Heal.Thy Self Co.

Overview

If you've ever been to Cafe Gratitude in LA, you'll have witnessed the excess of positive affirmations that make up their menu. And even if you haven't, you can safely assume what it's like. Pancakes that reaffirm you are luscious and kale dips that instil a sense of community — that kind of thing. And although Yarraville is a far cry from LA, Heal.Thy Self Co. treads along a similar path. The smoothies have adjectives for names, and the staff pen your declaration on the side of the plastic takeaway cup: Lauren is passionate, mine said.

No matter how you wish to be nourished though, this place has got you covered. It's organic, fresh, sometimes raw, and everything is filled with superfoods. If it's early (they open at 6.30am), skip the coffee and perk up with a their 'awakened' smoothie — it's got a double shot of espresso with banana, mesquite, vanilla and almond milk, and it gets the banana ratio just right. Otherwise you can go with something green, a cup of mango and passionfruit, or a concoction of berries and oats. All smoothies are $9.

The space is small, but there's enough space to sit, albeit crowded by the people waiting for takeaways. It's an oasis of raw cheesecakes, food the colour of the rainbow and avo toast served on brown butcher paper. The food resembles what you might expect at Elwood's Combi; it's pretty and very shareable, the acai bowl ($12) is a work of fruit and nut art and the chocolate chia parfait ($14) is topped with edible flowers.

But health is a holistic business, and so Heal.Thy Self Co. have an in-house naturopath and massage therapist if you'd like some extra services while you sip your smoothie. But if you'd just like to eat a piece of raw caramel slice (and it's one of the best out there), you can do that too. Don't question it — it's healing.