On Sunday morning, Santa Monica Place will trade some of its usual shopping bags for yoga mats, boxing gloves and cups of matcha. Wellness on the Westside takes over Center Plaza on Aug. 23, packing yoga, Pilates, dance, recovery treatments and a wellness marketplace into a five-hour festival. Admission includes scheduled classes, recovery activations, healthy tastings, a wellness marketplace and a Wellness Passport challenge.
The day is designed as a choose-your-own wellness circuit. Guests can move through a full-body workout, slow down for breathwork and a sound bath, test their grip strength, try compression therapy or walk away with a professional portrait. No single definition of “wellness” controls the room.
“We’re excited to continue expanding Santa Monica Place’s wellness offerings and creating experiences that bring the community together,” said Rachel Chang, vice president of marketing.
From Sound Baths to Cardio Hip-Hop
That background shapes the brand’s central philosophy: Popular ingredients should be evaluated by how they are formulated and used, rather than promoted through concentration numbers alone.
Designed by Costa Mesa-based Davis Ink, the space begins with a partially covered lounge and a sculptural “lava island.” Inside, black lava-rock walls surround a dim dining room filled with intimate tables, spacious booths and layers of hand-carved wood. Peter Asmar of Gardena’s Asmar Studio created the enormous entrance, while artist Tony Murphy, known as Tiki Tony, produced the restaurant’s extensive collection of custom carvings.
Skulls mounted against bamboo, woven textures, thatched roofs and suspended glass lamps fill the room without making it feel like a theme-park set. There is craftsmanship behind the spectacle. Even the restaurant’s branding extends into custom patterns, menus, glassware and cocktail umbrellas.
The pier-facing patio supplies a different mood. During the day, it connects the restaurant to Hermosa’s easygoing beach traffic. After sunset, the interior’s shadowy corners and glowing fixtures take over, making the restaurant well suited for date nights, group dinners and cocktails after a day near the water.
From Sound Baths to Cardio Hip-Hop
The class schedule begins at 10 a.m. with breathwork and a sound bath led by Thrive. Fitness trainer TAY Hall follows with a full-body workout at 11 a.m., Good Body Pilates takes over at noon and Shefa Yoga begins at 1 p.m.
Three sessions happen simultaneously at 1 p.m. Guests can choose Shefa Yoga in Center Plaza, a sound bath and stretch session inside Club Studio or the gym’s Rebound class in Studio 6. LA Dance Fit closes the scheduled programming with Cardio Hip Hop at 2 p.m.
All classes are included with an event wristband, but capacity is limited. Attendees must reserve their preferred sessions during ticket checkout, so planning ahead will prevent an afternoon of sprinting between Pilates and a trampoline.
Recovery Without the Usual Gym Routine
Between classes, the festival opens into a marketplace of treatments, demonstrations and tastings.
SportsFit will provide sports massage and injury assessments, while Restore Hyper Wellness offers compression therapy. BOD–Body Overview Data will conduct grip testing and explain body-composition measurements. AI Wellness plans to offer light therapy, pulsed electromagnetic field modalities, scalp treatments, skin analysis and consultations.
For guests who prefer their self-care with fewer machines involved, Wildling will offer holistic skincare samples, Viola Floral will host a mindful flower market and Caspian Coast Coffee will pour complimentary matcha and coffee. Legendary Foods, Siete Foods and Just Ice Tea are among the participating food and beverage brands.
There will also be mental-health and mindfulness resources, chiropractic checks, skincare vendors and complimentary molecular hydrogen water. It is an ambitious amount of activity for a Sunday, but nobody is required to emerge as a completely reinvented person by 3 p.m.
A First Look Inside Club Studio
The festival follows the arrival of Club Studio at Santa Monica Place, a large fitness club that combines five boutique concepts—Box, CS4, Reform, Ride and Sweat+—with functional-training areas, cardio equipment and a full weight floor.
Its recovery amenities include infrared saunas, red-light therapy and cryotherapy, while Beaming operates a marketplace for smoothies and snacks. Festival guests can sample select Club Studio programming before the property marks the fitness destination with a grand-opening celebration on Sept. 19.
The opening reflects a wider shift at Santa Monica Place. The open-air center, located near Third Street Promenade and the Santa Monica Pier, is building a stronger mix of fitness, recovery, dining and community programming alongside traditional retail.
Collect Stamps, Earn a Shot at the Prize
Every attendee receives a Wellness Passport at check-in. Stamps are earned by visiting booths, joining classes, sampling products and completing designated experiences.
The first 300 guests who finish their passports will receive a tote bag stocked with partner products, while completed passports qualify for a grand-prize drawing. The system adds a scavenger-hunt rhythm to the day and provides a practical reason to explore something beyond one’s usual workout.
Early-bird admission is $30 and increases to $40 during the week of the event. Admission covers scheduled classes, standard recovery activations, tastings, the marketplace and giveaways while supplies last.
Early-bird admission is $30; admission increases to $40 during event week. Advance class registration is required. For more information about the event and where to sign up for classes, Click Here
Address: Santa Monica Place, Center Plaza, 395 Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica.
When: Sunday, Aug. 23, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.; registration begins at 9:30 a.m. Santa Monica Place
Photo credits: Images courtesy of Santa Monica Place.
