Indoor Climbing Gym
BOULDER ROCK CLUB
2829 Mapleton Ave., 800-836-4008 x4
Second Place: Movement Climbing and Fitness
Third Place: The Spot Bouldering Gym
Fourth Place: ABC Kids Climbing
Fifth Place: Colorado Athletic Training School (CATS)
Boulder is a fantastic spot for rock climbing. Until it dumps 128 inches of snow overnight on three to five nights out of the week for six months out of the year. When that inevitably happens, climbers have to go indoors to get their fix. And the best spot to do so is the Boulder Rock Club, whose sky-high walls, hundreds of routes, bouldering surfaces, wide variety of routes and holds and available auto-belay units (so you can climb without a buddy) make it the best indoor climbing spot in town.
Dance Studio
BOULDER BALLET COMPANY
2590 Walnut St., 303-443-0028
Second Place: Alchemy of Movement
Third Place: Streetside Studios
Fourth Place: The Avalon Ballroom
Fifth Place: Boulder Spirals
Let’s just be honest: Sometimes “getting into shape” can be a little boring, especially if you’re hitting the gym every day. But dancing is an effective way to get in shape, and it’s pretty fun, too. Whether you’re an adult who’s always wanted to try ballet but never tied up the slippers or a youngster with lofty dance aspirations, the Boulder Ballet Company offers training for dancers of all ages.
If you’re not so light on your feet, you can simply appreciate those who are by checking out one of the many performances that the Boulder Ballet Company put on each year, from Ballet in the Park during the summer, to the holiday classic The Nutcracker. Since 1989, Boulder Ballet has enjoyed a partnership with the Boulder Philharmonic in presenting classical ballets complete with professional scenery, costumes, lighting designs and casts of up to 100 dancers.
Acupuncture
BOULDER SPORTS ACUPUNCTURE
2935 Baseline Road, Suite 300, 303-506-4637
Second Place: Acupuncture Clinic of Boulder, Inc.
Third Place: The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa
Fourth Place: Boulder Community Acupuncture
Fifth Place: Southwest Acupuncture College
In Chinese culture, qi (also known as chi), simply put, is a flow of energy — a life force in all living things. Qi is believed to link all living things together, so understanding the rhythm and flow of this energy is key to stability, longevity and overall health.
Acupuncture is one form of traditional Chinese medicine that seeks to balance qi. Through stimulation of key points along the skin, either by heat, pressure or needles, acupuncture is used to treat a wide range of health conditions and even help people stop smoking cigarettes.
So when the uber-active people of Boulder find themselves injured, in pain or overly stressed, they head to Boulder Sports Acupuncture to balance their qi and get back in the saddle (that was a cycling reference, by the way) ASAP. Boulderites cite the staff’s positives vibes and caring manner as reasons their experience is always great, as well as a clean environment and convenient location on Baseline.
Alternative Health Care
DR. CHARLEY CROPLEY, N.D.
1109 Portland Place, 303-442-6161
Second Place: Chautauqua Health
Third Place: Rolf Institute of Structural Integration
Fourth Place: Holos Health (Journey 2 Life)
Fifth Place: Helios Integrated Medicine
Dr. Charley Cropley, a naturopathic physician, no longer prescribes medication. Instead, he prescribes good advice, showing through classes and personal sessions how people can heal themselves by strengthening their skills and self-control in four basic areas: nutrition, exercise, positive thinking and attuned, caring relationships. He argues that “selfhealing is self-mastery,” a message — and challenge — that resonates well in our community.
Hair Salon
THE SIDEDOOR SALON
2070 Broadway St., Suite 110, 303-927-6081
Second Place: Voodoo Hair Lounge
Third Place: Twig Salon
Fourth Place: Zinke Knoebel Hair Studio
Fifth Place: West End Salon
Founded four years ago by five beauty industry pros — Donna Bell, Patrick Clifford, Delene Cordova, Lisa Lynde and Andres Mendoza — The SideDoor Salon in Boulder has made a lasting impression. Whether you’re seeking a timeless classic look or something more trendy, the staff add style to whatever your occasion. The salon features specialists in anything you can imagine, from hair color, to weddings, to extensions and make-up.
