A new wellness facility dedicated to helping people navigate the transitional periods of their life is now open in Aurora.

The Denver Village, 2513 Elmira St., is hosting a variety of wellness and fitness options to help guide people through tough times in their lives. It opened last month.

In addition to yoga classes with a focus on pre and postnatal practices, the Denver Village also offers an apothecary, lactation support groups, reiki, pelvic floor therapy, and more.

Denver has long been the site of interesting and innovative wellness practices. Sound baths, forest bathing, beer-soaked spas, various kinds of breathwork, and other classes can all be found in the Denver area.

The city’s wellness offerings come from its history as a health destination in the United States. Doctors believed the dry climate and high altitude helped to treat respiratory illnesses such as tuberculosis in the late 1800s, according to Denverhealth.org. Now, the city of Denver continues to be a site that is pioneering new health initiatives.

“We’re trying to help people who are seeking more connection and more support,” said Meredith Cole, the founder of the Denver Village.

Cole believes there is still more to be desired from the city, specifically in terms of wellness related to motherhood. Many of the Denver Village’s classes are designed for pregnant women or postpartum mothers.

Cole first had the idea to start a wellness complex when she gave birth to her second child.

“It was the beginning of the pandemic, and I did not have any support, and it just felt much more overwhelming,” Cole said.

She remembered how helpful pre and postnatal yoga classes were after the birth of her first child, and wanted to recreate that kind of help for her community in Denver and Aurora. A couple of years after giving birth to her second child, she decided it was time to build the Denver Village, in order to create “full 360 degree support for wherever somebody is,” Cole said.

As health and wellness practices have taken off on social media, the space has become increasingly popular with consumers. In the United States, the wellness industry is worth approximately $2 trillion, according to the Global Wellness Institute. 

TikTok videos of early risers swishing coconut oil around their mouths and using vibrating plates to stimulate lymphatic drainage have taken over users’ explore pages. Taking care of the body has become a kind of cultural currency: a way to show you have the most resources and the knowledge of what’s popular. 

However, Cole hopes that the Denver Village will be able to help clients in a new and unique way with its holistic approach to wellness.

“I think when someone is struggling, it’s never a simple one-source answer. Maybe yoga helps calm their mind, but maybe they also need physical therapy to physically help with their body,” Cole said.

The Denver Village is now open for bookings on its website online.