Kelli Johansen
Mountain Spirit Integrative Medicine
Best Acupuncturist
1. Mountain Spirit Integrative Medicine
Mountain Spirit does it all on the acupuncture front: Chinese medicine, Cupping, moxa, Japanese meridian therapy—even face acupuncture. (There’s a whole tab dedicated to that last one on the website.) Those are just some of the reasons why this shop is holding down the No. 1 spot in this category! They’re also contracted with several major insurance carriers. Who couldn’t use a little help with some natural healing?
303 Paseo de Peralta, (505) 988-2449
2. High Desert Healthcare and Massage
Led by owners Catherine Peck, Jill Gerber and Tracy Conrad, the High Desert team has been at in Santa Fe since 1992. (Happy 30th!) The rates are quite affordable, and the aforementioned team features no one with less than two years’ experience—some of them are trained in massage, as well, which means you can double up on services.
644 Paseo de Peralta; 5 Caliente Road Building 2, Ste. D, (505) 984-8830
“Everything, including one’s self, that exists in the Universe is a manifestation of energy. This energy is called Qi. Qi is the invisible force that gives life to all living matter.” What a way to open up a website mission statement. Through acupuncture (and other offerings) Bjorklund’s mission is to “bring this natural balance of qi, yin and yang, back to your body.”
2019 Galisteo St., Ste. N-4, (505) 982-5156
Best Alternative Healing
1. Mountain Spirit Integrative Medicine
Do Best of Santa Fe voters think acupuncture equals alternative healing equals acupuncture—or are the three businesses that garnered the most votes in these two categories just that good? (It’s the latter.) Mountain Spirit also offers massage, naprapathy, colonics, even holistic primary care medicine. The emphasis on repeat customers should be a good indicator that it’s all working. Oh, and did we mention they are locally- and LGBTQ-owned? Yeah. We are gonna mention that.
303 Paseo de Peralta, (505) 988-2449
2. High Desert Healthcare and Massage
You aren’t gonna feel like you’ve wandered into the over-adorned spa at the Bellagio when you visit High Desert, but that ain’t the point. Instead, you’ll find yourself in a simple space whose employed inhabitants don’t care about anything but helping you through what’s troubling. Treat yourself. Go.
644 Paseo de Peralta; 5 Caliente Road Building 2, Ste. D, (505) 984-8830
Bjorklund’s philosophy is rooted in deep studies of mindfulness, psychology, meditation, Taoism and Buddhism. As far as we are concerned, that’s the bedrock cat’s pajamas for alternative healing. The list of conditions and ailments Bjorklund’s treatments can heal is far too long for this space. Just get in there, and get better.
2019 Galisteo St., Ste. N-4, (505) 982-5156
Best Chiropractor
Neck and back pain been cramping your style? Connerly is all about putting an end to that nonsense through chiropractic techniques designed to revitalize your strength and wellbeing. However you got jacked up—old sports injury, car wreck, jumped off a railing after a few too many margaritas—this is your spot, Santa Fe, for getting un-jacked.
1982 Plaza del Sur Drive, #A, (505) 988-9017
Yo, the “about” page on Morgan’s website features a Thomas Edison quote. Need we say more to encourage you to get your chiropractor on at this place? No, we needn’t. But we will: Since 1998, this practice has been helping Santa Fe restore nervous-system balance without drugs.
1904 Kiva Road, (505) 820-0706
3. Winds of Choice Chiropractic
We all know why one would try a chiropractor: sciatica, muscle pain, joint pain, acid reflux...pretty much a parade of horrors coming as a result of the human condition. The question is: Which chiropractor are you choosing to guide you down the path to wellness? How about Winds of Choice, where Dr. Windy Carter is also busy raising chickens and bees.
