Small Business Spotlight, Purify RVA

I heard about Purify RVA from a friend who happened to be a client of the business and was so intrigued that I had to contact the owner, arrange a meeting to hear more about the business and experience a session for myself! Below are the details of this week’s Small Business Spotlight.

Tucked away in a quaint secluded corner suite at 5609 Patterson Avenue is Purify, a private infrared sauna and spa retreat brought to life by owner, Mary Woodbridge. The atmosphere couldn’t be more inviting as the well-designed space immediately captivates and calms your senses as soon as your enter. Woodbridge, a native of Fredericksburg and graduate of Virginia Tech, experienced her first infrared sauna session while visiting friends in Los Angeles over two years ago. Mary found the first infrared sauna she tried to be something very different than what she was used to and absolutely loved it- everything from the dry heat to the way the space was smoothly integrated into a health foods store encouraging shoppers to lead a healthy lifestyle from the inside-out. By the time she returned home, Mary was set on bringing the health and beauty benefits of infrared therapy to all her fellow Richmonders.

The dream of Purify infrared sauna retreat became a reality this past July and has since been offering clients a multitude of benefits. So how are these heated boxes any different from the smelly, steamy, ones at your local gym? Well, at Purify, the saunas use infrared light to penetrate and raise your internal body temperature in order to trigger sweating which alleviates your body of toxins (17 % more toxins than are released from regular saunas alone), chemicals and fat. It is suggested that “just one sauna session can produce the same cardiovascular results and calories burned as an hour of vigorous exercise, without the muscular pain or risk of injury”.

So after speaking and getting the low-down, I was psyched to experience my first infrared sauna session. We walked around the corner from the cozy lobby and again I was entranced, feeling like I had just checked into a weekend spa get-a-way. Sliding wood doors divide the sauna rooms into individual spaces for clients to detox, relax, restore, and enjoy their time in seclusion. Purify currently has four saunas: two that are for single clients and two that can hold up to three people. To be honest, I thought the single person saunas were PLENTY big for two people and the double occupancy saunas could easily fit three people comfortably! In each room clients are provided a large towel, a towel wrap, a smaller hand towel, and a cool cloth for afterwards. Since the saunas are separate and private, you can choose to wear whatever you’d like from a bathing suit, towel, gym clothes, etc throughout your session- if anyone knows me well you can guess what I chose- Birthday Suit City up in my sauna!

So you get suited (or unsuited) and you hop in the glass-encased sauna, choose your chromotherapy light color, and situate yourself for the next 40 minutes of relaxation. Now, I have a hard time entertaining myself with my thoughts for 40 minutes (shocking, but true) so it was awesome to be able to bring in magazines, papers, and my iPhone for music in. I have a friend who even took her laptop in to work the whole time! Going into the session I was skeptical of the benefits as I had a knotted up body that I thought only a masseuse could untangle, but after the session I was a full believer as I came out so relaxed and at the same time more energized than when I went in!

You can experience your retreat Monday- Friday 9am-8 pm and Saturday 10 am-5pm. Feel free to call them (804.573.9925) or check them out online, where you can book your appointment, follow along on Instagram and Facebook!

Also! Through the month of December, Purify is holding a special of 15% off all gift cards purchase- THINK HOLIDAY GIFTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Hint and wink to my husband)