By Debra Bokur, additional reporting by Tanya M. Williams
This small Western city puts a big emphasis on holistic health
For decades, Boulder, Colorado has been a destination for the health-minded – and here in the land of the perpetually fit, options for well-being abound. Tucked into the foothills at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Boulder has become a popular training ground for both amateur and professional athletes. The benefits of working out at a high altitude, combined with the ruggedly beautiful setting and nearly continuous sunshine, make it ideal for a variety of disciplines, including rock climbing, mountain biking, and running, as well as a full range of snow sports. Here are a few of our own favorite places.
Best Luxury Spa Treatment
At Tapestry IV Seasons there’s an elegant, uptown mood, enhanced by the availability of onsite treatments ranging from Botox to vascular laser sessions. The full-service menu also includes body treatments, massage, hair color and styling, manicures, and pedicures. Local athletes, especially runners and skiers, come here for the sixty-minute Cryogel Revitalizing Treatment for Active Legs, designed to stimulate circulation while energizing and revitalizing sore, tired muscles. Contact (303) 444-1294 or visit www.tapestry-ivseasons.com
Best Cultural Immersion
Wander the length of The Pearl Street Walking Mall through the center of downtown, and you’ll catch a glimpse of Boulder’s eclectic demographic. College students, street performers, and business people in sandals mix happily with aging hippies, international tourists, locals in cowboy boots, and nannies enjoying the sunshine with Boulder’s youngest. Coffee shops, art galleries, retail shops, bookstores, and restaurants line the streets. Be sure to stop in at the Art Mart, an artist’s cooperative with a fun selection of candles, pottery, fiber wares, and jewelry. Visit www.boulder.com
Best Holistic Spa
The hip, friendly staff at Wildflowers Salon & Spa offers therapies in a feng shui balanced space, and features eco-minded, Colorado-based product lines including Herbal Inclinations and Earth Mama Goods. Artist, hair designer, and owner Julie Hinshaw hand-blends herbal mud treatments, and has given an eclectically beautiful design touch to the themed treatment rooms (ask for the Sun Room or the Mystic Room). Hinshaw also showcases works by local artists and jewelry makers. Contact (303) 444-4234 or visit www.WildFlowerSpa.com
Best Rocky Mountain Deep Sea Experience
This is most definitely mountain country, but Essentiels Spa has a surprising sea-goddess themed décor and a soothing, peaceful blue-green space that will make you feel like Neptune’s most treasured daughter. The highly-trained, welcoming staff is skilled in Endermologie, Botox, Micropeel treatments, and Candela Laser Hair Removal. If the mountain air has left your skin dry, try the Seaweed Body Treatment, The Body Drench by Yon Ka, or The Mermaid Treatment by Phytomer. Massage therapies including pregnancy massage, Polarity, and manual lymphatic drainage are also available. Be sure to browse the spa’s shop for a whimsical wooden Rocky Mountain mermaid wall hanging to take home as a keepsake. Contact (303) 440-0711 or visit www.essentielsspa.com
Best Restaurant with an Atmosphere
Himalayas Restaurant, beneath street level on 14th Street, pays tribute to Boulder’s mountain theme with a menu of Indian and Nepalese Cuisine. Photographs of famous peaks decorate the walls of this plush, comfy space. The daily lunch buffet addresses even the heartiest appetite, and the staff offers only authentic fare. Slip into a booth and relax to the sound of Indian music while the scent of curry takes you away. Contact (303) 442-3230
Best Health Club
Smack in the middle of a busy shopping district, Pulse Fitness Center offers a number of yoga classes in traditions including ashtanga, hatha, Iyengar, Kundalini, and Kripalu.You can also choose from Pilates, Spinning, Tae Box, Power NIA, and Fitness Ball classes. The club’s R.I.O.T. program – Real Intense Outdoor Training – includes track and mountain bike training, as well as the 14’er Club. This mountain climbing group tackles a different 14,000-foot Colorado mountain peak each month. Contact (303) 447-8545 or visit www.boulderpulse.com
Best Place For a Really Great Stretch
Yoga training has long been a respected tradition here, and there are ongoing opportunities to train with resident and visiting master yogis at the many workshops and area studios. The Iyengar Yoga Center of Boulder offers classes and workshops for every level of practitioner, seven days a week in a wood-floored, easily accessed downtown location. Contact (303) 442-4048 or visit www.boulderyoga.com
Best Restaurant with a Conscious
Sunflower Restaurant is the ideal place to replenish yourself with a delicious – and organic – meal. Menu choices include creative vegetarian fare, free range poultry and game, and seafood selections. Try the always-inspired salad buffet with fresh soups. The restaurant is no longer one of the area’s best-kept secrets, however – so be sure to make reservations in advance. Contact (303) 440-0220
Best Retreat
If you can’t remember the last time you lazed away the afternoon in a hammock, it is time to visit Dripping Springs Inn. Located ten minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park, the inn is situated on the Big Thompson River just outside Estes Park, Colorado. With an adult-only B&B and private cabins that sleep as many as twelve, Dripping Springs is a favorite for both romantic respites and family reunions. Offering a riverside sauna, outdoor hot tubs, on-site massage, and even fly fishing, the inn provides ample opportunity to reconnect with nature. For the active, Rocky Mountain National Park boasts miles of trails for hiking and biking as well as picturesque spots for picnicking. Or, if relaxation is your raison d’etre, grab a book and head for the hammock. Contact (800) 432-7145 or visit www.drippingsprings.com
Best Spot for a Cup of Tea
When you’re ready for a break, stroll over to the Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse. Shipped piece by piece from its original location in Tajikistan in Central Asia, the building is a haven of glass, art, carved wood, and vividly decorated plaster panels. The ever-changing international menu features such dishes as Persian Tamarind Fish Kabobs and Burmese Coconut Curry – and a dazzling selection of teas from around the world that includes black, green, red, Puerh, herbal, white, and rare blends. You’ll have to choose from hundreds, many with such magical-sounding names as Golden Monkey, Sunshine Dragon, Snow Blossom, and Jasmine Phoenix Pearls. Outdoor seating in the resplendent rose garden is available seasonally. Contact (303) 442-4993 or visit www.boulderteahouse.com
Best Free Activity
Lace up your walking shoes and join the outdoor-loving Boulderites in a walk, cycle, or run up the path that winds along Boulder Creek into the canyon. Pick up the path off Canyon Boulevard behind the Public Library and follow it along the cliffs beside the tumbling, rushing stream. Take a break in the shade of an aspen and watch the locals as they shimmy up the sheer rock walls. The path is open year-round, and is the ideal place to fill your lungs with clear mountain air. Visit www.boulder.com
September/October 2003
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