The Orin Foster House at 891 Delaware Avenue has a new lease on life, thanks to Dr Leonard Kaplan, DO and his wife Beth Seena Kaplan, who own and operate OWM Integrative Wellness. I last wrote about OWM when they had their open house back in June of 2023. At the time, we offered a glimpse of the restored and upgraded interior of the sprawling building, which has essentially been subdivided into two rather distinct entities.
When entering the building through the entranceway towards the rear of the building, where there is ample parking, clients of OWM will find themselves walking into what was once the mansion’s servants’ quarters. The servants’ quarters is more of a utilitarian setup, where many of the smaller rooms have been converted into studios that offer the following services and health support:
Advanced anti-aging therapies, regenerative solutions for pain of spine and joints, mind-body healing and rejuvenation, comprehensive integrative cancer support therapy, intravenous infusion therapy, a medical aesthetics spa, hyperhidrosis treatment, NanoFractional Therapy, Thermal Magnetic Rejuvenation, infrared sauna, laser hair removal, PRP Therapy for sports injuries and arthritis, Pulsed Electromagnetic Field and Radio Frequency energy, injection laser therapy, micro-needling, as well as women’s health and breast cancer prevention strategies.
The first thing that clients encounter upon walking into the rear of the building is a reception area, and a waiting room. There is a nice quiet and relaxing atmosphere, filled with mid-century modern furniture, with a number of pieces by CooCoo U on Niagara Street. The sounds one hears are those of ethereal chamber music. Aromatherapy fills the air.
While I was awaiting Beth to give me a tour, I overheard the receptionist talking to a client who was coming in from out of town. The client was booking services at OWM, while the receptionist helped the person to navigate their stay in Buffalo. I soon learned that one of the next phases of the OWM operation is to build out in-house temporary residences for people looking to stay at OWM while receiving various therapies. The residences will be located within the glorious main residence of the house, as well as – if all goes according to plan – in the sprawling carriage house. You might say that one of the goals of OWM is to create a full service retreat – the type of retreat that can really only be found in California, but with a Buffalo twist.
The Kaplans have done as much as they possibly could to restore and preserve the historic architectural components of the Orin Foster House. Of course there are areas – such as within the waiting room (former servants’ side of the building) where the woodwork had been painted and was too hard to remove. In cases like that, they chose to repaint, using color schemes that lend themselves towards peace and tranquility.
Where there was wall to wall carpeting and wallpaper, it has been ripped up and torn up, to see what was underneath. Once again, as much was restored as possible, but there were a number of areas that were in need of sensitive updates. Hex tiles were replaced, lighting was fixed, and compromised windows were restored. Incredibly, after sitting vacant for a decade, the mansion was not in nearly as bad shape as one might have surmised, thankfully. The main residence appears to be as it once was back in it heyday.
When discussing Dr. Leonard Kaplan’s role in getting OWM up and operational back in 2014, Beth credited him as someone who never wanted to go down the same path as others. Back in the day, he went through the military as a General Medical Officer. From there he embarked upon a residency to explore pain and rehabilitation medicine. Dr.Kaplan is double board certified in pain management. For years he has questioned insurance-based medicine that doesn’t consider alternative forms of wellness therapy – both old and new – that has proved successful in other countries. He is constantly traveling, lecturing, learning, and collaborating with those who understand that the art of healing can’t be prescribed, bottled, and sold. Each person is unique. Each person’s body is different, and must be read like a book, before a path to healing can begin. This is what separates Dr. Kaplan from the rest, and it’s why OWM has been steadily growing over the past decade.
If you think you now know something about OWM, then let me tell you that everything that I have recounted is just the tip of the iceberg. In the basement of the building is cold storage room and a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. The attic will one day be utilized for wall yoga, with a sauna and showers. Everything is designed to rejuvenate the body, whether someone is ill, or wants to remain as healthy as possible. This is preventative medicine that helps to boost the immune system. From the medical spa’s IVs (with facials) to a ketamine program for those suffer from PTSD… like I said, there is so much more to OWM than meets the eye.
Now that Phase 1 of OWM is operational and open to the public, Beth mentioned that they are eyeing the mansion’s main residence for Phase 2. This phase will be dedicated to culinary programs that will teach people how to cook healthier foods, so that they can start to rebalance their bodies. This is also where programming such as lectures will be held. And as I mentioned, this will also be where people can stay, in a fabulous circa 1904 room.
“This has all morphed into something that’s much bigger than us,” Beth told me. “It’s a new adventure for is and for our clients, whether they’re interested in gut health, hormone health, anti-ageing… this is a recovery space – a place to rest and heal, and to learn about the body and how everything is connected. We’re so excited to see where this all takes us in years to come. We’ve already come so far… and we’re ready of our next journey.”
OWM Integrated Wellness | 891 Delaware Ave, Buffalo, NY 14209 | (716) 626-6301