Dallas’ Newest Wellness Retreat Feels Straight Out of Los Angeles — and That’s a Good Thing

Tucked into a tiny collection of shops off Lemmon Avenue is one of the most soothing (and possibly transformational) spots in Dallas. In fact, the moment you step into Breathe Mind and Body, you’ll feel instantly transported. The studio, which opened earlier this month, isn’t like anything Dallas has seen before, which is a pretty exciting thing.

Breathe is the culmination of years of work by two women who found each other after moving to Dallas from separate coasts. After decades managing operations for Chanel, Jenn Moulaison moved from New York to help open Forty Five Ten’s downtown location in 2016. That year, in an effort to take better care of her body, she signed up for her first formal meditation class. Chelsey Charbeneau (a recent Los Angeles transplant) was her teacher.

They instantly clicked, and after completing her own 300 hours of meditation teacher training, Moulaison decided to leave the fashion industry to partner with Charbeneau on a new wellness concept for Dallas.

The unique studio focuses predominately on meditation, with various breathe-focused classes and sound baths happening every 30 minutes in the peaceful “Inhale” or “Exhale” rooms. Every Breathe teacher has gone through Charbeneau’s 200-hour meditation training, ensuring there’s a consistency no matter which instructor you might find yourself in class with.

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But Breathe offers several different therapeutic modalities. It’s one of the rare Dallas spots you can do halotherapy, held in a clear glass booth that combines the healing power of dry salt with vibrational therapy, vibroacoustic therapy (you’ll wear special headphones), and chromotherapy to detoxify the respiratory system (even kids can get in on this).

Other services Breathe visitors can book are Ayurveda, Thai massage therapy, and craniosacral therapy (a hands-on but gentle procedure intended to help relieve pain). The most novel service, though, may be crystal therapy, where a client lies on a bed of crushed amethyst (there’s some cushioning above the gems) and beneath seven Vogel cut quartz crystals suspended above. The practice is intended to align your energetic flow, but it also looks insanely cool. “I think men have beat the women out on booking the crystal bed so far,” Moulaison says.

 

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So excited for this beautiful space 💫

A post shared by jenn c. hill (@zenjenncreative) on Feb 3, 2020 at 8:11am PST

Everything in Breathe is incredibly thought through. From the tightly edited front-of-house retail section, filled with lunar-inspired candles and essential oils by mostly Texas-based makers, to the interiors designed by Gonzalo Bueno of Ten Plus Three. “He took our vision for something gender neutral, fresh, clean and simple but interesting, and created the entire space,” Moulaison says. “We wanted it to be chic but also not intimidating.”

Depending on where you find yourself in Breathe, you may feel like you’re in a Santa Monica, New York, or even a Tokyo studio. Fortunately, though, you’re in Dallas, a city both co-founders feel was ready for a space like Breathe.

“I think Dallas as a city is a bit of a late adopter. I think it takes a minute, but then they’re in. People are so willing and open try everything,” Moulaison says. “They’re excited and that makes us so happy.”