Barber Shop
FLOYD’S 99 BARBERSHOP
2790 Pearl St., 303-442-2279
Second Place: Al’s Barber Shop
Third Place: Voodoo Hair Lounge
Fourth Place: Silver & Gold Barbers and Stylists
Fifth Place: Alpine Barbers
Don’t worry Nirvana fans, though it’s all about the rock’n’roll, perennial Best of Boulder honoree Floyd’s Barbershop isn’t at all like the one described by Kurt Cobain in his song, “Floyd the Barber.” Instead of an experience not that far off from Sweeney Todd, one gets a killer new ’do in a rock’n’roll atmosphere complete with its own tailored radio station and posterplastered walls. Whether you are looking for a traditional Floyd Cut, a basic, non-layered cut complete with a neck shave and shoulder massage or something more stylized, head to Boulder’s best barbershop for some good tunes and a good haircut.
Pilates Studio
BOULDER BODYWORKS
3020 Carbon Place, Suite 330, 303-444-2739
Second Place: Bolder Pilates
Third Place: Core Wisdom
Fourth Place: Body Dynamics
Fifth Place: ALTA Physical Therapy and Pilates
What’s up? How’s your core? In need of some work, you say? Well, friend, that just won’t do. You gotta tighten that sucker up. This is a beer town and that means you need a six-pack. When you’re ready to get hardcore about your core, then there’s a place in town that’s coretastic enough for all your core needs — BoulderBodyworks. It offers group classes, one-on-one sessions and specialized instruction for those looking to recover from or prevent sports-related injuries. The studio, along with secondplace winner Bolder Pilates, owned and operated by Donna Rosen, also specializes in pre- and post-natal training.
Gym/Fitness Center
COLORADO ATHLETIC CLUB
1821 30th St., 303-501-1700
Second Place: RallySport Health and Fitness Club
Third Place: 24 Hour Fitness
Fourth Place: East Boulder Community Center
Fifth Place: North Boulder Recreation Center
Colorado Athletic Club makes it easy to get into shape with seven locations along the Front Range. The Colorado Athletic Club on 30th Street in Boulder gives residents the chance to get in shape without ever getting bored. The 40,000 square foot facility offers heated pools; studios for yoga, pilates and cycling; play areas for kids and the Energy Café where gymflys can grab a healthy bite to eat after they get their fitness on. Nobody makes it much easier (or more fun) than the Colorado Athletic club to get fit.
Medical Facility
BOULDER COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
1100 Balsam Ave., 303-440-2273
BOULDER COMMUNITY FOOTHILLS HOSPITAL
4747 Arapahoe Ave., 720-854-7000
Second Place: Boulder Medical Center
Third Place: Kaiser Permanente
Fourth Place: Avista Adventist Hospital
Fifth Place: Longmont United Hospital
Boulder is a conscious town that likes to vote with its dollar. It’s not enough that a hospital save lives, it’s gotta have that little something extra that sets it apart and makes it special. And as Busta Rhymes would put it, “when disaster strikes,” there is one place that discerning Boulderites prefer: Boulder Community Hospital and its eastern sister, Boulder Community Foothills Hospital. BCH is a not-for-profit that pushes itself to stay current on medical technology — and, conveniently, offers what we’d consider Boulder-centric services like knee reconstruction and sports massages.
Yoga Studio
COREPOWER YOGA
1129 13th St., 303-440-8952 645 27th Way, 303-497-9642 3280 28th St., 303-440-3930
Second Place: Yoga Pod
Third Place: The Little Yoga Studio
Fourth Place: Yoga Loft
Fifth Place: Studio Be Yoga
Boulder loves yoga so much that it might actually threaten the rest of the nation’s access to stretch pants and rubber mats. But still, in all of the city’s yogaphilia, one studio still reigns supreme: CorePower. Its three locations are so collectively limber its almost like they have no bones at all. Attendees can enjoy practicing by candlelight in CorePower’s Heated Power Yoga class, or healing through stretching in a CoreRestore session, or they can do it old school, mastering their breath and their downward dog without any of the frills. Corepowers activate!
Massage
ST JULIEN HOTEL & SPA
900 Walnut St., 720-406-9696
Second Place: Massage Envy Spa
Third Place: Bodywork Bistro
Fourth Place: The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa
Fifth Place: Massage Specialists
Our readers gave top marks to the St Julien Hotel & Spa for its spa. So it is no wonder our readers found the top massage here, too. First, you pick your own Pandora playlist. Then you have scores of choices regarding what kind of massage you’d like. Among your choices: deep tissue, pre-natal, aromatheraphy — too many to list here. Add hot stones, a hot-oil scalp massage, or make it a massage for two, taking a couples retreat with champagne and rose petals.
