Since its inception in 1906, Flanders House has played home to many practitioners in the healing arts. In 1980, the three-story house—sometimes referred to as an “urban forest” due to its backyard herbal garden and quiet residential setting—became a part of the Common Grounds Wellness Center, a nonprofit organization that proceeded to fill the historic building’s rooms and hallways with alternative healers, community gatherings, and classes focused on holistic wellness.
Today, Common Ground's licensed practitioners continue to channel the building's rich medical history during sessions that work to heal the mind, body, and spirit. Massage therapists and acupuncturists draw on their extensive training to help their clients overcome stress and physical discomfort, and tarot-card readers, psychoanalysts, and dream workers work with visitors to help them weed out emotional blockages.
Inside the house's meeting rooms, specialists lead insightful community talks on topics that range from mindful parenting to shamanistic singing rituals. Committed to servicing the community at large, many of Common Ground's practitioners offer donation-based and sliding scale rates. They also make their backyard herb garden public for humans seeking quiet meditation or vagabond gnomes looking for a place to rest their heads.
