dsmWeekly - February 19, 2025

LED light therapy is designed to help with physical recovery, mood enhancement and more. The light bed at Pause, pictured here, is in a private room decorated with a cloud-like mural. (Photo: Hailey Evans)

HEALTH

Taking a time-out at Pause in West Des Moines

By Hailey Evans

I wouldn’t call myself a wellness junkie by any means, but with the new year I resolved to make a more serious effort to take care of my body after a small gym injury and some physical therapy reminded me I’m only human. So when the folks at Pause West Des Moines invited me to preview the place before last weekend's official opening, I was excited to try a few of the services they offer to promote recovery and healing.

The boutique wellness studio was founded in California before it franchised out to a few locations down South. The new West Des Moines location is the only one in the Midwest so far. Owners Josh and Nikki Russell decided to open it when they noticed a lack of holistic recovery options around the metro.

“There were places that offered some of these things like IVs, red light therapy or saunas, but they were all separate. Pause offers them all in one place,” Josh said.

This isn’t the Russells' first foray into wellness entrepreneurship; they opened Aptitude fitness studio in Clive three years ago. So they know from experience that metro residents are active, whether that’s biking along the city’s trails or choosing from dozens of niche fitness classes. But a place like Pause is literally “a place to pause and take time for yourself,” Josh said.

Pause offers a suite of luxury therapeutic services, many used by professional athletes and backed by research to promote muscle recovery, reduce inflammation and encourage healing. You’ll find IV vitamin drips, Epsom salt float tanks, cryotherapy, LED light beds, compression therapy, an infrared sauna and cold plunge, and contrast therapy that cycles the two. During my visit, I tried out the LED light bed, along with contrast and compression therapies. There are also monthly membership options.

I grew up during the anti-tanning era of the 2010s, so I was nervous about lying under a bed of lights, but the staff (and science) assured me that LED was not the same as UV. I opted for the red light therapy that is supposed to stimulate collagen production and decrease skin inflammation, but Pause also offers lights for reducing anxiety (green) and acne cleansing (red and blue). Lying quietly under hundreds of red lights for 10 minutes with nothing else to do left me warm and oddly uplifted.

“There’s a mental health component, too. It’s not just for physical health,” said Nikki, who started contrast therapy after her doctor recommended it to help manage her stress and anxiety.

My own test run of contrast therapy made me appreciate how easy those pro footballers make cold plunging look. The relief of exiting the plunge bath (48 degrees) and heading into the sauna (165 degrees) may have lowered my cortisol more than the actual cold water did, but I think that's kind of the point.

“So many of us overextend ourselves nowadays, either through exercise or stress or uncontrollable things like disease, chronic pain, work commitments or parenting. All these things can add up and weigh us down,” Josh said.

Taking just a few minutes to an hour out of your day to float, plunge in a cold tub, relax in a sauna or just sit quietly and meditate can make a big difference in people’s busy lives. While it’s not a cure-all, and one session may not magically change your life, the Russells agree that holistic rituals like those offered at Pause can be beneficial alongside a regular exercise routine. “We hope we’re bringing a new experience to Des Moines, to just relax and take care of yourself,” Nikki added.

For those who'd like to explore the options, the Russells are hosting a wellness event at Aptitude featuring services from Pause and other local businesses, including Fresh Fit Meals, Fierce Nutrition, Fleet Feet and Capital Chiropractic. The small admission fee will be donated to the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative.

Meow: The puppet star of the show is a cat on a hot tiny boat. (Photo: Ellie Kurttz)

BEST BET

'Life of Pi' sails into the Des Moines Civic Center

Marvelous puppets have prowled and galloped through the Des Moines Civic Center over the years, from the beasts and birds of “The Lion King” to the mighty equine stars of “War Horse.” Another menagerie sails in when “Life of Pi,” docks on stage at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and anchors through March 2.

It’s adapted from Yann Martel’s 2001 novel, which won the Booker Prize and inspired a 2012 film. The tale about a teenager stranded on a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan and a hungry Bengal tiger comes to life in a new way on stage, with sophisticated puppets and a Tony Award-winning mix of lighting, sound, video and sets. The New York Times called it a “tribute to human ingenuity and animal grace.”

