Delaware Wellness Spots & GF Eats

I have lived in Wilmington, Delaware since I graduated college in 2017, I’ve loved my little city but it is not very wellness friendly. Let me tell you Wilmington has come a looooooong way when it comes to wellness & gluten free eats, I used to have to drive all the way to Philadelphia if I wanted any type of wellness events.

When I first moved here all we had was Whole Foods in PA and a small local grocery store in Hockessin, and the only fitness studios around were OrangeTheory, yoga studios, and crossfit. And don’t even get me started on the matcha, I could get it from Starbucks or a local coffee shop here but none of it was ceremonial grade and it was always gray-ish and did not taste good.

But in the past 7 years or so my little baby Wilmington has been thrivinggggg, we still have a lack of gluten free eats, but overall we have so much more fitness, spirituality, and wellness places. I have never been so proud to live in this city that is growing & expanding into more “crunchy” territory.

Most of the places are in the Wilmington, DE area or right over the border in PA because lets be honest if it’s a short drive it is worth it, there are also a few in Newark, DE from my college days for any college kids who are wellness focused!

Grocery Stores:

Whole Foods in Glen Mills, PA- Honestly if you’ve been to one WF you’ve been to them all, this one is a little small & doesn’t have all the fun specialty items that most have but it’s definitely great for anything I can’t get in my thrive market box!

Sprouts in Wilmington, DE- Sprouts opened right before the pandemic & we were sooooo grateful to have it. I would say Sprouts usually has a larger array of fun items than WF, but one of the benefits of having it around is that it has forced WF’s prices to be competitive- woohoo!

Harvest Market in Hockessin, DE- I always love a small local organic market over the larger chains, I go here when I can and one of the benefits of it is how locally owned and cute it is, plus for being such a small location they have a large selection.

Food/Coffee

Kaffe Karma- If you follow me on instagram, then you know how much I love Kaffe Karma. I used to have to make my own matcha or drive in philly if I wanted something decent so Kaffe Karma opening up was truly heaven sent for me. They have a huge menu of anything you would expect at a coffee shop, but also menu items straight out of a wellness cafe. There are wellness shots, smoothies, juices, and even some mocktails! Plus their entire food menu is also divine- offering many gluten free and vegan/vegetarian items for my friends with any dietary restrictions. They also have wellness events & workshops at night and a beautifully curated wellness boutique in the front of the shop. Kaffe Karma is truly my third place so it is a must go to in Wilmington, DE!

Terrain- Terrain is my favorite place to eat and everyone knows it- if there is a gluten free fryer then I’m there. Terrain is owned by anthropologie so it has the absolute cutest curation of gifts in it’s shop while you wait to be seated. The menu is seasonal & locally sourced so you can be sure that you know where your ingredients are coming from. They have seasonal iced teas and rotate their menu items regularly so you always have something new & delicious to consume while you’re there. We lived behind terrain for a little over a year and it was amazing for my french fry consumption but not so ideal for my wallet. If you’ve been to terrain you know why I love it so much and how it fits the beautiful aesthetic that we love here. It may be right over the border in PA, but it is worth the short drive.

Fitness:

When I first moved to Wilmington, the only group exercise classes you could take were yoga, crossfit, orangetheory, or les mills classes at your local YMCA. We all have to start somewhere but I was SO EXCITED when these fitness studios popped up during my tenure in the area.

Solidcore- Solidcore was my first love, one of the first fitness classes I taught that I truly LOVED and the second boutique fitness studio in Wilmington. It opened right before the pandemic, now has an extremely loyal following, and has a higher intensity but lower impact workout that many people(me included) love. I can honestly say my core has never been as defined as when I am going to solidcore regularly.

Hilo House- Hilo opened shortly after solidcore, right after fitness studios reopened post pandemic and it is the only place in Delaware that has lagree and the versaclimber! I’ve taken their lagree classes before and loved them, the community is very welcoming and the workout is great! I’m a bit too intimidated to take a versaclimber class but I’ve heart how amazing of a workout it is. Plus this is a small, locally owned studio, so if that is important to you then this is your place!

YogaSix- YogaSix is right over the border in PA, and it is the perfect workout for right after a brunch at terrain. I love the heated yoga flows and sculpt classes and the very welcoming community, plus you get a cold towel on your way out to cool you down. You will leave VERY sweaty & there aren’t any showers so I wouldn’t make any plans for after. It is a franchise so a bit of any in between by being locally owned and being owned by a large company, but the franchise owner is absolutely lovely!

Pure Barre- Pure Barre is not my style of workout but it is a great community & space in Greenville that has so many loyal followers. If you like a lower impact barre style workout than this is absolutely your place! Pure Barre was the first boutique fitness studio in Wilmington, DE and I am forever grateful that it paved the way for many others. It is another franchise so a bit of any in between by being locally owned and being owned by a large company.

Spread Good Karma Foundation- This foundation, run by the owner of Kaffe Karma, is all about bringing health and wellness to our area & building a community. They put on classes & workshops by donation for the community, I personally love their run club every saturday when it is warm out and their walk club on sundays for a 4.2 mile loop. If you are new to the area and want to meet more like minded people, then I highly recommend starting with any of the SGK events, they make wellness fun and have a way of attracting some of the best people!

Wellness:

BathHouse- Wilmington is glowing up, not only with wellness but also all things spirituality! BathHouse has everything you could need- sound baths, intuitive facials, body work, reiki, workshops, and new and full moon circles. If you’re looking for a one stop shop for all your spirituality needs on Wilmington, this is it!

Restore Hyper Wellness- Yes another chain but I used to have to go to my favorite place, the wellness refinery in Philly if I wanted to get a decent infrared sauna session, so I am jazzed that wilmington got not one but TWO places to sauna! I know they have sunlighten saunas(my favorites) and showers so you can shower after your sauna. I’ve never gone here because I now have a sauna of my own, but I’ve heard great things from friends!

Sweat Houz- This place is pretty much brand new so I haven’t been to there yet. They have infrared saunas and cold plunges so it’s great for all your recovery needs! This is another chain, one I hadn’t heard of before, but we love Wilmington and it’s wellness glow up!!

Paiya- Paiya is a locally woman owned activewear company that I am obsessed with out of Wilmington, DE. I include this as wellness because they are constantly having wellness focused events and bringing our health & wellness community in DE together. The founder, Ally had the vision to bring an activewear brand that is luxurious but also affordable. The only activewear I wear is by either Paragon or Paiya so that is how you know how high quality their activewear is!