By Benjamin McNeil

You’ve probably driven past Pure Juz, the recently opened juice bar at 123 Highland St., next to The Boynton and across the street from The Sole Proprietor. Luz Gonzalez and Arber Isaak, who own and operate Pure Juz, reside in the Highland Street area and created the juice bar to promote the benefits of juicing to the Worcester community that they call home.

“We’ve wanted to open something like this for a while. Now, we can promote the miraculous natural healing power of juicing,” Gonzalez said with a smile. And her ambition rings genuine; originally from Columbia, Gonzalez watched her friend suffer from various ailments, all of which traditional medicine failed to treat. After some time, a doctor of natural healing referred them to a vegetarian restaurant that championed juicing and a raw food diet, which Gonzalez believes led to her friend’s dramatic recovery.

Pure Juz is one of Worcester’s small, hidden gems. Upon entering the shop, you’ll be greeted by a friendly, knowledgeable server juicing up some supercharged concoction. Kale, carrots, spinach, apples and a mountain of other ingredients ~ the majority of which are locally sourced from farms throughout Worcester County ~ line the refrigerator shelves. Drinks include “Pineapple Madness,” “The Cure,” “The Cleanse” and many others. Coinciding with Gonzalez and Isaak’s passion for juicing, a prominently displayed board lists the “healing properties” of each juice (“The Cure” boosts mood, energy and overall health; “Pineapple Madness” treats colds and fevers while stimulating digestion). Visitors can also order medicinal tea to experience the health benefits of ginger, honey, cinnamon and lemon, among others … just in time for the flu season!

If you’re like me, the holiday season has wreaked havoc on any prior self-imposed dietary restrictions (it doesn’t help that I live next to White City, a fast food mecca). I wasn’t initially keen on drinking my 12-ounce “Cleanse,” consisting of beets, carrots and ginger, but I was proved wrong by my taste buds, and I felt observably better the rest of the day.

And those at Pure Juz are genuinely driven by community betterment. “We’re holding open workshops for those who’d like to start juicing, and we’re working to get into the Worcester school system,” Luz said. The Pure Juz team also creates juicing regimens for the elderly and has held taste-testing events at several Worcester colleges.

Pure Juz may not be large in respect to square footage, but the team’s unbridled passion for juicing and making Worcester a little healthier cannot be denied.

Pur Juz is open from 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Monday-Friday, from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday and from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit facebook.com/PureJuz.