Editor’s note: This is part of The Know’s series, Staff Favorites. Each week, we offer our opinions on the best that Colorado has to offer for dining, shopping, entertainment, outdoor activities and more. (We’ll also let you in on some hidden gems.)
Every year for our wedding anniversary, my husband and I celebrate by getting massages. But life was so busy in 2024 that we delayed our annual tradition by about six months. When we got around to it, we decided to treat ourselves to something extra special: cannabis-infused massages.
Pure Elevations Canna-Spa in Denver is a first-of-its-kind concept in Colorado that specializes in reefer and relaxation. When people book appointments here, they have the choice of regular massage oil or oil infused with cannabinoids like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Additionally, the spa has a small dispensary counter that sells marijuana flower, joints, edibles and other products for guests to enjoy before and after their service.
There are few things more soothing than popping a gummy and lying down for a 90-minute massage. Well, except for maybe the 120-minute session and hot stone massages that the canna-spa offers.
Owner Rebecca Marroquin, who opened Pure Elevations at 185 S. Santa Fe Dr. last fall, said the concept is unique not only in Colorado but across the country.
“I spent hours scouring the internet and although California claims to have cannabis spas, they are CBD only without consumption,” she said, meaning other spas don’t allow guests to consume weed onsite. “We are the one and only, and I am trying to set that bar as high as possible.”
Pure Elevations is what’s technically known as a marijuana hospitality establishment, and it’s one of just a few places in Denver where people can legally spark up. The business is so novel, in fact, that Marroquin helped the city write the laws around it.
Upon arrival, the canna-spa appears like other massage parlors. Guests check in at the front desk – where staff verifies IDs to ensure everyone is at least 21 years old – before they’re escorted to the back of the building. The brief walk passes by four massage rooms, including one for couples, before reaching a quaint salon that offers hair and nail services.
In one corner is a small dispensary counter where a budtender helps guests pick their preferred products, which incur an additional cost separate from massage services. Pure Elevations sells all the usual suspects, including bud, pre-rolled joints and edibles, but Marroquin is continually expanding the menu to offer new and innovative treats.
For example, the spa offers “terp tea,” a hot beverage brewed using marijuana flower instead of tea leaves. Soon, Marroquin plans to launch “cannabis cocktails” developed in partnership with beverage company Keef Brands. (There’s no booze in these cocktails, though, as the law prohibits the sale of alcohol at marijuana businesses.) Patrons can also purchase single-serve dabs of concentrate for $7.10. Pure Elevations provides all the smoking tools necessary.
With products in hand, the next stop is the consumption patio, which is outfitted with firepits and a heated tent during the winter months. Additional offerings, such as espresso drinks, s’mores kits and snack boxes, are designed to encourage people to stay a while.
Marroquin recommends guests come 30 to 45 minutes before their appointment to enjoy all the amenities. They’re also welcome to stay and hang out afterward, she said.
Once you’re in the right head space, it’s time to go full chill mode. Pure Elevations offers massages with regular oil, but those who opt for an infused treatment buy a small bottle of Mary Jane’s Medicinals oil at the dispensary counter alongside their other products. (Guests are permitted to take home whatever products remain after their visit, including the extra oil.)
One important thing to note about cannabis-infused topicals is that they don’t get you high. But that doesn’t mean they don’t have any effect, Marroquin said.
Studies have shown that CBD offers therapeutic effects when applied to the skin, including reductions in pain and inflammation. Topicals with both CBD and THC may enhance those benefits because of a concept called the entourage effect – meaning cannabinoids are more effective when working together, versus when they are isolated from one another.
Even though marijuana was legalized for recreational use more than a decade ago, Colorado first legalized medical marijuana well before that, in 2000. Marroquin sees Pure Elevations as an apt place to educate locals on its therapeutic benefits while also enabling folks to have a good time.
Special events are one way she plans to achieve that. On Feb. 13, Pure Elevations will host a Galentine’s Day party, featuring a blunt-rolling class, neck and shoulder massages, and hand scrubs. Attendees will also be treated to s’mores with either Hershey’s sober sweets or Binske THC chocolate, as well as the aforementioned cannabis “cocktails.” (Tickets cost $100.)
Starting in March, Marroquin plans to offer free monthly cannabis classes at the spa to educate locals and introduce them to the space. Pure Elevations currently has wide availability for massages, whether you want to plan a relaxing date with your partner for Valentine’s Day or #treatyourself as a single. Book an appointment at pureelevations.com.