by, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee drifts from a café. There, hard to miss at number 2, José Ramón Bauzá has revived his pharmacy – not as a dusty relic, but as a modernized shop with a lounge atmosphere and a genuine local meeting point.

Returning to the pharmacy is not a dive into the past, but a return to a learned profession. Those who know Bauzá from the years he led the island government might not immediately expect upholstered armchairs in front of the display and a fit-out that more closely resembles a hotel reception. It's not a showroom, but intentional: the rooms are meant to de-stress, and customers should feel taken seriously. His wife, who works in interior design, has said she helped make the space friendly and full of light.

This pharmacy is a local employer: eleven people work there, and the shop is open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. For residents and commuters this is a practical offering – especially on days when many medical practices are closed. The focus is on natural remedies and pediatric pharmacology; anyone seeking homeopathic advice or special supplies for children will find competent contacts here.

Technically, Bauzá has invested as well. An automated dispensing system from the German brand Gollmann sorts and dispenses medicines quickly – a small luxury that saves time in everyday life. This mix of modern logistics and personal advice is exactly the kind of service appreciated in neighborhoods like Pont d'Inca Nou: efficient, reliable and with a human face, as highlighted in Palma's Quiet Favorites: Where Neighborhood Still Comes to the Table.

The step back into the daily life of the pharmacy does not mean Bauzá is withdrawing from the public sphere. He still sees his work as a service to people, only in a more direct way: to individual patients rather than to voters. In conversations with neighbors, older residents and families, people often remark above all on the friendliness and patient guidance – qualities that matter in a pharmacy just as much as professional competence.

For the island this is more than an anecdote. Small, well-run pharmacies maintain medical care and create local jobs; long opening hours relieve emergency services and provide security for holidaymakers as well as long-term residents, a topic explored in 35 new pharmacies in the Balearic Islands: Palma benefits — but is that really enough?.

That someone with public experience is re-engaging in community life also brings a friendly, down-to-earth tone to the neighborhood: people talk on the sidewalk, exchange recommendations, and the pharmacist becomes part of the daily routine, much like other local institutions remembered by residents, for example End of a Neighborhood Era: Can Comas on Aragón Street Closes After 29 Years.

The story is also a small reminder that career paths do not always have to be linear. For people who have experienced politics, returning to a hands-on profession can be a relief; for the community it brings pragmatic advantages. Pont d'Inca Nou gains a point of contact that is more than a shop: a place with advice, technology and long opening hours.

So if you soon stroll along the Carrer de Son Frau and see a bright display with plants, feel free to step inside. There is aspirin, toothpaste and lozenges – but also an atmosphere in which you are understood. And perhaps the nicest news is this: a man who has moved things politically now works again where he bears responsibility in everyday life – for patients, neighbors and the small community around his pharmacy.