The Week Ahead

Storytelling Festival, 10:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday, Franklin Avenue Library. Three noted storytellers — Darrin Crow, Josie Shaw and Jeff Taylor — will tell personal stories and traditional tales for children, teens and adults. The event also features face painting, crafts and a scavenger hunt.

Sonia De Los Santos, 11 a.m. Saturday, Des Moines Civic Center. Enjoy a family-friendly concert of Latin American from a group of artists who play instruments from their Central and South American homelands.

“Unmasking the Singer,” 6 p.m. Saturday, Hoyt Sherman Place. Local celebrities sing in disguise to raise money for the Salvation Army. All will be revealed.

Candlelight Concert, 8:30 p.m. Saturday, World Food Prize Hall of Laureates. The Listeso String Quartet plays Vivaldi’s famous "Four Seasons" under the glow of candles. (Note to musicians: Play "Spring" like you mean it.)

Des Moines Community Orchestra, 2 p.m. Sunday, Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium. Carl Johnson conducts a program of favorites by Bach, Shostakovich, Wagner and more.

Nature in Focus, 1 p.m. Sunday, Jester Park in Granger. Learn how to snap photos of birds in nature, even if you don’t have a fancy camera. A cellphone camera works, too.

AViD readers: Des Moines Public Library has announced this year's lineup of Authors Visiting in Des Moines. The roster starts with C.J. Box (pictured), author of the Joe Pickett series and the Big Sky collection that was recently adapted into a primetime drama on ABC. He’ll visit on March 22, during the Des Moines Book Festival. Then, mark your calendars for Amina Luqman-Dawson (April 3), David Baldacci (April 21), Abby Jimenez (May 15), Kevin Wilson (June 3) and Nikki Erlick (June 23).

Volunteers with Children and Family Urban Movement cook and serve meals for the Breakfast and Supper Clubs. (Photo courtesy of CFUM)

PEOPLE & COMMUNITY

Meet Andy Bales with the Children and Family Urban Movement

By Jody Gifford

Every morning before school starts, kids line up at Moulton Elementary School eager to eat a hot breakfast before their day begins. The Breakfast Club is a year-round program with a two-part goal: to serve children a nutritious meal to start the day and to provide early-morning child care for working families whose day begins before the sun comes up. Last year, the club served 5,893 meals to kids in the district.

The Breakfast Club is operated by the Children and Family Urban Movement (CFUM), whose mission is “to create a community that supports the potential of children, youth and families through educational success, healthy living and community engagement.”

As its executive director, Andy Bales raises money, recruits volunteers and works to alleviate hunger in one of the most economically challenged neighborhoods in Des Moines. He calls it a labor of love.

“I can’t bear to see a child go hungry,” Bales said. “We’re across the street from Moulton Elementary, where I think probably 88% to 90% of the kids experience food insecurity. I’m just working hard to make sure kids have enough to eat.”

Bales is no stranger to food insecurity. For years, he worked as the president and CEO of the Union Rescue Mission in Los Angeles’ Central City East neighborhood, better known as Skid Row. He said he’s helped feed millions of people over the years.

But what’s taught him the greatest lesson is not the work, but a personal illness that showed him firsthand what it means to be hungry. “I’ve developed a shortage of enzymes in my pancreas, which doesn’t absorb nutrients,” he said. “So I have been diagnosed with something that causes me to be malnourished and hungry all the time. There’s only a limited number of foods I can eat.”

While it takes many hands to make the Breakfast Club a reality, Bales said he’s confident that there are resources to do more for children and families in Central Iowa.

“People who have plenty to eat and are doing well … if they would just take the time to buy a few extra groceries, not for themselves, but for others, we would see a movement where people won’t go to bed at night hungry,” Bales said.

In addition to the Breakfast Club, CFUM’s Supper Club serves dinner to anyone in the neighborhood who needs a meal. In 2023, the Supper Club served approximately 125 meals per week, which adds up to more than 30,000 meals a year.

Currently, only Moulton Elementary School offers the Breakfast and Supper clubs, but Bales said his team hopes to add another location this fall. As he put it, “We’re willing to go anywhere where we can meet the needs of kids who are hungry.

Read about three other Iowans who are leading the fight against hunger in our latest edition of Iowa Stops Hunger, an ongoing series dsm and the Business Record publish to raise awareness about food insecurity and inspire action to combat it.