Liz Tortolani created cityWell as a refuge for city dwellers, a place for healing and self care.

After being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 13, Liz spent years in and out of hospitals, taking dozens of medications without ever seeing any true change. At age 21, while studying abroad in Sydney, Australia, she had her first experience at a Korean Bathhouse. Over six months, she saw her health improve greatly and discovered how vital city living — walking, good food, yoga — and her time at the bathhouse were to her overall health. Years later, during another period of poor health, she found similar respite in Seattle at the Hothouse Sauna & Spa.

At age 26, Liz hit a breaking point. She made a choice to pursue healing differently. Hydrotherapy, along with acupuncture and a focus on nutrition, brought her slowly back to feeling like herself — well for the first time in her adult life. cityWell grew out of that experience: Liz wanted to give people who were dealing with illness, healing, or looking to feel well a safe and comfortable place to care for themselves.

Liz has worked extensively over the past 15 years to refine and perfect the concept of an urban oasis. She collaborated with Architect/Designer Deborah Mariotti of MariottiStudio to help design what feels like the “perfect” space, bringing the vision of cityWell to life.

Originally from Vermont, Liz earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Art Therapy at Springfield College in Massachusetts. After graduation, Liz moved to Seattle and attended The Brian Utting School of Massage where she earned her massage therapy license. In 2003, Liz completed her yoga teacher training (RYT) at 8Limbs Yoga. In 2005, Liz returned to the East Coast to receive her holistic health certificate from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in New York City.

For eight years, in addition to opening cityWell, Liz also pursued an adjacent life dream: working with post-op heart surgery patients at Columbia Presbyterian alongside their Integrative Medicine Team.

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