BoCo’s Optimization Era

Once a place where people came to recover from tuberculosis, Boulder County has maintained its wellness-centric reputation for more than a century. The BolderBoulder, one of America’s most beloved 10Ks, is nearing its fiftieth year. Biking infrastructure is some of the best in the nation—we’re 17 times more likely to ride a bike to work than the national average. And the city is considered the birthplace of the natural food movement. We have one of the highest per-capita consumption of organic foods.

Boulder is also known as a hub for tech innovation, home to more than a dozen startup incubators and accelerators, and offices for some of the country’s most influential tech companies. Now, these two industries are converging, fueling a surge in technology-driven wellness clinics. By applying technological innovation to health optimization, these businesses offer state-of-the-art tools and techniques to BoCo residents seeking sports recovery, graceful aging, and longevity. 

Fire & Ice Wellness

Longmont’s Fire & Ice Wellness is one of the most bespoke of the wellness spaces in the county. Fire and Ice is a fully independent business, owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Jim Davis and Danielle Kitson (neither of whom hosts a podcast). If UpgradeLabs takes its cues from the athletic space and Next Health is modeled on a medical clinic, Fire & Ice strives to feel like a spa. In addition to cryotherapy, red light therapy, and sauna, they also offer hyperbaric oxygen therapy—which stimulates stem cell release—and esthetic services. “There are all these different modalities out there that can improve everybody’s lives,” Jim says. He sees these technologies as beneficial for everyone, whether you’re an extreme athlete seeking recovery tactics, you’re battling the routine inflammation that comes with aging, or you’ve booked a session in the hyperbaric chamber for pre- or post-surgery. 

In addition to being fully local, Fire & Ice is built with the belief that cultivating one’s health doesn’t have to be an individual undertaking. “We are really trying to be people’s third space,” Jim says. Membership credits can be spent on a friend. The equipment is oversized to accommodate multiple users at once. The sauna is big enough to accommodate an entire book club, Jim noted. “We had a whole group of people in there, laughing and taking turns jumping in and out of the cold plunge. The social element of wellness is important, too.”

Jim and Danielle got into the wellness space after Danielle was diagnosed with breast cancer three and a half years ago. She’s now in remission. They rented a hyperbaric chamber for their house while she was undergoing chemotherapy. “When chemo would wipe out her cells, the stem cells were right there to replace them,” Jim says. “Plus, her regular white blood cells were carrying tons of oxygen, which gave her a huge energy boost—it was the best thing you could think of for a person going through that.” 

Visit Fire & Ice Wellness at 1230 S. Hover St., Ste. B-200, Longmont, or at fireandicelongmont.com.

Upgrade Labs

Upgrade Labs was created by Dave Asprey, known as the Father of Biohacking and host of “The Human Upgrade” podcast. For those unfamiliar with the concept, a definition is printed on the office wall: “The art and science of changing the environment around you and inside you, so you have more control over your own biology.” Asprey believes that individuals can participate in strategic, technology-informed interventions to streamline and optimize their body’s functioning. 

The Boulder franchise, owned and operated by Michelle and George Amacker, consists of 2,880 square feet of state-of-the-art equipment for strength training, recovery, energy and sleep enhancement, and long-term vitality. “There is so much technology that’s now scientifically proven,” says Griff Long, president of Upgrade Labs. “We want to give our clients access to medical-grade technology at a reasonable price.” 

Clients at Upgrade Labs have access to full-body infrared light beds, localized red light therapy, a cryotherapy chamber, a full-body compression suit, a robotic back massage, and more. On the performance side, clients can build muscle, balance, and resilience through AI-powered workout machines that adjust resistance in real time. “What we’re trying to do is provide variety for when your needs change over time,” Michelle says. 

Simone Drantch, a staff member at Upgrade Labs, is a premed student majoring in neuroscience and psychology at CU Boulder. She became interested in biohacking after her father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. “All they wanted to do was give him a ton of pharmaceuticals,” she says. “I knew there had to be another way, and I’m so passionate about this.” Simone sees the offerings at Upgrade Labs as a way that clients can take control of their own health, which—especially in the context of the American privatized healthcare system—feels revolutionary. 

Visit Upgrade Labs at 2100 28th St., #4F, Boulder, or at upgradelabs.com.

Next Health

Next Health is Colorado’s first Medicine 4.0 clinic. Founded by Dr. Darshan Shah, host of the “Extend” podcast, Medicine 4.0 combines functional medicine with preventive care and lifestyle adjustments to promote greater longevity. “In medical school, we’re not taught the science of how to be healthy,” Shah says. He’d been a physician for 30 years when he found himself super sick, burnt out, and struggling against his autoimmune system. He started studying functional medicine and the root causes of illness. “It’s things like inflammation from poor gut health, hormones are off from stress and not sleeping, nutritional deficiencies from eating a lot of processed food,” Shah says. He started making lifestyle changes based on what he was learning, and he experienced the transformative effects for himself. 

The Boulder location of Next Health, owned and operated by Niki and Paul Cox, offers full-body care, ranging from technology-enhanced services such as cryotherapy, an infrared light bed, and an infrared sauna to full-service medical offerings, including lab testing, metabolic panels, bloodwork, and more. “You see a lot of this in other places piecemeal,” Niki says. “We’re trying to be a one-stop shop.” The client journey begins with an executive physical, which the client then reviews with Next Health’s on-staff medical provider, who helps develop a customized treatment plan to meet their individual goals. 

Next Health stands out from other clinics with its IV lounge. Luxurious massage chairs bask in sunlight through floor-to-ceiling windows while Next Health staff mix IV bags on-site. “These guys are true experts in what they do,” Paul says. Next Health offers a special IV menu for everything from heart health to improved energy, in a beautifully designed space meant to offer an elevated experience. 

Visit Next Health at 1855 29th St., #1164, Boulder, or at next-health.com.

Beem Light Sauna

Unlike many wellness clinics that combine a wide range of recovery modalities, Beem takes a more focused approach. The Boulder studio is dedicated exclusively to light-based therapies, built around the idea that simplicity—and consistency—can play a powerful role in overall wellness. Founded after creator Cynthia May sought alternative therapies to support her daughter’s battle with chronic Lyme disease, the company centers on infrared sauna and medical-grade light therapy designed to complement everyday health routines.

Private infrared sauna suites offer a quieter alternative to traditional saunas, using infrared heat to warm the body from the inside out while operating at lower temperatures, allowing for longer, more comfortable sessions. Clients can also choose from medical-grade red, green, and blue light therapies, each used for different wellness goals, along with an advanced full-body light bed that combines customizable light settings into a single treatment. Chromotherapy lighting within the sauna adds another layer to the experience, allowing guests to tailor the ambiance to their mood.

While the technology is central to the experience, general manager Allie Lanham says the atmosphere is just as important. Whether visitors are looking for a quiet place to recharge or a social sauna session with friends, the goal is to create an approachable space where people can make wellness part of their routine. “We really work on creating an atmosphere that is comfortable,” Lanham says, “and we want to help you feel your best.”

Visit Beem Light Sauna at 2255 31st St., Ste. 110 in Boulder or at beemlightsauna.com.

As these clinics continue to evolve, Boulder’s wellness identity is shifting from lifestyle to strategy—where optimization, longevity, and data-driven care are no longer fringe ideas, but part of an increasingly sophisticated approach to living well.