In the era of fitness influencers and Instagram-ready gym equipment, new wellness clubs are reimagining the club experience. Rather than focusing on physical fitness, they promote a holistic lifestyle with mental and emotional health support.
One such destination is Heimat, an RSG-owned Hollywood social-fitness club hybrid that’s more like a boutique hotel than a gym, with slatted wood, a moody color palette, and a wellness bar serving healthy local food and alcohol-free beverages.
Remedy Place
Remedy Place is at the wellness club Los Angeles of a new trend in self-care and wellness that blends holistic, technology-driven remedies with human connection. It was founded by a concierge doctor who launched his first club in West Hollywood in 2019.
The club offers a variety of experiences, including cryotherapy, infrared saunas, vitamin IV drips, and massage services. It also hosts events to build community and boost brand awareness. Its members include celebrities, CEOs, and pro athletes. In addition to its flagship locations, the company has expanded its offerings to at-home products and off-site experiential activations.
In 2023, the company added Stephen Wright as VP of marketing to lead its strategic growth, content and commerce efforts. Wright has extensive experience in the wellness industry, and brings a wealth of expertise to the role. In January, the company also hired Hemik Patel as chief operating officer to support its expansion plans and improve its member experience.
Remedy Place is the world’s first social wellness club, designed to heal through self-care and human connection. Its innovative wellness experiences include ice bath classes, acupuncture and lymphatic drainage massage, and vitamin IV drips. The club is also home to a hyperbaric oxygen chamber and infrared sauna suites. Unlike most health spaces, which have a negative physiological effect on the body due to their harsh lights and cold environments, Remedy Place is designed to be relaxing and inviting.
Heimat
Named after a German word for “the feeling of home,” the new club from RSG Group (owner of Gold’s Gym and European fitness chain John Reed) isn’t your typical LA gym. Spread across five floors of the cavernous 1930s building in Hollywood’s Media District, heiMAT has been designed like a luxe hotel and offers members invigorating workouts, radiant spa treatments, nourishing cuisine and a cultivated private community.
The 75,000-square-foot facility also includes a rooftop pool, a full-service spa outfitted with saunas lined in pink Himalayan salt, smartly designed coworking space and Mother Tongue, a restaurant helmed by Michelin-starred chef Michael Mina. Members can use the heiMAT app to book classes, personal training sessions and other services like manicures and pedicures. Those with a more individualized wellness journey can work with the club’s resident trainers, who will create personalized workouts for them.
Throughout the cavernous space, Germany’s INCO and Martin Brudnizki Design Studio used an assemblage of premium organic materials, including marble floors, green pottery and hand-crafted wood accents, to create a sleek, upscale club vibe. The club also features a range of specialty equipment from gym80, which is renowned for being aesthetically appealing and bio-mechanically researched and designed. In addition, heiMAT has commissioned eye-catching graffiti from street artist Mr. Brainwash on the unused industrial stairs, a nod to the site’s past as an overrun warehouse.
Surya Spa
Founded in 2017 by Martha Soffer, Surya Spa is an artisanal Ayurvedic company that offers products, services and treatments. The brand focuses on holistic wellness consultations, natural skincare and beauty products, and immersive experiences to balance the mind, body and spirit.
Soffer, an acclaimed Panchakarma expert and Ayurvedic doctor, launched the brand in her home on the bluffs of Pacific Palisades. She now operates the 3,000-square-foot sanctuary at Santa Monica Proper Hotel designed by Kelly Wearstler, which features serene treatment rooms painted in colors that correspond to your dominant dosha (energies), fountained patios, lounges, and an intimate kitchen. The spa also offers cooking classes, virtual and in-person ayurvedic classes, one-year programs, professional certifications and a custom oil blend bar.
The spa also has a dedicated ayurvedic nutritionist, who can provide personalized food recommendations based on your body type and imbalances. The menu includes a variety of nourishing soups and broths, herbal teas, oils, herbs and spices. Surya’s most popular treatments include the four-handed massage and yoni steam, which are both worth trying at least once.
Ayurvedic practices can be a bit intimidating for newbies, but Soffer is committed to making Surya accessible. She says, “We have a really open door. You can walk in and get a four-handed massage or have your yoni steamed and that will help you feel the benefits of Ayurveda.” The brand has garnered an impressive roster of influencer clients including Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry, Kourtney Kardashian, and Emma Stone.