Chiropractor
THE JOINT
2525 Arapahoe Ave. Ste. C2, 303-440-8019 210 Ken Pratt Blvd. #245, Longmont, 303-774-7674
Second Place: Swan Lake Chiropractic Clinic
Third Place: North Boulder Chiropractic
Fourth Place: Duggan Chiropractic
Fifth Place: Whole Body Balance
The Greek physician Hippocrates, from whom doctors derived the Hippocratic oath sometimes paraphrased as “First, do no harm,” cautioned physicians to pay attention to the health of the spine in the fifth century B.C. He’s preceded in that wisdom by Chinese and Greek writing that mention manipulating the spine. But in case you haven’t been planning for the last 2,000-plus years for a healthy back and have instead spent the last few years hunched over a computer keyboard or otherwise begging your back to pull out of alignment, there’s The Joint. They’ve got a no-appointment–necessary approach to providing affordable chiropractic adjustments that can see you walk out with relief mere minutes after deciding it was time to get your spine in line.
Golf Course
FLATIRONS GOLF COURSE
5706 Arapahoe Ave., 303-442-7851
Second Place: Boulder Country Club
Third Place: Haystack Mountain Golf Course
Fourth Place: Indian Peaks Golf Club
Fifth Place: Coal Creek Golf Course
You may not get a green jacket for playing at the Flatirons Golf Course, but you do get a view of the Flatirons. Go ahead and “ruin” a perfectly good walk by carrying some clubs and little white balls in this historic club, designed in 1933 and built in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration project. More than 50,000 rounds are played here each year — and if that’s not a seal of approval for the course, we don’t know what is. Located just 10 minutes from downtown, you’re almost sure to make that tee time.
LASIK Services
BOULDER EYES 1810 30th St. Suite B, 303-499-2020
Second Place: Eyecare Center of Boulder
Third Place: Boulder Eye Surgeons
Fourth Place: Insight LASIK
Fifth Place: Boulder Visions Associates
Still squinting at those street signs and bringing books half an inch from your face to read them because you’ve lost your glasses again? Perhaps it’s time to scrap the ongoing search and try LASIK. Beyer Laser Center at Boulder Eyes once again wins this category for doctors our readers are comfortable working with when it comes to work on a very sensitive organ. They’re noted for great results and professional customer service.
Veterinarian Care
ALPINE HOSPITAL FOR ANIMALS
3210 Valmont Road, 303-443-9661
Second Place: Humane Society of Boulder Valley
Third Place: South Boulder Animal Hospital
Fourth Place: Arapahoe Animal Hospital
Fifth Place: Boulder’s Natural Animal Veterinary Hospital
For more than five decades, Alpine Hospital for Animals has served Boulder County’s pets. It’s more than just a veterinarian clinic. It’s a place that knows pets are more than pets — they’re companions to their owners. All creatures, great and small, receive a high level of compassion and diagnostics. The hospital even handles very small pets, including exotics, using traditional Western medicine, alternative eastern therapies and full dental and surgical treatments, including minimally-invasive procedures.
MMJ and Recreational Dispensary
THE DANDELION
845 Walnut St., 303-459-4676
Second Place: The Farm
Third Place: Terrapin Care Station
Fourth Place: Helping Hands Herbals
Fifth Place: 14er Holistics
The owners of The Dandelion say they chose the name because cannabis and the dandelion are viewed similarly in the public eye — as weeds with no value.
Yet both plants are beneficial to the environment and have been used medicinally by humans for thousands of years. The Dandelion offers dozens of strains of indica and sativa, hybrids, oils, edibles, concentrates, tinctures and equipment like vaporizers and glass pipes.
With its unassuming exterior, The Dandelion offers a low-key environment for those looking to purchase medicinal or recreational marijuana.
Martial Arts
BOULDER KARATE
1676 30th St., 303-442-4330
Second Place: Easton Training Centers-Boulder
Third Place: Boulder Quest Center
Fourth Place: Shaolin Hung Mei Kung Fu
Fifth Place: Wolchek Academy of Martial Arts
For the third year in a row, Boulder Karate has been named best martial arts by BW readers, and it’s easy to understand why. Boulder Karate makes physical fitness something the whole family can look forward to, with classes for Tiny Tigers (ages 4-7) through adults 17 and older. Group classes provide a way for students to make new friends (and let’s face it, grown-ups — making friends as an adult is hard), but private lessons are available for those who want one-on-one instruction. And every student at Boulder Karate gets at least one private lesson per week where they can work on core techniques to move up to the next belt, learn to use weapons or improve sparring skills.