2948 Richards Ave., (505) 424-9114
Best Dental Practice
For some of us, a trip to the dentist is like pulling teeth. (Sincere apologies for that one.) So to find a one-stop shop for cleanings, the cosmetic stuff, crowns, implants and all the rest that doesn’t inspire nightmares is, indeed, a miracle—or a milagro if you will. There are many reasons Milagro has taken first place in this category three straight years. And listen up: They’re running a new patient special in which you can score X-rays and a cleaning for $249. Get after it!
2019 Galisteo St., Ste. L2, (505) 982-9222
Dr. Ritchey drives this practice on a theme of keeping up with the latest trends and technology in dentistry—otherwise known as continuing education. The broad list of services available at the Eldorado location proves it: Ozone dentistry, all the basics and something called NuCalm. Yes, please.
1 Caliente Road, Ste. E, (505) 466-0999
Get crowned on the same day—and we are not referring to some ridiculous cosplay scene stolen from a monarchy. Santa Fe Modern Dentistry does it all, including orthodontics. They’ll even take care of your tooth needs on the weekends by appointment.
3569 Zafarano Drive, (505) 986-8000
Shelby Wyatt
Best Fitness Classes
Come to SFCC for the yoga, stay for the tai chi classes. And if you spend too much time at your desk/computer—which for sure describes us at SFR—then you absolutely must have a go at the Alexander Technique. It improves flexibility and strength and has been shown to heal some of those old, everyday injuries that make getting through the day a chore. There are Zumba and meditation classes, too.
6401 Richards Ave., (505) 428-1000
2. Santa Fe Health and Fitness
This well-loved fitness center has been serving Santa Fe for more than 20 years. The staff is dedicated to helping you achieve short- and long-term health. Individual sessions are affordable, and there’s a very attractive package deal on offer for those who want to commit to the long haul.
2008 St. Michael’s Drive, (505) 795-7742
Pretty good chance that if you are remotely into fitness, you’ve heard of Orangetheory—the group workout that uses science, technology and coaching to turbo-boost your metabolism and have you feeling energized long after you leave the gym. But did you know there was one in Santa Fe? There is.
516 W. Cordova Road, (505) 395-7100
Best Health Care
A reassuring selling point for those looking for quality care: The provider has been around since 1865. Christus is a 200-bed hospital, but it’s also a lot more than that. You’ll find pain management, surgeons of many stripes, ENT specialists and neonatal intensive care. You don’t have to trust Best of Santa Fe voters on this, either. Christus’ website is loaded with stories of people who’ve been helped.
455 St. Michael’s Drive, (505) 913-3361
2. Presbyterian Healthcare Services
There’s not much if anything the team at Pres can’t handle, whether it’s routine health maintenance or services when something has gone terribly wrong. There’s an ICU, a family birthing unit and all the lab and imaging tools you could possibly need. The expanded orthopedic care and women’s services are of particular note.
4801 Beckner Road, (505) 772-1234
It started as a clinic focused on caring for people living with HIV/AIDS and, last year, Southwest Care celebrated a quarter-century. Since its inception, Southwest has expanded its services to include primary care, pediatrics and more without ever losing sight of that original mission. There are two locations in Santa Fe and a third in Albuquerque.
901 W. Alameda St.; 649 Harkle Road Ste. E, (505) 955-9454
Best Mental Health Care Provider
1. Solace Crisis Treatment Center
This nonprofit exists to serve people who are survivors of sexual assault, stalking and sex trafficking and to work on sexual violence prevention. The focus here is on restoring dignity, agency and humanity for survivors. Solace is closing in on 50 years in business, and Santa Fe is grateful for every one of them.
6601 Valentine Way, (505) 988-1951
2. Presbyterian Healthcare Services
“Mental health care” has become a somewhat ambiguous phrase in modern life. But at Pres, it’s very specific—and the care is focused. For children, adults and geriatric patients, there’s counseling, rehabilitation, substance abuse programs and plenty more.
