Step Inside
- Elise Free
- Mar 3
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 11
THE ELEMENTAL INSIDER: Issue No. 3
Hi friends,
Last time, I told you about the fire — the sauna, the momentum, and how everything finally started moving again.
Today, I want to do something different.
I want you to walk inside Elemental with me.
Because this space was never designed on paper first.
It was felt.
And that’s why I didn’t hire a designer.
Not because design doesn’t matter — but because I already knew how this space needed to breathe. How it needed to move. How people needed to feel the moment they walked through the doors.
Elemental isn’t being decorated.
It’s being experienced.
The Vision: Nature, Inside
Elemental is built around biophilic design — the idea that humans regulate, heal, and reconnect faster when surrounded by nature.
So instead of creating a wellness facility, we’re bringing nature indoors.
Plants. Organic materials. Natural textures. Light, movement, warmth, and flow.
Everything you would experience outside — intentionally woven into the space.
The building itself is expansive:
6,000 square feet total
5,000 square feet on the main level
A 1,000-square-foot mezzanine overlooking the space
Plus a 1,500-square-foot outdoor patio
But despite the size, it won’t feel overwhelming.
It will feel grounding.
Arrival
You walk through the front doors.
Immediately, you see The Great Wall — a visual anchor that sets the tone before a single word is spoken.
To one side is the Cantina — not a bar, but a gathering place.
Hot coffee. Herbal tea. Kombucha. A place to pause on your way in or linger on your way out.
Ahead, the living room opens up — comfortable, welcoming, alive with conversation and calm energy.
Above you, the mezzanine stretches overhead, its railing looking down into the space below, creating a sense of openness and connection from every level.
And then something subtle happens.
You approach what looks like a simple door. The door opens quietly.
Almost effortlessly.
The Portal
You step inside the Green Room and the energy immediately shifts. It feels intentional, private, slightly mysterious… a space not everyone gets to see.
It is also the only room in Elemental without windows.
You enter the Green Room.
This is where you leave the outside world behind.
You change out of daily life — literally and mentally — stepping out of regular clothes and into something simpler.
Bathing suit. Bare feet. Minimal layers.
Less distraction.
More presence.
This is the pause before the journey begins.
The Ritual Hall
From the Green Room, you move toward what we call The Threshold.
A barrel-vaulted passageway gently guides you forward — intentionally narrower, quieter, more intimate.
Frank Lloyd Wright often spoke about the idea that you must contract before you expand. That compression heightens awareness so that when space opens again, you feel it fully.
This moment does exactly that.
You move through the curved ceiling, leaving behind the noise of the outside world, and then—the space reveals itself.
The Ritual Hall rises around you with 22-foot ceilings and walls of windows looking out toward the sky, the trees, and the outdoor patio.
It feels less like a building and more like entering a national park.
Natural light pours in.
Plants surround the space.
You smell our signature incense — grounding, familiar, unmistakably Elemental.
Before you do anything, your body already knows:
You’re somewhere different.
You feel calmer. More present. More connected — not just to yourself, but to everyone sharing the space with you.
A heated concrete bench invites you to sit.
You sip structured, filtered water — still or sparkling — or maybe warm herbal tea.
Music moves softly in the background.
Nothing is rushed.
Movement Becomes Ritual
From here, the experience becomes yours.
You rinse beneath cascading water features before sauna or plunge.
Tiny organic pebbles beneath your feet remind you what grounding actually feels like — texture, temperature, sensation.
The traditional Finnish sauna glowing with heat
Outdoor plunges under open sky
An outdoor Finnish barrel sauna, intimate and elemental, surrounded by fresh air and nature
Indoor plunges designed almost like natural pools — open to the environment, small bodies of cold water shared by three or four people at a time
Infrared warmth for deep restoration and quiet recovery
There is no single path.
This is your ritual.
Your rhythm.
Your practice.
Some days you’ll explore freely.
Other days, you won’t want to think at all — and that’s where guided classes come in. Our team leads experiences designed so you can simply show up and be carried through the journey.
No decisions.
Just experience.
Designed to Nurture
Every detail exists for one purpose: regulation.
Plants everywhere. Natural light everywhere. Textures that feel organic to the touch.
Even the bathrooms continue the experience — beautiful materials, incredible water, thoughtful lighting.
Nothing breaks the feeling.
You are supported from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave.
And throughout it all — music.
Carefully chosen, intentionally layered, helping guide energy without demanding attention.
What You'll Feel
You may arrive stressed.
You may arrive curious.
You may arrive unsure.
But somewhere between heat and cold, breath and stillness, conversation and quiet…
Something shifts.
Your nervous system slows.
Your mind softens.
Your body remembers balance.
And without realizing it, you feel connected — to yourself and to the people around you.
That’s Elemental.
Not a workout. Not a spa. Not an escape.
A return.
Quote of the Week
“You don’t build a vision because it’s easy — you build it because it won’t leave you alone.”
Reflection of the Week
Where in your life are you being invited to step into something new before you feel completely ready?
