My yogini friend Elisabeth Lilja and I set out one rainy afternoon for girl time at Vive Juicery (1597 S. 1100 East, 801-875-8923, @vivejuicery) and Turiya's Gifts (1569 S. 1100 East, 801-531-7823) in Sugar House. I'll admit, I am a convert to the juice-craze movement. In every city I visit, juice bars are opening at an astonishing rate. I've done some pretty crazy 21-, 14- and 7-day juice cleanses with the Juice Lady in Draper and I can attest to the benefits of juicing—including losing my bloated gut (and then gaining it back), vanishing aches and pains, and such abundant mental clarity that I felt like Buddha.
Let's be honest: Suja and Blue Print are raw-juice impersonators that can't stand up to the power and quality of real juice at Vive. By "real," I mean it's not pasteurized or heated, so it doesn't have a 20-day shelf life, but only 72 hours. It comes in glass, not plastic, bottles and—best of all—the ingredients are from local farms. Vive uses a Norwalk cold-press juicer, which means all of the vital life enzymes and nutrients are preserved. (Centrifugal juicers create heat, which means loss of nutrients.)
The amount of time and energy it takes to make juice at home (and then clean up afterward) is ridiculous. Save yourself the headache and let Vive do all the work so you can get the power of raw life-force running through you. Order juices online at ViveJuicery.com for home delivery. They offer a variety of green juices, sweeter fruit juices, nut milks and raw lattes. For an immediate boost, try a 4-ounce elixer ($3.50) or 1-ounce shot ($2.50). Think of the anti-inflammatory power of raw turmeric root! Rumor has it, Vive is opening a second location downtown on 300 South.
Just a stone's throw away from Vive is locally owned gift shop Turiya's Healing Energy Arts. Turiya is Sanskrit for "The Fourth Way"—meaning pure consciousness. Walk in and be greeted by the store mascot, a dove named Emi. Turiya's has an abundance of rocks, crystals, minerals, jewelry, spiritual statues, cards, books, prayer flags and bowls. The staff is knowledgeable about the metaphysical properties of each stone. It doesn't matter if you believe in the spiritual power of rocks—get them because they look so damned good on your coffee table. Crystals are so on point right now.
My Faves:
Day Dream, 8.4-ounce bottle: $5.50
Carrot, orange, pineapple, strawberry and ginger. My kids love this—it's our go-to after-school snack.
Stella green juice, 8.4-ounce bottle: $5.50
Take coffee cravings away with this blend of spinach, kale, cucumber, green apple, celery, lemon & lime.
Selenite: from $11
Provides clarity of mind, expands awareness of self and surroundings. A calm stone that installs deep peace.
Shop Girl Tip:
Elisabeth Lilja, or "Lis," has been teaching yoga for 9 years. Her style is alignment-based vinyasa (flow). Yoga doesn't have to be deadly serious, and Lis embodies humor in her approach. Plus, she loves to hold poses. She teaches at Metric Yoga (88 N. Q St., MetricYoga.com) in the Avenues, a beautiful light-filled studio. You can find her teaching schedule, workshops and retreats at EtlYoga.com or @etlyoga
Follow Christa on Twitter @ChristaZaro and on Instagram @phillytoslc.