4801 Beckner Road, (505) 772-1234
Individual therapy at The Life Link comes tailored for your specific needs, Santa Fe. Or, if group therapy is more your speed, that’s available here, too. Their model is built around practices that have been proven effective through evidence—not someone’s gut feeling about what might work.
2325 Cerrillos Road, (505) 438-0010
Best Nonprofit for Health
Another Santa Fe staple that’s turning 50 this year. (SFR is two years behind y’all.) The pitch here is that this is the health center for the whole community, with no concern about insurance, income or immigration status. And with La Familia, the pitch becomes reality. This place has grown from a two-room clinic to being the go-to health care provider for one in eight people in Santa Fe. That ain’t nothin’.
1035 Alto St.; 2145 Caja del Oro Grand Road, (505) 982-4425
2. Cancer Foundation for New Mexico
The foundation was born in 2003 to fill a massive gap for Northern New Mexico cancer patients and their loved ones: cost. And not just the cost of treatment—but gas to get to clinics, overnight stays in not-cheap Santa Fe and any other expenses associated with battling cancer. If that’s not noble, nothing is.
3005 S. St. Francis Drive, Ste. 3-B, (505) 955-7931
3. Presbyterian Healthcare Services
There’s a reason Presbyterian shows up each year in Best of Santa Fe for multiple categories. Actually, there are many, many reasons. And the nonprofit piece of Pres’ mission is one of them. Pres has come an awfully long way since 1908, when it was founded as a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients.
4801 Beckner Road, (505) 772-1234
Best Physical Therapy
In this iteration, the Christus team is all about handling both those nagging injuries and those sudden ones. They’re about making sure neither of those sorts of ailments befall you in the first place, too. Among the highlights on offer is the hand clinic. (Maybe that’s appealing just because we have an abiding fear of losing the use of our hands.) Find PT for any number of other parts.
2968 Rodeo Park Drive W., Ste. 100, (505) 913-5100
This is a staff of friends. No, not the cast of Friends, but a group of people who were tight for years prior to cranking up Therapy Solutions. That base informs the way the staff approaches physical therapy: with empathy, kindness and a tinge of lightheartedness. Sounds like a proper environment for healing, no?
333 W. Cordova Road, (505) 984-9101
3. Presbyterian Physical Therapy
Here, find every variety of physical therapy under the sun—all the standards, such as occupational therapy and orthopedics, but also a detailed aquatics program and more. By the way, if it’s something besides a sore lower back—say, like speech difficulties—Pres has that covered, too.
4801 Beckner Road, (505) 772-1234
Shelby Wyatt
Best Pilates Studio
The goal: pain-free movement. Pilates Santa Fe’s map to get there: increase flexibility and attain maximum strength through, what else? Pilates! The studio team’s roots stretch back to New York City in the 1970s, where, one could argue, the American Pilates movement began. Neuromuscular reeducation, anyone? This is the spot to retrain your corpus, Santa Fe, and start feeling great every day.
839 Paseo de Peralta, (505) 995-9700
We appreciate Re Form School’s own description: “This ain’t your mama’s Pilates. We bump music, we have fun, and we swear a lot. If you’re ready to get in the best shape of your life, to work hard, and to have an absurdly fun time, congratulations…now let’s do the thing.” So, do it.
312 Montezuma Ave., (505) 920-6277
The best way to health, according to the promise of Pilates, is to get your body into a place where it can circulate and breathe. That’s the scene at PilatesBodies, where you’ll have access to group sessions, one-on-ones and even duets. Go ahead, Santa Fe, and start moving!
3 Caliente Road, #4, (505) 466-3380
Best Small Gym
1. Santa Fe Health and Fitness
Owners Mark and Donna Gurulé are confident that you’ll love Santa Fe Health and Fitness, no matter what size category into which it fits. Matter of fact, they’ll give any Santa Fe resident over 18 a free one-week pass. (They know you’ll keep coming.) They also know everyone’s fitness goals are different. So whether it’s weight loss, training for a sports competition or just feeling better on a daily basis, they know what to do at this St. Mike’s spot.
