Writer: Amy Panos
Photographer: Joelle Blanchard
If there’s anybody who knows the value of rest and relaxation, it’s a mom with three young boys. Krysta Byars is that, plus a physical therapist, spa owner and practitioner of lymphatic drainage and other modalities. In short, she knows her stuff. Byars has poured heart, soul and 18 years of experience in health and wellness into Elm + Hearth, her new rentable property on the north edge of Ames, with the goal of bringing the benefits of deep relaxation and self care to Central Iowa. She bought the property in March 2025 and welcomed its first guests in December.
Byars calls the space a “wellness cabin,” but you won’t find an ounce of rustic kitsch here. The decor is decidedly modern and minimal but at the same time warm and cozy. Soft white walls are a soothing envelope for a moss green velvet sectional and leather club chairs. The dark, windowless front exterior belies the surprises inside: two walls of double-height ceilings and a soaring corner fireplace clad in stone. “It does feel a little unassuming when you pull up,” Byars said, “but when you come in you’re like, ‘Wow!’ The windows and the design and the openness kind of blow you away.”
Beyond those windows is a wooded wellness playground complete with a hot tub, cold plunge and a panoramic barrel sauna overlooking a ravine where wildlife sightings are common. Among the graveled grounds guests will also find a hammock, a putting green, an outdoor shower and two firepit options — one that burns wood and another with a sleek Solo Stove that uses gel fuel and produces less smoke.
The wellness focus continues indoors with a steam shower built for two with three shower heads and aromatherapy, because “of course you’d want to have eucalyptus with your steam shower,” Byars said. She also included “invisible” luxuries such as a HALO 3 whole-house water purification and conditioning system, an Air Doctor air purifier and radiant-heat floors. The cabin is stocked with what Byars calls “low toxic load” furnishings, such as ceramic and stainless steel pots and pans as well as Molly’s Suds natural laundry detergent.
Byars hopes her guests take away both a sense of restorative calm and ideas for how to take better care of themselves at home. “If you can put yourself into a different environment for a little bit, what can you take from that that you can apply in your everyday life?” she said. “Maybe I really did notice a difference in the water or I like the ceramic pots and pans. How can I incorporate this into my house?”
Under a canopy of green, this residential backyard feels more like a woodland spa retreat, complete with a cedar steam sauna.
Hose off: After your sauna, take a quick rinse in the outdoor shower.
Earth tones and natural textures mimic the real deal in the secluded backyard, enveloping guests in grounded stillness inside and out.
Want to go?
The cabin sleeps six and has two queen beds in the loft plus a sectional that pulls out to become another queen bed in the living room. You can rent the place by the night during the week, but weekends require a two-night minimum. Costs including all fees are approximately $469 per weeknight and about $1,000 for a weekend.
Byars has contracts with local private chefs, massage therapists, yoga aand Pilates instructors, Reiki practitioners and other professionals who can provide services at the house for an additional fee.
Find details at elmandhearth.com.
Contributing writer Amy Panos of Urbandale was a long-time home editor at Better Homes & Gardens, organizes her belongings for fun and considers herself a Diet Coke connoisseur. Photographer Joelle Blanchard’s recent dsm contributions include the cat on the July/August cover and a gallery from Foxy Shots, a local portrait studio.
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