Knock, knock! Subscription box services are at your door
Subscription boxes — those goodies that arrive on your doorstep monthly — aren’t going anywhere. Here are a handful of new and unusual wellness-based offerings that include herbal tinctures, grass-fed beef, high-tech toothbrushes and a daily complement of vitamins:
Former investment manager Giles Hayward discovered that regular shots of wild-crafted herbs helped to energize and de-stress him. So he cofounded Torii Labs last year to get his tinctures and tonics out to anyone — including as a monthly subscription. A box of 20 concentrated half-ounce shots is delivered every 30 days. Choose between Awake (herbs like rhodiola and schisandra are for overall immunity and energy), Restore (Vitamin B6 and MCT oil for help with post-workout recovery) and Unwind (chamomile and griffonia seed, to induce sleep).
“It’s important to have consistency with medicinal plants,” said Hayward, adding that the tinctures are to be taken five days a week. “The more regularly you use them, the better the results.”
Info: $65 for a subscription of 20. ToriiLabs.com
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The idea for ButcherBox came about when CEO and founder Mike Salguero was on a paleo diet and had trouble finding grass-fed beef.
“I started working with a local farmer who gave me a share of a cow — literally a bag full of meat,” he said. Now, the company based in Cambridge, Mass., sends out a box every month of “curated cuts” for health-conscious carnivores who want their meat clean and hormone-free. Choose from grass-fed beef, organic chicken and heritage pork, which come accompanied with recipes formulated by nutritionists. Salguero says that California is the company’s biggest market. “But we’re reaching people in the middle of nowhere who can’t otherwise find healthier meats,” he said.
Info: Starting at $129 for a box of between eight to 11 pounds. ButcherBox.com
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If that electric toothbrush has been abandoned because you keep forgetting to replace the brush heads, Quip might be for you. The Brooklyn-based company sets customers up with a sleek and ultra-modern electric toothbrush and then sends out new heads every three months alongside toothpaste and batteries. Founder and CEO Simon Enever created the subscription dental-care business after discovering from his own dentist that many people don’t have great brushing habits.
“Most of us have bad technique, brush too hard, for too short a time (and) change heads every nine months,” said Enever. “It’s nice to be among a small group of subscription services that fill in a health need.” Enever said Quip will expand its product offerings later this year.
Info: Brush sets start at $25. $5 every three months for the replacement heads. GetQuip.com
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The dizzying number of supplements at the natural foods store getting you down? Craig Elbert, CEO and cofounder of New York-based Care/of has been there. His idea for the monthly subscription service, which he launched last November, started when he was overwhelmed looking for vitamin D for himself and prenatal vitamins for his wife. “I knew trying to be healthy shouldn’t be that difficult,” he said.
A simple questionnaire on the website asks users to isolate key concerns: immunity, digestion, energy, bone issues among others — and collects information about diet and exercise habits. An algorithm, guided by a board of doctors and scientists, prescribes a daily regimen of supplements ranging from calcium from Icelandic algae, rhodiola from the Siberian Altai mountains, or fish oil from wild Alaskan salmon. Each daily dose comes in packets for convenience and are replenished monthly. The supplements can be modified as needs change.
Info: Approximately $20 per month. TakeCareOf.com
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