Interview: Mount Sunny
Writer: Ryan Willms
Founded by partners Shelby and Spencer Ramirez, Mount Sunny is a modern wellness studio located in Phoenix, Arizona. The couple created a space centered around ancient healing practices and philosophies of traditional Chinese medicine, with their services focused on acupuncture and cupping. However, Shelby’s experience as a healer and practitioner has grown and Mount Sunny offers her license and board certification in Acupuncture and Herbology to be used in a more holistic approach through the studio.
Spencer and Shelby offer a complete wellness experience through personalized services based on the individuals needs and sate, a proprietary herbal medicine; and maybe more unexpectedly, an in-house line of medicinally-dyed clothing including shirts, bags and a recent collaboration with the Museum of Peace & Quiet. Mount Sunny takes a refreshingly fresh approach to their shrives through a beautiful aesthetic through images and the space itself, considering all the ways in which we can experience their offering. In our correspondence we speak about their inspiration, their Body Balancing Blends and the practices they use to help us heal.
What was your initial inspiration for opening Mount Sunny? Was there a clear mission of idea that you wanted to offer people?
When we began conceptualizing Mount Sunny in early 2018, we were trying to figure out ways that we could connect the worlds we were immersed in– mine in Eastern medicine, and Spencer’s in fashion. As I was going through my master’s program, we started to see ways that we could introduce Eastern medicine to a Western-thinking mind through different vehicles that people already understood. From there, we started the process of giving this ancient medicine practice a modern-day home.
What were you doing before Mount Sunny, and how did that inform the experience you’ve created?
Before studying Eastern medicine in a four-year master's program, I studied psychology and pharmacology in undergrad. Both of which pushed me to determine the type of healthcare provider I saw myself as, and the ideals I most aligned with. During an internship at a compounding pharmacy-where, I would mix and combine different medications tailored to individual patients—I learned the value of seeing each person and their health as entirely their own and kept with me the idea that we are all separate people with unique healthcare needs. While studying psychology, it became apparent that overall health included much more than just the physical body, and from there, I dove into a yoga training where I was able to really see the connection of mind, body, and spirit.
Cupping has become more and more popular amongst people in the western world, while it’s been around for much longer. What are people’s general experiences with this practice?
Cupping is truthfully as unique as the petechiae marks left on the body. While the majority of people in the West seek out cupping for muscle recovery, pain, and tension, it is used around the world for much more than that. Having been around since 1500 BC, cupping has made quite a name for itself and has an array of benefits from regulating menstruation to reducing fevers. It works not only on the circulation of the entire body but also is performed over acupuncture meridians to relieve energetic stagnation.
Acupuncture can be a powerful practice, unlocking blockages and helping to move energy in and through us. These blockages are often caused by our deeper emotional or spiritual misalignment, can acupuncture help us work through these holistically?
Absolutely. It is my belief that all diseases arise as an imbalance in our energetic bodies. Often times, and given the general disconnect most of us feel to our bodies, we do not recognize these imbalances before they progress to physical manifestations. For example, we cannot measure stress with a blood test, a scale, or any other tool, but when present long enough, this emotional state will begin to present itself in the physical body as high blood pressure, palpitations, shortness of breath, and/or weakened adrenals. As an acupuncturist, my job is to find these imbalances in your body and correct them before they become more severe symptoms.
If there was one practice or product that Mount Sunny doesn’t offer, but compliments your values, what would that be?
During sessions, I facilitate stillness and provide the space to dive inward into your emotional, physical, and spiritual bodies leading to a deep state of rest and relaxation. The Yang to this Yin is movement. I encourage daily motion and activity to complement the calm.
What was the inspiration for developing your range of Body Balancing Blends? And how challenging was it to create a product like this, that you feel really works?
Most of my experience with herbal formulas were in raw or powdered form and called for hot water 3 times a day-something I found challenging to keep up with. To share its benefits with the world, we decided to capsulate our powder blends for quick, easy, everyday use. The most challenging part of creating a blend is making sure that the herbs I choose are going to be as safe as they are effective. Herbal medicine is complex, sophisticated, and very beautiful. Balancing out the temperatures, tastes, and characteristics of the herbs feel like a form of art to me.
Traditionally finding cool clothing in a wellness studio wouldn’t be the case, but you’ve created a handful of garments, in addition to your recent collaboration with Museum of Peace & Quiet—why is this something you wanted to do?
For us, everything ties back to the medicine. Speaking on it a bit earlier, we wanted to use already palatable mediums like product to talk about the medicine and philosophy behind Mount Sunny. Clothing is a really great way for us to express that, and also introduce people to the deeper meaning. Integrating medicinal dyes into our clothing is really what excited us from the beginning, and being able to say that the piece of clothing on the rack is dyed in the same herbs that are available in capsule form in the bottle next to is really special to us.
Are there any upcoming projects, services or events that you’d like to share?
Having to temporarily step away from our clinic and patients during this unprecedented time of COVID-19 has allowed us space to really expand on the product offerings of Mount Sunny, something we’re eager to develop. We’re rolling out a range of packaged wellness shots and will also ramp up the clothing side of Mount Sunny over the next couple of months. Really excited to share that with everyone.
Editorial photographs by Katie Flaherty