2008 St. Michael’s Drive, (505) 795-7742
2. Santa Fe Spa
We at SFR can be a little skeptical of marketing slogans, but Santa Fe Spa’s “Friendliest Gym in Town” moniker just fits. Expert trainers, a variety of fitness classes and no piece of equipment you won’t find make the offerings just as good as the vibe. The short-term rates are excellent, as well.
786 Calle Mejia, (505) 984-8727
With great views out the front of this gym of, well, the Railyard, you’re off to a great beginning on your fitness journey. There’s a focus on valuable workouts here, so you’ll see a unique equipment layout, with plenty of exercise balls, boxing bags, resistance bands and free weights.
703 Camino de la Familia, (505) 983-7909
Best Urgent Care
This is where you go, Santa Fe, if things have gone south—but not too far south. If it’s life threatening, you gotta level up. However...Sprained an ankle hiking in the Sangres? Railyard Urgent Care. Broke your ankle on the soccer pitch? Railyard Urgent Care. That jacked up rotator cuff finally gave up while you were playing golf at Marty Sanchez? You know where to go. There’s preventative medicine, too, plus flu shots and vaccinations.
831 S. St. Francis Drive, (505) 501-7791
2. Presbyterian Healthcare Services
Seems like we have told you an awful lot about Presbyterian in this here Best of Santa Fe Health category. Here’s one more: They’re rocking a full-service urgent care center over there in addition to everything else. No one wants to go to urgent care, especially in these dark times. If you must, you won’t find much better than Pres.
4801 Beckner Road, (505) 772-1234
There’s nothing like the reassurance of a no-appointment, walk-in medical facility backed up by the strength of a Santa Fe health care provider that’s been around since the end of the Civil War. X-rays for that broken collarbone? This is your spot, no matter your age.
5501 Herrera Drive, (505) 913-3233
Best Women’s Health Services
Now more than ever, it’s a good time to stand back and recognize the vital nature of what Planned Parenthood does—and it’s an even better time to stand with them. Regardless of whether you have insurance, Planned Parenthood is here for anyone in Santa Fe who needs help with emergency contraception, abortion services, STD treatments and vaccines and even primary care. Women’s health care matters in New Mexico, and this nonprofit is the gold standard.
730 St. Michael’s Drive, Ste. 4B, (505) 982-3684
Christus again, Best of Santa Fe readers. The staff at this clinic is committed to the best hospital midwifery, gynecologic services and stem-to-stern pregnancy care.
1622 Galisteo St., #200, (505) 984-0303
3. Presbyterian Healthcare Services
One last placing for Presbyterian, this time for the work they do on behalf of women’s health. We won’t mention again how essential these services are, given the state of the world, but this is important work: OB/GYN services include the surgical and non-surgical kind.
4801 Beckner Road, Ste. 2650, (505) 257-4758
Best Yoga Studio
1. Yogasource
Whatever your pleasure in this time of COVID-19, Yogasource has you covered with either in-person or Zoom yoga classes. We’re talking workshops, the yoga classes with which you’re familiar, a series that ends with you actually becoming an instructor—even retreats from time to time. Find whichever yoga philosophy fits you best and a sliding-scale pricing system that makes this wonderful practice available to all.
901 W. San Mateo Road, (505) 982-0990
This is our city’s lone nonprofit yoga studio. Just because they aren’t out to turn big profits doesn’t mean you won’t find first-class yoga instruction and more here, though. Now we are gonna mention how cool their Yoga in Schools program is: It’s really, really cool.
826 Camino de Monte Rey, Ste. B1, (505) 820-9363
You can spa and you can shop at BODY, but for purposes of this Best of Santa Fe placement, you can most definitely yoga. And you definitely should—we know your lotus position is looking ragged these days, and forget downward dog. Let the BODY crew get you back on track.
333 W. Cordova Road, Ste. 200, (505)986-0362
