Entry No. 12 — the Colorado Springs file — filed under: witchy
Aurathentic
A wellness boutique and creekside bar rolled into one: get your aura photographed, lie on a vibroacoustic bed, and wash it all down with a chakra-themed cocktail steps from Fountain Creek — all under one roof on Manitou Ave.
The story
Barb Horst spent two decades working in healthcare strategic finance before trading corporate balance sheets for bio-geometry and quantum frequencies. She set up Aurathentic on Manitou Avenue to demystify human energy fields using hand-scanning bio-sensors that read your electromagnetic output in 30 seconds flat. Instead of vague fortune-teller tropes, you walk away with a printed 12-page energetic report, a color aura photo, a 3D field rendering, and numerical scores assessing your seven chakras.
Step past the retail counter and the venue gets weirder. In one quiet room, you lie fully clothed on a Liquid Sound Vibroacoustic Table—a water-filled bed lined with specialized transducers that pulse 30 to 120 Hz sound waves directly through fluid into your muscle tissue, transferring vibrations five to six times faster than air or foam. Out back, the high-vibe experiment turns drinkable: the outdoor Aura Lounge sits right on the edge of Fountain Creek, pouring apothecary-style cocktails infused with herbs and syrups designed to align specific energy centers.
What it's like
You'll spot the storefront on walkable Manitou Avenue, but don't stop at the crystal displays up front—head straight through to the rear patio overlooking Fountain Creek. The crowd is a mix of day-trippers holding fresh 12-page soul blueprints and locals sipping chakra drinks by the water. Parking along Manitou Avenue is notoriously tight, so bypass street meters and pull straight into the Wichita Lot right next door. Just remember that while the boutique and reading rooms run most days, the creekside bar and kitchen operate strictly Friday through Sunday, weather permitting.
The move: Book a paired aura reading for two, wander the crystal-stocked boutique, then settle onto the creekside patio for handcrafted chakra cocktails while comparing your soul blueprints.
📍 Before you go Aurathentic sits right on Manitou Avenue in walkable downtown Manitou Springs, a few steps from Fountain Creek and easy to walk past, so watch for the storefront. Parking is the usual tourist-town squeeze: there are paid lots at and beside the address (the Wichita Lot next door is the closest), so plan to pay and walk. Note the two sides keep separate schedules — the boutique and aura services run most days, but the cafe and bar are a weekend-leaning, weather-permitting affair, so check ahead before counting on creekside cocktails. Easy to pair with a stroll down the rest of Manitou Ave.
- 📍 Manitou Springs
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Indoor or outdoor
Where: 702 Manitou Ave, Manitou Springs, CO 80829
Hours: Boutique/services Mon–Tue, Thu–Sun 11am–5pm (closed Wed); Aura Cafe & Bar Fri–Sun 11am–7pm; patio weather permitting.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Gratitude Zero Proof Bar — A natural alcohol-free extension down the road in Old Colorado City, serving functional botanical mocktails built on kava, blue lotus, and mushroom tinctures.
- The Rabbit Hole — Offers a shadowy, gothic contrast to Aurathentic's sunlit creekside patio, serving theatrical drinks underground inside Colorado Springs' former city morgue.
- Shame & Regret — Trades chakra-balancing drinks along Fountain Creek for a dark, alleyway sanctuary pouring over 100 American whiskeys in downtown Colorado Springs.
- District Eleven — Swaps Manitou's open-air bio-energetic patio for a hidden downtown speakeasy tucked behind a taco shop's actual bank vault door.
Good to know
How does the aura photo and chakra reading work?
You place your hand on a specialized bio-energetic sensor for 30 seconds. The machine scans your electromagnetic field to produce a color photo, a 3D visual field map, and a 12-page printed analysis of your seven chakras.
What is the vibroacoustic bed?
It is a water-filled Liquid Sound table that delivers low-frequency sound vibrations (30 to 120 Hz) directly through fluid into your body, simulating weightless sound suspension for deep relaxation and brainwave entrainment.
When is the creekside bar open?
The Aura Cafe & Bar operates Friday through Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm on the Fountain Creek patio, weather permitting. The front boutique and aura reading services operate Monday through Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday from 11 am to 5 pm (closed Wednesdays).
Where should I park?
Street parking along Manitou Avenue fills up quickly. Pay-to-park lots sit adjacent to the building, with the Wichita Lot right next door offering the closest access.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · manitousprings.org · Only In Your State
last checked: 2026-06-04