In the basement of the recently restored Nichols Building in Shalesmoor, a new urban spa has been beautifully brought to life by the people behind R1SE Yoga. Husband-and-wife team Chris and Jennifer Downham have relocated from their spiritual home just across the road in Krynkl to create R1SE Urban Spa, the latest phase of their wellness journey.
As well as their ever-popular yoga classes, the stylish new space allows them to offer even more experiences including Fire and Ice sessions, where customers will take a 75-minute journey of extremes from the sauna to the ice bath, breathwork and massage.
These Fire & Ice sessions totally rejuvenate the body and mind while also making your skin feel like you have had a full facial. What makes it truly special is that it’s all about self-care; you’re doing it to yourself. You learn the techniques, keeping the costs much lower while empowering yourself with skills to take home.
Sessions in the new spa can be free-flow or guided, with their expert staff on hand to explain the benefits and science behind each therapy. The guided sessions will offer three different levels: blissed out, high energy or balanced, which will dictate what you actually do in each session, whether it’s breathwork, massage, ice baths, saunas or meditation.
This space will also be home to social nights, club nights and silent discos, utilising their so-bar area, which will feature Chris’ homemade kombuchas, a selection of other non-alcoholic drinks, and flights of drinks.
Explaining the ethos of the spa, Chris said: “The three words we use to describe the spa are ‘chaos, control and calm’; that sums up everything we do. Life is chaotic, you have to have control systems and we deserve to be calm. It’s all about using your body in different ways to either feel buzzing or to put you in a calming state, and we can switch those experiences up at the touch of a button.
“R1SE is all about performance and recovery – something that isn’t just for athletes, but for everyone. All humans need to perform and recover, whether it’s mentally, emotionally or physically. At R1SE, we use your miraculous bodies and natural stimuli – heat, cold, breath and light – unlocking your ability to perform and recover in the most organic way.”
The spa utilises science and technology to replicate the natural experiences we are missing from a busy urban lifestyle. Chris explained: “We want you to have the scientific benefits of sunshine through red light therapy. The key is to surrender to it because everything is going to change – from temperatures to breathing – so you have to be open-minded.”
R1SE began life in 2018. Up to that point, Chris had owned various businesses over a 30-year period but had to declare bankruptcy when he found himself in the unenviable position of becoming the victim of fraud. Thus, when it came to naming the new yoga studio, ‘rise’ felt like the perfect fit.
R1SE was more than just starting a new business, though; it was a complete change of lifestyle for Chris and a reordering of his priorities. “At that time I had an earnings restriction, so I decided I would work on a community farm and got to understand a lot more about nature and fill in some of the massive gaps that I had in my knowledge.
“There were pros and cons that I could feel from nature and living a different life, and I made the very deliberate decision to live the second half of my life completely opposite to the first half.
“I was always wearing suits, ties and driving Mercs to holiday homes – what in my background was perceived as success. It made me happy, but I’m happier now without that.
“But back then I was getting into my mid-40s, and things were starting to hurt. I was also waking up most nights feeling angry about the guys who had stolen millions of pounds from me and put me in the situation I was in.
“I had the opportunity to start again from scratch in a new field. I was enjoying nature, and my wife’s always done yoga, so the combination of angry head, sore back, and Jen quietly doing the right thing for many years led me to yoga. I went to a studio in Sheffield, and I loved it.
“Old Chris, Chris version one, would have laughed his head off at new Chris in this situation. I went from eating meat to becoming vegan and not drinking alcohol for five years. I turned my world upside down, and it felt great.”
As he learned more and felt the personal benefits of yoga and breathwork, Chris and Jen decided to take the plunge and open their own yoga studio. Chris had a contact in Krynkl, and they set up shop in the Shalesmoor shipping container unit.
Chris said: “We just gave it loads of passion, and it was really busy from the start. It was much more of an urban feel and very accepting. It was less about unwritten secret rules and more about movement and getting out of pain. I found my passion, and I believe if you find your passion, it’s not work. We should all be able to be as happy as a dog!”
From there, they opened a second venue at Brook Place, while developing the offer to complement the movement-based yoga with other areas of focus such as nutrition, nature, and team and community.
This growth led to the decision to open the urban spa, where they will combine the principles of nature with technology in order to ‘hack into’ well-being. “We live unintentionally like battery chickens; we’re a bit like battery humans in artificial boxes, driving artificial boxes, always at the same temperature, taking antibiotics, and eating artificial food.
“We need to be a bit free-range. Just let ourselves out into the field a bit more. We started moving more towards these principles when we opened Brook Place, and that’s where R1SE then starts to become less R1SE Yoga and more R1SE.
“For me, things have to get better, and at Krynkl, we were standing still, so it felt like the right time. I’d spent six years looking at the Nicholls Building, and the basement seemed like the perfect space for a new spa. What better space for a spa than a former rave cave?”
To check out their sessions, mini-retreats and memberships, head over to their website for details: r1se.co.uk/urban-spa-sheffield.
