Denver’s first microdosing cafe now offering psilocybin-assisted yoga, art and more

Walking up to Vivid Minds Cafe in Denver, it’s immediately obvious that this is no average coffee shop.

The building, at 1545 S. Broadway, is painted bright blue and adorned with puffy white clouds. Around the entryway, images of pink and yellow mushrooms welcome visitors and give passersby a clue as to what happens inside after hours.

Vivid Minds is Colorado’s first licensed microdosing cafe, offering adults 21-and-up opportunities to learn about psilocybin mushrooms and experience them legally. Earlier this month, the business hosted its first psychedelic session during which guests consumed a small dose of “magic mushrooms” and participated in a yoga class and sound bath. Soon, it will roll out more experiential group classes that can be elevated with a microdose.

Vivid Minds joins the state’s nascent healing center industry, which is designed to make psilocybin, a federally scheduled substance, available for therapeutic purposes. Colorado voters legalized this model in 2022 following research and enthusiasm about the drug’s potential to help treat depression, addiction and end-of-life anxiety, among other mental health conditions.

While most healing centers offer guided trips with large, multi-gram doses, Vivid Minds seeks to meet consumers at a more approachable entry point for both mushrooms and price, co-owners Manon and Jeff Parton said. Their goal is to educate psychedelic-curious folks about “magic mushrooms,” no appointment necessary.

“We set it up as a whole community center for psilocybin and wellness in general,” Jeff Parton said. “If you wanted to go talk to somebody about psychedelics, or if you have a problem or question, you can walk into our coffee shop right this second.”

During the day, Vivid Minds is open to the general public. Baristas serve hot and cold espresso drinks, as well as smoothies and beverages featuring functional, nonpsychedelic varieties of mushrooms like lion’s mane and cordyceps. Yoga is a mainstay on the events calendar, and Vivid Minds also hosts educational events about microdosing, a monthly clothing swap, live DJs, crafting parties and the occasional drag show. All ages are welcome to these events during normal business hours.

Microdosing sessions, such as yoga or art therapy, typically happen outside of normal business hours on the lower level of the cafe. Individuals can register for a group class of up to eight people or bring enough people for their own group class. Registration prices include psilocybin mushrooms, which are served in capsules and tea or on their own.

In recent years, microdosing has exploded in popularity in Colorado and across the country. Users say taking small doses of psilocybin or LSD does everything from bolster productivity and creativity to ease symptoms of anxiety and insomnia — all without the hallucinogenic effects characteristic of a full-blown trip. (It’s worth noting that clinical studies have not yet supported these claims.)

Vivid Minds intentionally focuses on microdosing so that people can slowly get acquainted with psychedelics before diving into a larger journey, Jeff said. It also helps keep the cafe’s offerings affordable.

Vivid Minds charges $150 for a 90-minute microdose session that includes 2 milligrams of psilocybin (equivalent to about 0.3 grams of dried mushrooms). Classes, like art therapy, that run three hours and include 12 milligrams of psilocybin (about 1.5 grams of dried mushrooms) cost $300.

By contrast, individual “macro” dose trips can last six to eight hours and usually include intense hallucinations. These experiences often cost several thousand dollars to cover the expense of a trained facilitator, who supervises and guides clients the whole time they are under the influence.

“I don’t look at any of the other healing centers as competition,” Jeff said. “Our biggest competition is educating the consumer.”

Though Vivid Minds’ model is unique, guests still need to undergo a medical screening and intake session with a facilitator prior to taking part in a microdosing session. For those looking for a deeper experience, Vivid Minds also plans to offer private macrodose journeys for $2,800.

Though the Partons expected to roll out psilocybin-assisted activities when Vivid Minds first opened last August, it took longer than expected to get a license from the City of Denver because of zoning issues that needed to be addressed, Jeff said. The unexpected delays ended up being a silver lining and enabled the cafe to build a community organically. The Cosmic Coconut Cloud smoothie has also earned a reputation on social media for its scroll-stopping blue color.

“When I designed the whole concept of having the healing center with a coffee shop, I always thought the coffee shop would be 10% to15% of the overall business, 20% tops,” Jeff said. “Now it’s become the only thing that separates us from the other (healing centers).”

Being open to the general public allows guests to get a feel for the space and for staff to build a rapport, said Manon, who is currently pursuing her facilitator license. “What people really like is when they come into our journey rooms, they can see they will have liberty to move around, to express themselves, that it’s private,” she said.

Having additional revenue streams beyond the psilocybin offerings could benefit Vivid Minds in an industry where expenses are extraordinary. State licensing fees range $6,000 annually for a micro-healing center, where psilocybin typically makes up a small portion of the business, to $8,000 for a standard healing center that specializes in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Additionally, owners, facilitators, and natural medicine handlers all need to be licensed by the state and those licenses must be renewed every year.

Municipalities may also require additional licensure. For example, Denver charges “non-clinical” healing centers — meaning those that do not have medical professionals working there — $100 per year for a city license, plus a one-time $100 application fee. And like marijuana, healing centers are subject to a federal tax code that prohibits them from deducting operating expenses from taxable income because they deal in a scheduled substance, which drives up costs.

For Manon and Jeff, opening the healing center aspect of Vivid Minds is realizing the full potential of their dream.

“We wanted the cafe to be popular so that we could build the community of the wellness center within it — make it where people can do a journey and also get smoothie afterward and be able to come back without having to do a journey,” Manon said.

Vivid Minds Cafe is open from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. For more information about the coffee shop, visit vividmindscafe.com. For more information about the healing center, visit vividmindswellness.com.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, In The Know, to get entertainment news sent straight to your inbox.