I love New Orleans for its excess and indulgence. Its wildness will always intoxicate me, but it has so much more to offer to people who love to live and visit. Along with its boozy nights and famously rich food, New Orleans is a sanctuary and my home, a city full of natural wonder, spirituality, and a unique, ever-evolving wellness scene.
Many of you have reached out to me about my favorite wellness spots are in the city, and I’m excited to finally share some of them with you here. This list is based around my personal wellness practice. For me, wellness looks like making sure I move often, feed my body, and take time for rest and inspiration.
I hope you enjoy and reach out with your thoughts and feedback. What places am I missing? What do you want to see more of? How do you find balance in New Orleans?
Sweat
Places that get me moving. I love these places for their class variety (some offer sliding scale) and consistent, high quality instructors.
- Balance Yoga*° - vinyasa, ashtanga yoga
- Blue Bikes - bike share for getting around town
- Dancing Grounds*° - dance, yoga
- Magnolia Yoga° - hot yoga
- The Ohm Well - yoga, Reiki, nutrition & meditation
- NOAC - membership-based gym with group exercise, pool, sauna and steam
- Romney Studios° - pilates, spin, boxing, yoga
- Swaha Yoga*° - yoga, Tai Chi, Qigong
- Yoga Bywater*° - Iyengar yoga
Restore
Where I go to take care of my physical body, from body work to aromatherapy and acupuncture.
- Affordable Healing Arts (AHA!) - a community of healing arts practitioners
- Benjamin Kappel - licensed therapeutic massage therapist
- Bywater Massage° - therapeutic bodywork, including Maya abdominal massage
- Dynamo*° - an erotic boutique with sexual health & wellness resources
- Good Medicine*° - nationally certified massage therapy
- MayPop Community Herb Shop*° - medicinal herbs, classes, consultations
- Nada Ear Acupuncture* - free acupuncture, Thursdays at MayPop
- Next Gen Wellness° - acupuncture & wellness
- Rosalie Apothecary*° - herbal remedies, products, classes
- Vitality Natural Health*° - acupuncture & herbal remedies
- Wellspring° - breathwork
- Wild Lotus Yoga* - gentle yoga options & monthly sound baths
- Archer Chiropractic - skilled chiropractic care and massage
Inspire
My go-to sources for peace and creativity. I personally derive inspiration from nature, art, and ritual, and these are my favorites.
- Audubon Park* - visit the Tree of Life and the Fly
- Bayou St. John*
- City Park* - our favorite places are the chime tree & sculpture garden
- Crescent City Conjure - hoodoo, witchcraft supplies & classes
- The Dragonfly*° - poetry, performance & ritual space
- Lafitte Greenway* - public green space, pedestrian and bike trail
- The Mexican Witch° - tarot, spellwork, spiritual readings
- Studio Be° - Bywater warehouse studio by local artist BMike
- Tarot by JP° - tarot for all
- Wisner Bike Path* - plus more biking and walking paths
Beauty
Where I go to feel extra polished and adorned. These are thoughtful beauty specialists who prioritize clean products and holistic approaches.
- Esthetique Facial Spa° - facials, waxing, threading
- Folklore Salon° - haircuts, color
- M.A.D. Nails° - dream nails
- NOLA Organic Spa° - all-organic day spa
- Ritual Body Wellness° - holistic facials
- Paris Parker - full service salon, hair care (we especially love Karen!)
Nourish
Healthy, flavorful eats and drinks that feel affordable and nourishing. All places on this list include plant-based options, with menus centered around fresh, whole food ingredients.
- 1000 Figs°- falafel
- Bearcat Café - brunch for bad cats and good cats
- Arrow Café° - coffee, pastry
- Banana Blossom° - Thai
- Carmo° - tropical, sustainable
- Church Alley Coffee - delicious coffee and food
- Clean Course Meals° - meal prep with delivery, pick-up
- Daily Beet - salads, juices, grain bowls
- Dian Xin - Chinese dim sum
- Echo’s Pizza° - wood fired pizza, farm to table fresh
- Good Karma° - plant-based
- Green Fork - juice bar, salads
- Hivolt Coffee - bowls, salads, pastry, sandwiches, coffee
- I-tal Garden° - vegan pop ups and meal prep
- Lilly’s Café° - Vietnamese
- Max Well - farm-to-table, healing food
- Pagoda Café° - breakfast, lunch, coffee
- Poke-chan° - poke
- Raw Republic° - cold-pressed juice
- Satsuma Café - breakfast, lunch, coffee & juice
- Sneaky Pickle - temporarily closed, popping up
- Solò Espresso° - coffee, pop ups, elixir bar
- Stella Maris - Lebanese
- Sweet Soulfood° - vegan soul food
- Tanh Dinh° - Vietnamese
Heal
Resources for your mind and spirit. Please note: I have gathered this list from friends and resource lists and have not visited each of these service providers personally. It’s important that you feel safe and comfortable with your counselor.
- Broadmoor NOLA*° - counseling
- Family Services of Greater New Orleans* - counseling
- Family Solutions of Louisiana* - counseling
- Jackson Hands of Change* - individual & group therapy, psychiatric support, life planning
- Jewish Family Services* - counseling, with Spanish language available
- NAMI New Orleans* - psychiatric treatment
- Our Lady of Holy Cross Counseling Center* - counseling
- Podesta Wellness° - psychiatry, counseling, massage, nutrition
- Refuge in Recovery* - Buddhist-inspired addiction recovery
- St. Thomas Clinic* - adult mental health & counseling
- Meditate New Orleans* - weekly guided meditation, women’s empowerment & mindfulness events
- Mid City Zen - Zen meditation center
- Queer Meditation*° - queer meditation meetup at Zen center
- Planned Parenthood - men’s & women’s services including birth control, STD testing, general health, LGBT services, cancer screening
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* = free, donation-based, or sliding scale options° = POC, woman, or queer-owned