Q: What has been your favorite way to practice self-care at home during quarantine?

Debbie: I've been detoxing at home with a detox foot bath of epsom salt, baking soda & my favorite essential oils. Plus, I am loving DIY facial steams with lemon peels to cleanse & brighten my skin.

Debbie’s Detox Foot Bath Recipe

1.5 cups epsom salt

1 cup baking soda

10 drops of your favorite essential oils

Fill a small tub with warm water, add all ingredients & soak feet for 25 minutes.

Tana: My favorite way to practice self-care is to do DIY projects at home. I feel that my surroundings are SO important and play a role in your overall happiness. Since I'm at home all day now I find little projects to do around the house to liven things up. Right now I'm making a bench out of an old coffee table!

Erinn: I've been taking some 'me' time and enjoying a magnesium salt bath once a week to help promote relaxation and muscle recovery after practicing yoga and running up-and-down the stairs in my apartment building!

Live Stream yoga classes from our favorite Philly studios

Teranga Yoga

Philly Power Yoga & Thrive Pilates

Mind Over Matter

Lumos Yoga & Barre

Priya Hot Yoga

Ashleigh: Movement & meditation have been key for me! I've been taking walks outside with my mom daily, creating Tik Tok dances with my brother (I'm certainly not ashamed to hop on the latest & greatest trend) & IG live workouts. The workouts are so accessible & they're quick which I really like. I'm also using the Wave mediation app for guided meditations to the beat of music. So zen!

MOM | MAMA | MOMMY | MADRE | MOTHER | MA

We’ve taken all the guess work out of gifting for mom and put together a list of all of our favorite self-care items your mom needs to show herself a little love this year! Gift an individual item or pair a few things together to be sure she is absolutely taken care of and set up for a stress free May. Either way, we will take care of the wrapping and be sure mom feels extra special this year.

Don’t see something for mom here? Be sure to check out the rest of our shop here!

The Energize Smoothie

So we’re all at home and probably getting really tired of our same morning smoothie recipe. This is our take on our Energize smoothie! Green, packed with vitamins and minerals with a little tropical twist.

Pineapple is quite the fruit! It is packed with vitamin C to help support our immune systems. The yellow tropical fruit is filled with digestive enzymes called Bromelain. This specific digestive enzymes helps to break down protein molecules into amino acids so that our body can absorb them and use them properly. Amino acids are required for so many functions within the body like tissue repair, muscle growth and immunity.

Enjoy the blend and don’t forget to take a snap & share your sips with us on IG @wellnessrefineryphl

Happy blending!

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Tropical Green Smoothie

1 cup frozen pineapple

1/2 banana

1/2 cup spinach

3 tbsp hemp seeds

4-6 oz of coconut water (depending on desired thickness)

1. Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth

1. If your smoothie is not blending properly, add more coconut water to blend with ease.

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Originally posted by Elle Levi on She Comes To Life Blog

If you’re due for some self-care, you came to the right place! This past Friday my friend Ryann & I spent our morning at The Wellness Refinery in Olde City, Philadelphia. Let’s just start by saying this place is SO stinkin’ cute and 100% Instagram-worthy!

As soon as you walk inside you’ll notice the Tonic Bar where you can order lattes and smoothies fortified with adaptogenic herbs, healing mushrooms and superfoods to enhance your overall functioning.

After a stressful week, I was so excited to check out the Infrared Sauna. An infrared sauna is a dry heat sauna that doesn’t use steam. It’s much more sustainable for you to stay in longer. It’s different from any other dry heat sauna because it has infrared lights to heat the cabin which mimics the infrared light waves from the sun. Our bodies absorb those light waves to reach our cells and help them regenerate.

Some benefits of using the infrared sauna are muscle pain relief, detoxification, stress reduction, restful sleep, weight loss, immunity-boosting & skin purification.

The infrared sauna also uses chromotherapy light to stimulate the senses, the body, and the mind. There are about 6 different colored lights you can cycle through – we put ours on auto for most of the session. Each colored light focuses on something else. We started with orange since it’s great for muscle cramping + spasms, and since we workout a lot, this was extremely beneficial.

