Owned by empower couple, Daniel and Rachel Cordua, Palo Santo Wellness Boutique is a healing mecca, located on East Passyunk avenue, that offers a diverse range of powerful yoga practices and homeopathic wellness options.
Since the birth of their first location, Palo Santo has expanded to two storefronts located just a few feet from each other. Classes and workshops are now held at their Yoga Studio + Healing Space on the corner at 1707 East Passyunk Avenue, while their Shop + Apothecary is located two storefronts down on 1713 S. 12th Street. This year they will be focusing on creating more in-house herbal remedies to broaden their product line and make it more accessible to people not only locally, but in areas outside the city. “We are fine-tuning some of our own [products] to make it more special and streamlined. The medicine itself is very special and I put so much love into it. It’s my baby,” says Rachel.
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“[Someone may] come in with something specific like [wanting] to lose weight, but there are other things that they can do to learn more about themselves and appreciate themselves … They can go very deep with meditation, medicine, [to] connecting to their bodies,” says Daniel. All of the programs complement each other and provide full-circle development of the student fostering not only the physical, spiritual, and emotional personal growth of the individual, but contributing to the educational, communal and social growth in the area.
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Daniel—a Philadelphia native, massage therapist and Yoga Instructor concentrating on Bhakti yoga and mantra meditations—along with his family, has lived near East Passyunk and the Italian Market area for his entire life, while his wife and business partner Rachel moved to the area after leaving a corporate job out of state. He had saved for years to one day open his own yoga center.
It was a dream of co-owner, Rachel—an herbalist in Western Medicine and Ayurveda, Reiki practitioner and Yoga instructor concentrating on Bhakti yoga—to have a space where she could create healing oils for the community. She provides ongoing classes and workshops to build awareness and educate the community of herbal preparations. The products offered at the apothecary, include bath salts, body spray mists, hair and body oils, flower incense, herbal elixirs and tinctures, which all help to enhance the at-home experience for your personalized journey of self-healing. Since all of the blends are certified organic, they can be used for medicinal and health purposes to calm the mind, detoxify the body, decrease inflammation in the body and boost immunity.
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The idea for Palo Santo came after the couple took a trip to India, where they went in search for answers on where to take their careers. This experience that led to them starting a business together. They planned to open a space that combined their healing and yogic practices and philosophies and do so, specifically, between Broad and Dickinson Streets.
After never having owned a business, limited money and both still working full-time jobs, they found a location on East Passyunk Avenue and, in 2014, built out what is now Palo Santo Wellness Boutique. From electric rewiring to framework structure in the cold winter months without heat, they worked vigorously on their own to renovate. Four tons of debris later, a unique, raw, organic, serene space had emerged offering a spiritual sanctuary for the community; a place for everyone.
The couple created Palo Santo as a home where they can lead by example, caring for each other and continuing to learn, grow and be students themselves alongside the community.
“It will be three years since we’ve opened and we’re at the strongest community vibe that we’ve had,” says Daniel. You’ll find a wide-range of opportunity and one-of-a-kind programs for someone at any stage of their journey. Palo Santo offers classes, private sessions, consultations, workshops, certifications and retreats incorporating practices such as yoga, meditation, oil and herbal remedies, reiki and crystal healing, massage, acupuncture, and many other integrated therapies.
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“Palo Santo is the perfect cozy nook for yoga,” says Laura Jenkins, an East Passyunk resident. “The simple, earthy aesthetic and vibe instantly melt away any stress and anxiety as you enter the door. Recently moving back to Philadelphia from Los Angeles, it’s nice to have something with similar style and authenticity in a yoga studio, especially right around the corner!”
If you are looking to understand yourself better, grow your spiritual and physical self and find brand new experiences, Palo Santo will meet your specific needs. They provide programs and training that are adaptable for beginners to trained professionals in the industry. For beginners or newcomers, there are quite a few classes on the schedule with slower flowing movement, and you can explore these through their Beginner Series, a new student pass for two weeks of unlimited classes for $25! For those looking to deepen their practices, Daniel and Rachel keep it fresh with specialities.
In 2018 they will be bringing in more refined, spiritual presentations, which they refer to as satsang, meaning “come together and share” or “gathering for the truth.” It is their personal goal to foster a deeper knowledge of yoga and healing practices as well as to provide guidance as their community of students develop their practice.