Water & Wellness

Address: 3673 South 900 East

Telephone: 801-904-2042

Website: waterwellnesscenter.com

District: Millcreek

 

“Water is a living element. It has consciousness, and it has memory.” Ramon Flores says this with complete certainty, not as a theory, but as something he has spent a lifetime understanding. Inside Water & Wellness, a simple errand to fill a jug, or to grab drinking water, quickly becomes something else entirely: a conversation, a philosophy, a quiet invitation to think about something most people rarely question.

The story of Water & Wellness begins in 1996 with Alex Hoggan, a man who, at the time, was struggling with serious kidney issues. In the middle of that pain, he had what those close to the business still describe as a spiritual experience, one that centered on water, on healing, and on the idea that something as basic as what we drink could change the course of a life. He stepped away from his previous ventures and built something entirely new, starting simply with distilled water and a desire to help both himself and others feel better.

A single focus slowly evolved. When Ramon arrived in the United States from Mexico, where he had spent years working as a healer, he brought with him a completely different way of thinking. “I always follow intuition,” he says. “That is what brought me here.”

From that point forward, the business began to expand - not just in offerings, but in depth. Distilled water gave way to mineral water, electrolyte blends, oxygen-infused water, and eventually alkaline and hydrogen-rich options. What had started as purification became something more layered, more intentional.

Nick Lee, who has been part of the business since 2022, describes it in simpler terms, grounding the philosophy in something tangible. Everything begins with ultra-purified water, stripped down to zero parts per million through a seven-stage filtration process done on site. From there, each type of water is built back up with specific minerals, electrolytes, or processes designed to support different needs.

There is oxygen water, stabilized with trace minerals. There is sole electrolyte water made with Colima salt. There are mineral blends designed to replicate what the body would naturally receive from whole foods. And then there is alkaline water - by far their most popular - which combines many of these elements into one. For those looking to go further, there is hydrogen water, created through a specialized machine that infuses the already mineralized alkaline base. It is positioned as their most advanced offering, one that many regular customers gravitate toward over time. “The foundation of your health starts with the water,” Nick explains. “Our bodies are made up of about eighty percent water. So, what you are putting into your body matters.” 

But what stands out most inside Water & Wellness is not just what they sell - it is how they approach it. There is no rush to push a product. New customers are often encouraged to taste, to ask questions, to understand. Some come in knowing exactly what they want. Others simply say, “What do you recommend?” and trust the guidance they are given.

The store itself reflects that same philosophy. Large refillable jugs instead of single-use bottles. A focus on sustainability. Shelves lined with supplements, alongside a small selection of local goods - teas, drinks, baked items - all chosen with the same concept of supporting overall health.

Beyond the storefront, the business extends into homes and businesses through water systems designed to purify everything from drinking water to showers and appliances. The belief is consistent; water is not just something consumed, but something the body absorbs constantly. “A twenty-minute shower,” Nick says, “can expose you to as much chlorine as thirty days of drinking tap water.”

It is this broader view - water as something that touches every part of daily life - that shapes the way they think about what they do. And then there is Ramon, who brings it all back to something less measurable, but no less central to the experience. “Water has no form, no shape,” he says. “Your soul has no form, no shape. So, water is the intermediary between the soul and the body.”

For Ramon, water is not just physical. It is energetic, responsive, something that can be influenced, even spoken to. He talks about memory, about structure, about intention. He talks about sunlight, minerals, about the idea that what we consume carries information into every cell of the body. It is a perspective that may feel unfamiliar to some, but inside this space, it is offered without pressure - simply as another way of understanding something essential.

Over the years, the business has moved locations, expanded, and then narrowed its focus back to one central space. Along the way, Alex eventually passed the torch to his son, Walter, who quite literally grew up inside the store filling bottles, learning the systems, absorbing the philosophy from an early age. Today, he carries that legacy forward while continuing to explore new ways to bring these ideas into people’s homes.

A constant through all of it is the sense of purpose behind the work. “We just want people to become more aware,” Ramon says. “Even a little more water, a little better water, and the body begins to come back into balance.” And perhaps that is what Water & Wellness ultimately offers. Not just water, but a shift in perspective. A reminder that something so simple - so often overlooked - might, in fact, be where everything begins. “Water is the foundation,” Nick says. “Take care of that, and everything else has a place to start.”