Teri Foley suspected for a long time that people needed to find ways to relax, so she started a business to help them do so.
“I started Zen Dens on a hunch,” says the entrepreneur and owner of the wellness spa she opened on Stadium Drive in 2020. “I had met people looking for different ways to find relaxation, something other than taking a pill. I had this inner feeling that the community needed this service.”
Foley’s inner feeling had been brewing for 30-some years, through her employment in the accounts payable department at First of America Bank, as an accountant for Richard-Allen Scientific (now Thermo Fisher Scientific) and as a human resources executive for MPI Research in Mattawan (now part of Charles River Laboratories International).
But even though her jobs focused primarily on numbers, she found that she “enjoyed employee relations and was well-suited for human resources.”
“People would seek me out,” says the 50-year-old. “They would come to my desk and sit down, and they would talk to me. They called me ‘an energy cleanser.’ That’s because I listen, but I’m not heavy with what people tell me. I don’t carry their burdens.”
‘Compassion care’
Foley’s concern for the well-being of others — which led to what she calls “compassion care” — is at the core of Zen Dens’ mission “to allow people a reprieve from their day-to-day lives.”
“Working in HR, I saw a lot of job burnout and mental health issues,” Foley says. “People were exhausted. I would ask, ‘Do you have anything left for your family?’ And I found myself wanting to create a place for people to take a timeout, to reset themselves.
“People come here and select one or more of our services, and they don’t have to think about anything else. If people are late, I say, ‘Don’t worry; it’ll all work out. I don’t want you to be stressed about coming to get de-stressed.’”
The name Zen Dens came from a brainstorming exercise. “We just started calling each of our services a den because the space for each is a little private sanctuary. And we wanted people to feel relaxed, so that’s where the Zen part came in.”
Zen Dens initially offered three services: salt therapy, float therapy for one person or couples, and red-light therapy, all of which are purported to help relieve anxiety, depression and inflammation. In recent years the facility has added a cold plunge, an infrared sauna, a vibrational/acoustic sound lounge, and ionic foot detox. Reiki and massage are available by appointment. Foley says she is considering adding more services, including a do-it-yourself massage suit, a hydration station utilizing infrared heat, chromotherapy (which uses colored light to promote relaxation), aromatherapy and a Vichy shower (a massage with warm water from multiple shower heads).
Chelsea Skin Collective, which provides skin care and makeup lessons, is also part of Zen Dens. “Looking good is feeling good, so that’s another way that people experience wellness,” Foley says.
A diverse clientele
The feeling of relaxation begins at Zen Dens’ door, where a sign reads, “Zen Zone … Soft Voices … Quiet Feet Please.” Inside, the aura continues, with a mural of flowing lines in hues of gemstones and with crystals infused within the walls.
“I feel honored to be doing this work. I’m grateful for all the relationships I make with people when they come in,” Foley says. “And so we hold this space for people not to be judged, to be as they are.”
But not every client comes to Zen Dens to soothe their frazzled mind. Dana Marie, of Parchment, began doing salt floats to help ease chronic back pain that was the result of an injury.
“The first time we floated, I didn’t have excruciating pain like I did after being injured,” she says. “It makes you weightless. You’re just floating, and your spine elongates. I would walk in there hunched over in pain, and after floating I could stand up and move, and for a day or two I felt significantly better. I wouldn’t say pain-free, but my mobility was better.”
Marie now engages in a salt float once a month and has also taken advantage of the restorative yoga class offered in Zen Dens’ salt cave. “It’s like a five-pose yoga class, and you’re in the stretches for a longer period of time to help ease the pain.”
A scary start
Despite Zen Dens’ name and purpose, Foley admits that leaving her career to start Zen Dens was “scary.”
“I walked away from a significant career in human resources, an executive-level paycheck, 401k, medical insurance. Everything I earned and saved is now here in Zen Dens. I opened the business on February 2, 2020. Then Covid hit.”
Yet, her penchant to let go of burdens prevailed. “Somebody told me, ‘If you’re on your mission, you’ll be provided for.’ I probably repeated that to myself ten thousand times. And I just held the belief that I was doing something good for the community and that it would work out.”
During those early months of the pandemic, Foley kept herself at ease by utilizing her own facility. “I floated every day that I was closed. I went from one tank to another. I lay in the red-light therapy bed. I meditated in the salt cave, and it was awesome. Then when I opened again in mid-June 2020, people slowly started to come.”
Today, Foley estimates that more than 10,000 people have utilized Zen Dens — people of all ages, from children to one person who is 102. Executives, professionals, laborers, retirees. Medical and holistic health care providers, some of whom refer their clients to Zen Dens.
“Everybody is welcome. Each den is designed so people don’t have to spend a lot,” says Foley. “We are here to support you in whatever you need.”