Not sure if karate is right for you? BK offer a free month-long trial that includes one 30-minute private lesson every week with a certified instructor, unlimited group lessons with other students at your age and skill level, and access to their dojo to practice anytime the business is open.
Nail Salon
TEN20
2005 Pearl St., 720-565-1020
Second Place: Contempo Nails
Third Place: JLounge Natural Nail Bar and Spa
Fourth Place: Finishing Touch Spa
Fifth Place: The Nail Studio Boulder
Ten20 nail and waxing spa has been going in Boulder for about a decade now. The shop closes the gap between the corner nail shop and one of those fancy-schmancy places that caters to special occasions. Visitors here kick back in comfy chairs surrounded by big screen TVs that play the hottest shows while enjoying unlimited M&Ms and Diet Cokes. The shop is also bringing out the feminine side of cycling though Team ten20. Clad in black and pink Lycra, Team ten20 is said to be Colorado’s fastest growing women’s bike club with 100 members and counting.
Dental Care
NORTH BOULDER DENTAL GROUP
1001 North St., 303-447-1042
Second Place: Alpine Dentistry
Third Place: Boulder Smiles
Fourth Place: Boulder Dental Group
Fifth Place: Stephen Koral (at Boulder Holistic Dentistry)
It can be tough to like the dentist.
Unless that dentist works at The North Boulder Dental Group. Boulder’s favorite tooth technicians strive to make sure that the routine trip to the dentist is not a physical, emotional or financial roller coaster for patients. Their policy of encouraging questions— for both staff and patients— is at the heart of their practice. Just be sure to ask your questions after you’ve rinsed and spit. Otherwise, yuck.
Day Spa
ST JULIEN HOTEL & SPA
900 Walnut St., 720-406-9696
Second Place: The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa
Third Place: JLounge Natural Nail Bar and Spa
Fourth Place: Finishing Touch Spa
Fifth Place: Essentiels Day Spa
With world-class accommodations, a great view of the Flatirons and the Pearl Street Mall a quick jaunt away, the St Julien Hotel & Spa is in an ideal location. Inside, it’s both casual and luxurious with a 10,000-square-foot spa and fitness center complete with a lap pool, fitness equipment, men’s and women’s sauna and steam rooms and unique, locally inspired treatments that are found nowhere else in the world. From scrubs and wraps to massages to the works, it all comes in an elegant yet serene setting that sets the St Julien apart from the crowd.
Medical Marijuana Evaluation Service
HOLOS HEALTH
5377 Manhattan Cir. Suite 204, 720-273- 3568
Second Place: Grassroots Medical Clinic
Third Place: Relaxed Clarity
Fourth Place: Fully Alive Medicine
Fifth Place: Compassionate Pain Management
Regardless of what the rest of the country may think or tease Colorado for, medical marijuana is just that — medical — and any choice about the medications you use, herbal or otherwise, is a serious one. That’s why you want to know you’re talking to someone who’s looking at your health issues from a holistic perspective and could provide a solid consultation on whether medical marijuana is right for you. At Holos Health, medical marijuana is just one of several services available, all of them meant to help patients find their right path toward personal wellness.
Skin Care Services DIVINE RESONANCE
1634 Walnut St. Suite 111, 720- 432-1108
Second Place: Dermatology Specialists of Boulder
Third Place: The Dragontree Holistic Day Spa
Fourth Place: The Beauty Spot
Fifth Place: Marianna’s L’Esthetique Medi Spa
Our skin is an organ that absorbs what it’s exposed to.
Expose it to healthy stuff, and you’ll have healthier skin. Divine Resonance specializes in organic skin treatments that draw from ancient wisdom, not chemicals, to keep your skin feeling refreshed and healthy. Divine Resonance is now offering micro-needling as a deep delivery system for your own platelet rich plasma, to regenerate new, healthy looking skin.
Tanning Salon
VERANDA SUN
1670 30th St., 303-447-8844
Second Place: Tans To Go Tanning Salon
Third Place: At the Beach
Fourth Place: Aspen Tan
Fifth Place: Polish Tan and Nail Spa
There’s nothing like a little sunshine to lift sagging spirits, but it gets tough during the winter months when the sun sets behind the Flatirons around 4:30 every afternoon. But never fear, Veranda Sun is just around the corner, offering a way to get a healthy dose of sunshine, even when skies are gray.
Veranda Sun was established in 1983, making it the first tanning salon in Boulder. No wonder folks see them as the best in the city. Veranda Sun offers clients different levels of tanning beds as well as a variety of sunless options to give your skin that sunkissed glow all year round.