The infrared sauna is located at the upper level. As soon as we made our way upstairs, we had ice-cold water awaiting us, fresh towels, face towelettes, and even a cute handwritten welcome sign, how cute! Another perk about this sauna, in particular, is that you can connect your phone to the speaker and play music/listen to a podcast or whatever you like during your session!

We changed into our towels, put some music on, and just relaxed. A 30-minute session was just the right amount of time for us. I felt like I was sweating out toxins and stress – my body felt at ease.

After our session, we got dressed and made our way downstairs to the Tonic Bar to sip on some delicious lattes! I ordered the “Super Mocha” with chaga (a type of mushroom), coffee, cinnamon, cacao, cacao butter (for immune support, vitality). All of the lattes are made with homemade coconut, almond, or oat milk! I ordered mine with almond milk – yum.

We left The Wellness Refinery feeling so relaxed and ready to start the weekend. If you haven’t tried the infrared sauna I highly recommend you give it a shot! Especially if you’re like me, always on the go, antsy, and unable to relax and unwind. This helped me a lot. And not to mention, the lattes are a treat!

“Happiness is the new rich. Inner peace is the new success. Health is the new wealth. Kindness is the new cool.”

-Elle Levi @ellelevi Shecomestolife.com

‘Tis the season for everyone’s favorite fall sips!

Everywhere you turn you’ll find a seasonal take on the fall cult favorite, The PSL. While we do things differently here at The Wellness Refinery, we can’t deny our love for the pumpkin spice trend. So, we’ve taken our own spin at the fall classic and created the PSL’s cooler and more health conscious sister, The PCL. Our Pumpkin Caramel Latte is blended with our homemade pumpkin spice blend including cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. And we are just dying to fill you in on a little secret…

…pumpkin spice is actually healthy! Yup, we said it! The spices that make up this fall festive blend are packed with healing powers.

Our founder & in-house Clinical Nutrition Specialist, Ashleigh Stewart, has rounded up the top benefits of these 4 ingredients.

1. Cinnamon has antibacterial and anti fungal properties making it the perfect addition to your lattes through the change of the season. Cinnamon constituents can specifically fight against the major respiratory tract pathogens and keep you safe with flu season approaching. Take that seasonal colds!

2. Nutmeg is filled with trace minerals such as Manganese to help regulate blood sugar and metabolize carbs, plus Copper and Magnesium which act as antioxidants and reduce oxidative stress. Bring on the healthy cells!

3. Ginger exerts many effects on the gastrointestinal system making it one of the best spices for your gut! It is known to increase motility, settle nausea, ease bloating and discomfort. Ahh, a happy tummy!

4. Cloves: Would you believe me if I told you Cloves can act as a pain reliever? Yup, its true! The spice has an anti-inflammatory effect which can reduce that irritating joint pain. Cloves contain a component called eugenol that depresses nociceptors (the sensory receptors involved in pain perception) which can lead to a reduction in perceived pain.

Who knew Pumpkin Spice could help with all of those woes?!

New to the infrared sauna game? Excited to get your glow on, but don’t know where to start? Take time to prepare for your infrared sauna with these 3 prep tips to be sure you’re getting the most benefit out of your sweat sesh.

1. Stay hydrated: Drink as much water as you can leading up to your sauna. And if you think you drank enough, drink more! You'll be sweating in the infrared sauna cabin so its important to keep up with your water intake prior to your sweat sesh to avoid dehydration. If possible, avoid coffee prior to your session as it is a diuretic and can contribute to dehydr ation. Be sure to continue to hydrate after too! At The Wellness Refinery, we provide filtered water for you to sip on before, throughout and after your session.

2. Wear loose fitting clothes: Jumping into those tight high-rise jeans after you've been sweating in the sauna for the last 30 minutes... we're tired just thinking about it! Wear loose fitting clothes (or bring a change for after!) so that your body can breathe. You'll continue to sweat and detox for about 30-45 minutes after so you want to be sure you're comfortable.

3. Wait 1 hour after your meal: You'll want your body to be in a rested state while sweating in the sauna. If you have a full stomach, your body will be focused on digesting and less on detoxing. Enjoy your kale salad, falafel or tacos from your favorite food truck (we’re not judging!) at least 1 hour before your session. You can always sip and enjoy a smoothie or green juice from our Tonic Bar post sweat!

Have more questions about infrared saunas? Visit our FAQ page or send us an email.