A walk through the long, narrow Vital You space fills your nostrils with a field of wildflowers and zingy bath salts. Strings of eucalyptus dry all around the building. There are shelves full of CBD isolate, along with containers of lavender, rose petal and other herbs waiting to unleash their pleasant floral aromas into the already fresh-smelling space.
Vital You, a health and wellness company, specializes in CBD bath bombs and other wellness products such as face masks, toners, and salves. We’re lucky to call them our neighbors; The women-owned-and-operated business is located right around the corner from Extract Labs.
Just like how Extract Labs began in our CEO’s garage, owner and bath bomb creator Jenna Switzer started Vital You in 2018 out of her kitchen. At this time in her life, she was also battling health issues.
“I was going through a lot of undiagnosed pain, which I now know I have a condition called endometriosis,” Switzer says.
Endometriosis is a painful disorder where tissue, similar to what lines the uterus, grows outside of it. Symptoms include chronic pain, menstrual issues, scar tissue, pain during sex, fatigue and infertility, according to endoitriosis.org. It took three years before Switzer received the correct diagnosis, and she is one of the lucky ones.
Even though endometriosis affects 10 percent of women, it can take around seven years on average for a proper diagnosis. Forty-nine percent of endometriosis sufferers are misdiagnosed with a mental health issue, borrowing a page right out of medieval history when “female hysteria” was an actual illness caused by demonic possession. Even more surprising, more mental health misdiagnosis come from gynecologists instead of GPs or other providers less knowledgeable of reproductive health.
Switzer’s condition was finally treated with laparoscopic surgery. Today she lives with minimal pain. Before that, she had to fend for herself.
The Beginning of the Bath Bombs
CBD Isolate Infused
Switzer graduated from Bauman College for holistic nutrition and the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism, both located in Boulder. Even though she comes from a family of doctors, Switzer was always drawn towards nature ever since she was a kid who loved to play in the dirt. Armed with the knowledge of plant-based wellness, she started making bath bombs for herself.
“[The pain] was really intense. The only time I felt comfy and at ease was in the tub with one of these bombs,” she says. “ I had this overwhelming sense, if these bombs are bringing me so much healing, chances are they are going to bring other people healing as well.”
Switzer has only ever used Extract Labs CBD isolate in her bombs. At the start, she bought a single 1-gram jar at a time. During our interview, her production manager, Jess Perez, came in to show me the old 25-gram jars they used to buy. The upgrade was an exciting signal of growth, but those tiny jars are menial today. Switzer now purchases heaping 500-gram batches. Even though production continues to increase, Switzer and her team still only make eight hand-crafted bombs at a time.
Herbal medicine is rooted in the basis of synergy, that the whole is better than the sum of its parts, Switzer said. This is the same philosophy in the CBD industry, that whole-plant compounds work better together.
“We use CBD as a straight-up isolate so the other herbs can shine a little bit harder,” she says. “When you get into the synergistics of cannabis, it can be more of an intense body relaxation, so I wanted to make sure some of the other, more gentler botanics can shine through.”
The only bomb that uses multiple cannabinoids is the Warrior, the invention she made for her pelvic pain relief. The potent bomb includes 200 milligrams of CBD and CBG. The rest of the creations include a mix of CBD, flower acids, botanicals, and gemstones.
“At the end of herb school, I was in this place that took all the healing modalities I love the most into one cohesive product,” she said.
The Vital You team crafts the bombs with a specific intention in mind, such as sleep, pelvic pain, relaxation, or energy.
“The biggest reason people are using CBD, in general, is for pain,” she says. “Our best sellers by far are our Deep and Sleep bombs. Deep is for pain management, and Sleep is for sleep.”
Not only are the ingredients and botanicals working together, so are the colors of those ingredients. Switzer’s bombs are mini works of art that look too pretty to use.
The CBD bath bombs come in 50, 70, 100 and 200-milligram options, as well as a CBD-free kids product. The mesh bag that holds the bomb works like a teabag, capturing all the botanicals after the bomb dissolves.
“Each of the bombs has its own unique personality,” she says.
