Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series on Woodland Park businesses.
Nutrition, beauty and manicures, Woodland Park businesses offer it all.
The Healing Spot
After practicing physical therapy for 17 years, Justine Calderwood moved to Woodland Park and founded The Healing Spot. Concerned about the limitations of the current insurance system, Calderwood went out on the proverbial limb to see clients on a private-pay basis.
“I’ve seen changes over the years and there was a lot of pressure with less time,” Calderwood said. “That’s not why I went into physical therapy — my heart was hurting.”
With the Healing Spot, Calderwood, a women’s health specialist, helps pregnant women before and after birth, targeting a niche market. “I also help them relieve pain, hip or low back or from headaches,” she said. “It’s a very specialized section of physical therapy. It’s awesome; I absolutely love what I do.”
But the new model required a learning curve. “That changed a lot about what I needed to know and learn to have a successful business, especially in this size of a town,” she said.
For postpartum issues, Calderwood can intervene in conditions such as pelvic organ prolapse, for instance. “I have special training as a birth-healing specialist,” she said. “I try to help people avoid medications, avoid injections through manual therapy — using my hands,” she said. “I use a special technique called ‘myofascial release,’ a whole-body therapy to treat trauma or injury, for men or women.”
The treatment is a gentle sustained pressure that connects the mind, body and spirit. “I see women who have suffered abuse, sexual, physical, verbal or mental, which takes a toll on the body and can lead to physical pain,” she said.
Along with physical therapy, Calderwood incorporates essential oils into the sessions.
To enhance her marketing plan, Calderwood hired a virtual assistant 10 hours a week. “I write a blog and my assistant puts it on my website,” she said, adding that she shares information on the website: healingspotpt.com. “She does the technical things that I don’t have time to do,” Calder said.
With offices in Colorado Springs and Woodland Park, at 321 W. Henrietta, D-10, Calderwood is adding a client care coordinator to her practice. For information or to schedule an appointment, call 270-1123.
Fit Nutrition Depot
With fitness and nutrition all the rage these days, somebody was bound to open a store in Woodland Park and call it Fit Nutrition Depot. That’s what Myrna and Jim Pfaff did recently.
Myra Pfaff runs the business that offers a lounge area to enjoy fresh shakes and herbal teas with aloe. Pfaff touts the health benefits of both. “If people are struggling and not sure where to turn as far as getting healthy to start the year out right, this is the place to be,” she said.
The shake flavors include peanut butter, chocolate and praline, and each contains 24 grams of protein, essential vitamins and low levels of sugar and carbohydrates. “They’re a meal replacement,” she said.
On a recent mild winter afternoon when high-school students Rilae Roy and Courtney McKee came in to order shakes, Pfaff went into a kind of choreographed dance: slice bananas, pour ingredients into the blender, turn around to scoop up some ice from the machine, line one of the cups with chocolate syrup, top with whipped cream, whirrrrr and serve.
“These blenders are commercial and very expensive but we decided we’d rather have great products; and the ice machine — notice how the ice is not cubed?” she said. “I love having young kids around — I want this to be a place where young people can gather.”
Pfaff, who has a bachelor’s degree in fitness and nutrition from the University of Indianapolis, taps into a variety of health benefits from the herbal teas as well as the shakes. “We have recovery shakes to help athletes’ muscles after a hard workout,” she said.
The former owner of a home-care agency, Pfaff has worked with people with dementia and have had heart attacks. Currently, she is helping a client with Alzheimer’s Disease. “I can help people with all kinds of illnesses get their strength back and have a better quality of life,” she said.
The Pfaffs selected a location at 109 W. Midland Ave. which has auxiliary benefits, such as a laundromat next door whose customers often come in to relax and grab a shake while their laundry spins.
Pfaff is scheduled to teach the Summer Soul Fitness classes for the Parks and Recreation Department in Memorial Park.
To see the full menu, visit the Fit Nutrition Depot Facebook page, facebook.com/fitnutritionWP/menu/. For information, call the shop at 686-6904.
Peak Appearance
A one-stop-shop for beauty that incorporates a stunning view of Pikes Peak and natural products to enhance the appearance of the clients, Peak Appearance recently opened in downtown Woodland Park.
It’s a combination hair/nail salon with a tanning room and services that include microdermabrasion facials. “We pre-treat the skin with a soft peel to remove the dead skin cells and post-treatment to calm everything down and rehydrate,” said Linda Lee Averett, owner. “We also do waxing, brow tinting and lashes.”
Along with the skin, hair and nail care, the salon offers Reiki and aromatherapy with Rachel Buckey, as well as a method to whiten the teeth. “It’s done with a blue light and a gel,” Averett said.
The manicures at Peak Appearance enhance the shop’s natural theme, with sugar scrub, homemade lotions and butters. “We make all of it here,” Averett said. “I have an organic chemist who has collaborated with me on some of the products we’re developing, for skin and manicure care.”
By moving the business from Florida to Woodland Park, Averett feels the natural theme of her products is the ideal fit for the mountains. “I was way ahead of myself in Florida,” she said. “We’re using all-natural packaging, getting rid of plastic, paper.”
The shop décor is soothing, with panels of reclaimed wood crafted by The Mountain WoodChic in Woodland Park. “We want this relaxed atmosphere, with music, fragrance, coffee, tea,” she said.
With jewelry and artworks by locals, Averett has created a peaceful interlude. “We are a full-service salon that focuses on making the spa experience a personal retreat,” she said.
As a new business in Woodland Park, Averett attributes the sign at the top of the building for drawing in customers. As well, she is counting on being part of the annual Moose is Loose event that features deals and drawings at most local businesses. “I’ll have giveaways and specials,” she said.
For information, call Peak Appearance in Maverick Town Square at 102 E. Midland Ave., at 722-4962, or visit the website, peakappearanceabovetheclouds.com.