Denver’s first cannabis spa will offer massages with infused topicals

Few things sound more relaxing than a toke of marijuana and a massage. Lucky for Denverites, they’ll be able to find both in one place next year when Pure Elevations Spa & Garden opens in the Baker neighborhood.

The idea for a cannabis-focused spa and salon came from owner and CEO Rebecca Marroquin’s own experience using infused topicals to treat pain. In 2011, Marroquin was preparing to finish school and become a massage therapist when she was involved in a car crash that broke her neck.

Marroquin began using Mary Jane’s Medicinals‘ lotions and salves infused with cannabinoids like cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to help with her neck pain. Four months after the incident, she was back on track to graduate.

“It didn’t stop me,” she said. “I have to get massages myself once every three months. I use topicals regularly, so I feel great.”

When the business opens next spring, Pure Elevations, at 185 S. Santa Fe Drive,) will offer massages alongside body treatments such as scrubs and wraps. It will also be a hair studio specializing in African-American techniques like braiding, as well as fashion coloring.

Currently, Colorado’s marijuana laws restrict any hospitality business’ ability to use or sell THC topicals because of limits on how much weed consumers can purchase per day. Massages, specifically, are hindered by a requirement for video surveillance in consumption areas, Marroquin said.

However, the state’s Marijuana Enforcement Division is considering new rules specific to marijuana hospitality that would both increase the daily consumer sales limits and exempt topicals from those limits altogether. The new rules also explicitly address spas to clarify video surveillance would not be required in massage rooms. The new regulations, which are expected to go into effect Jan. 8, would make it possible for customers to receive THC and CBD massages.

Marroquin also plans to build an Amsterdam-inspired coffee shop and dispensary counter at Pure Elevations where clients can purchase her favorite topicals alongside other smokeable and edible marijuana products. Those items are for use in the business’ outdoor consumption courtyard where customers will be able to chill, use the Wi-Fi, or order food for delivery. Additional plans include having space for a food truck to park near the courtyard.

If this concept sounds different than others coming to Denver, that’s on purpose. Marroquin wants to change the perception that cannabis is only for those who fit the stoner archetype and illuminate locals to its health benefits.

“A lot of the community doesn’t know about the benefits of marijuana, and how it can help them with emotional support or pain,” she said. “My idea is to educate our community about the benefits and to give them access to this medicine to make it more socially acceptable.”

Pure Elevations is currently under construction in anticipation of opening in April 2024. Keep up with the progress on Instagram at @pure.elevationsdenver.

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