Wellness means different things to different people. For us, it’s a catch-all term encompassing mental and physical health, beauty and apothecary, spa treatments, herbal medicine, spirituality and the occult, environmental and sustainable living, plant care, self-care, and, oh, a million other things. Wellness is what you make it.
Which has us wondering: Where do you seek wellness in Minnesota? And more importantly, how do you give a wellness gift to someone else?
Tula Spa
Is it a gift certificate for a future facial or deep-tissue massage at Tula Spa? A spot in a Zoom workshop on astrology and breathwork at Drew Barrymore favorite The Future? A virtual vinyasa session with Yess Yoga Studio? A mood-boosting plant from Tonkadale? Maybe it’s a macrobiotic meal at Tao Cafe & Herbery, or a marbled ceramic pipe from Duke Albert, or Tibetan cymbals from Khazana, or detox body scrubs from the epically stylish (and new!) Stranger & Co. in Edina. Decisions, decisions.
Brick-and-mortar operations aside, we’re keen to trumpet Minnesota makers and designers working in the wellness and beauty fieldf. What follows is a roundup of #MNMade gift ideas to help you help the ones you love get centered.
1. Lulu Organics made a name for itself in the dry shampoo market. But did you know the Minneapolis-based company also makes beard oil ($20)? This cedarwood- and cade berry-scented concoction is a vegan blend of argan and olive oils infused with rosemary, horsetail, and nettle.
2. Textile designer Maggie Dimmick of Minneapolis’ Ethel Studio fills her Sky Stripe eye pillows ($28) with organic flax seeds and dried organic lavender flowers.
3. Oh, to be the lucky guy who gets to lather up with this luxuriously whipped tobacco leather shave soap ($17.99), made by Iron Ranger Soap in Hibbing.
4. We love the coolly designed packaging of Stilly’s organic CBD pre-rolled joints ($15). The Mellow Mix combines sweet, earthy terpenes from Cherry Blossom with a calming herbal blend of sage, lavender, and mullein. The lab-tested blend has no pesticides or artificial additives. Launched in 2019, Stilly also makes vegan CBD gummies, a healing hemp salve, and roll-on CBD essential oils.
5. The Gold Moss Spirit Brightening Body Oil ($35) from Minneapolis’ House of Heartland is made with organic patchouli, French pine, grapefruit, ylang-ylang, and tea tree and sunflower oils.
6. Dirt and grime are powerless in the face of Smöra soap stones. Pumice powder exfoliates; orange essential oil helps degrease. The stones — available in Happy Woods, Lavender Salt, or Lemon Eucalyptus Rosemary Pink Himalayan Salt varieties — retail for $7 a pop at I Like You in Minneapolis.
7. The Queen Bee gift kit ($30) from Worker B Wellness comes with lip balm, raw honey face wash, and samples of toner, scented lotion, and dusk serum.
8. Jinx Tea’s rainbow metal reusable straw set ($11.99) has three different sized straws, including one fat enough to suck up the tapioca pearls in bubble tea. The kit also comes with a straw cleaner and bamboo case for ease of portability.
9. Shout-out to this minimalist porcelain incense burner NICE NICE in Minneapolis.
10. The No. 9 Birch + Black Pepper candle ($20) from Koselig Candle Co. makes cozying up in a pandemic winter about 10 billion times more pleasant.
11. For some folks, journaling is therapeutic. This rustic 5” x 3” leather travel journal ($25) is handmade by Wayfaring Goods in St. Paul.
12. The classic matte Rondo lipstick ($15) from Lip Esteem was inspired by the historic African American community of St. Paul. Though it appears a deep, dark purplish brown in the tube, it wears like a sexy bing cherry red. Founder Tameka Jones also makes a vibrant lipstick shade inspired by Prince (Purple Reign), plus fun candy-colored glosses for teens. Equally worth noting: All of her cruelty-free cosmetics are vegan and free of parabens.
13. They say you should never surprise someone with a holiday puppy. But a plant? Now that they can handle. Mother Co. in Minneapolis has a fantastic selection of greenery, from ficuses to philodendron and everything in between (like these impossible-to-kill sansevieria zeylanica).
14. How about a bespoke body scrub ($3-$15) from Hunt for Variety? You choose the size jar (2 oz. 4, oz., or 12 oz.), the fragrance profile (fruity, flora, nature, dessert), and the color. Founder Chelcy Hunt also makes small-batch body butters, bath salts, and nail polishes.
15. Nothing says treat yo’self like Howard Soap Co.’s pumpkin oud bath salts, $22 at SALT spa in St. Louis Park.
16. Other sweet gifts for the person who wants to spa at home: Lake Superior Mineral Clay Exfoliating Mask ($40) from Santosha Co. Look for it in the organic beauty shop at Tula Spa.
17. For all you forager folks: Edible & Medicinal Wild Plants of the Midwest, by Matthew Alfs, is the essential guide for anyone interested in natural healing. It retails for $29.95 at the Minnesota Historical Society.
18. Sustainyoself’s pretty tinted lip balms ($12) do double duty as a cheek stain. Bonus: The zero-waste company uses fully compostable packaging.
19. So you probably wouldn’t give a co-worker deodorant as a Secret Santa gift, but Lume’s aluminum-free Lavender Sage deodorant bundle ($27.98) makes a fine gift for family you already know. The Chaska-based brand makes a host of interesting scents, including Jasmine Rose, Coconut Crush, and Clean Tangerine.
20. Smile! This all-natural, teeth-whitening charcoal tooth powder ($10) from Bamboo Switch can be used in lieu of traditional plastic- and aluminum-filled toothpastes.
