Still water in a nature preserve at sunrise, reflecting the trees

Water cremation · Alkaline hydrolysis

A goodbye as gentle as water.

Water cremation returns a body to nature using warm water instead of flame, quietly and with a far lighter footprint on the earth. We carefully and gently care for each decedent at our Care Center in Arvada, Colorado.

Offer water cremation How it works

How water cremation works

Water cremation, also called alkaline hydrolysis or aquamation, is a more sustainable alternative to flame cremation. There is no fire, no smoke, and nothing hurried about it.

  1. Into our care

    We welcome the decedent into our Care Center in Arvada, where our own team cares for them with the dignity your families expect.

  2. A gentle, flameless process

    The person rests in a bath of warm water with a small amount of alkali, which gently does in a matter of hours what the earth does over many years.

  3. What remains

    When the water has done its gentle work, soft, pure white mineral ash and a liquid essence remain, different from what flame cremation returns.

  4. A return to your family

    We place the ashes in a simple vessel and the liquid essence in beautiful amber bottles, and return both to your funeral home, ready for the family to keep, scatter, or place somewhere sacred to them.

A clear blue mountain river running between smooth granite boulders
A white water lily opening above a still pond, reflected in the water
Golden aspen leaves over a clear mountain stream in the Colorado foothills

Why families choose it

  • No flame, no smoke

    Many families want the simplicity of cremation but wince at the thought of fire. Water cremation offers the same outcome, ashes and a liquid essence that the family keeps, through a process that feels closer to nature.

  • A lighter footprint

    Water cremation uses roughly a tenth of the energy of a conventional flame cremation.

  • Long established in Colorado

    Alkaline hydrolysis has been legal in Colorado since 2011. The Natural Funeral, which owns The Natural Transition, was the first funeral home in the state to offer it.

Also offered: terramation →

Ready to offer water cremation to your families?

Tell us a little about your funeral home and we'll walk you through how it works. No commitment, just a conversation.

Call us: (720) 504-3764

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