21. Check it out: a zero-waste shave set ($33) from Sebesta Apothecary in Minneapolis. The set includes a hand-tooled wood shaving bowl carved from naturally fallen elm, oak, and box elder trees; a humanely sourced horsehair shave brush; and a clay-and-oatmeal shave bar.
22. Know what smells amazing? The Ode fragrance ($115) from 1000 Flowers, a perfumer in Grasse, France introduced to the Twin cities by Jen Knoch of From Grasse With Love. The 50ml spray carries notes of oud, cedar, coriander, cardamom, bergamot, tarragon, and rose.
23. Homesteading Bliss boxes its organic coconut and olive oil soaps ($6 each) into recyclable cartons. Bars are infused with your choice of essential oil: rosemary and peppermint or lavender and litsea.
24. This discreet zebra wood smoking pipe ($12.98), hand-carved by Southern Quality Wood Concepts in Ramsey, is small enough to fit in any pocket.
25. Profits from the sale of the color-shifting, intergalactic Resist nail polish ($12) from vegan line Atomic Polish in Minneapolis benefits The Lake Street Council and the American Civil Liberties Union.
26. It was impossible to pick just one ROMI Apothecary product to feature, so we chose two. The Queen of the Winter face oil ($40) is a skin-quenching treat designed explicitly for frigid weather. St. Paul-based founder Romina Takimoto infuses jojoba oil with organic lavender, rose, helichrysum, and elderflowers for a luxurious treat. Her Ritual Bath Soak ($15), meanwhile, brings good vibes to your tub with bits of rose petals, lavender, calendula, oat straw, chamomile, Dead Sea salt, and palo santo.
27. The prettiest little stocking stuffer: organic calendula salve ($7.50) made with natural beeswax and flowers grown in the Rogers, Minnesota backyard of botanical jewelry designer flôrəl.
28. Another 💯 stocking stuffer: orange cinnamon shea butter ($20-$22) from Basic Butta in Minneapolis.
29. Bee Naturally’s Super Food + Raw Honey facial mask set ($40) includes three 0.5 oz. glass jars of its local raw pollen-infused honey masks: green for clarifying, red for toning, and blue for calming.
30. This lavender-infused Purple Rain luxury bath bomb ($4) is “the next best thing to purifying yourself in the waters of Lake Minnetonka,” says Kobi Co. founder Kobi, a junior at DeLasalle High School who started her own business to help her save for college. In addition to bath bombs, her line includes salt soaks, body scrubs, luxury mists, candles, and Black Lives Matter ornaments.
31. Know someone who obsessively reads their horoscope? The Future sells astrological kits ($30) for every sign. Each includes a proprietary astro-centric mist and essence, plus unique tumbled rocks, a beeswax votive candle from Ames Farm, and a pack of incense matches.
32. Another star sign pick: astrological constellation diffusers ($22) from Noche Candle Co. in Minneapolis. Virgo here is made with calming white tea and vetiver.
33. The second edition of the Cosmos Tarot & Oracle Deck ($35) from Light Grey Art Lab in Minneapolis includes specially commissioned art work by 100 international artists.
34. The bamboo aromatherapy diffuser ($45) from Essence One holds 200 ml of water. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil and it’ll steam until the basin runs out of water.
35. The I Am Love rose quartz mala necklace ($108) was handmade by St. Paul-based yoga and meditation teacher Sapphire Healing.
36. The Moon Tonic Blend ($19.99) from Tao Cafe & Herbery in Minneapolis is a calming herbal potion made with tongue-numbing kava root. Try it with milk and honey!
37. The nail and cuticle oil from Minneapolis’ Oya Beauty ($6.50 at Duke Albert) combines sweet almond and jojoba oils to soften even the crustiest fingers.
38. The name says it all. F*ck Fifty’s organic botanical face serum ($100) contains 27 plant-based ingredients intended to nourish and repair tired skin. Among the star players: sea buckthorn oil, dandelion root, and nettle leaf.
39. Slather on a creamy turmeric face mask ($26) from Ballerina Botanicals Organic Skincare in Rochester. Turmeric is lauded for its anti-inflammatory properties. Matcha brightens the skin, while raw Manuka honey brings the moisture.
40. Rose oil with rose quartz crystals are the key ingredients in this hydrating rose toner ($25) from Celestia Aromatherapy in St. Paul.
41. The Ankara yoga mat bag ($69) from House of Talents is available in multiple prints and lined with PVC plastic for easy cleaning. It also has an inner pocket for storing your phone, keys, or credit cards.
42. We can’t talk about wellness without talking about the environment. Take a look at this zero-waste holiday market kit ($62.99) from Tare Market. It’s everything your nearest and dearest need to start living a more sustainable lifestyle—including a bamboo straw set, bamboo travel utensil set, market produce bag, cotton produce bag, net produce bags, beeswax wrap, and a string bag.
Still shopping? Check out our other holiday roundups, including…
Minnevangelist’s Epic Minnesota Gift Guide: Art + Home Goods
Minnevangelist’s Epic Minnesota Gift Guide: Jewelry
Minnevangelist’s Epic Minnesota Gift Guide: Food + Drink
Minnevangelist’s Epic Minnesota Gift Guide: Kids
Minnevangelist’s Epic Minnesota Gift Guide: Pets
Minnevangelist’s Epic Minnesota Gift Guide: Clothing + Accessories
Minnevangelist’s Epic Minnesota Gift Guide: Sports + Recreation
Minnevangelist’s Epic Minnesota Gift Guide: Experiences
