Also home to the Isle of Us cafe, which serves hearty food and lavender-infused lattes, it’s not a bad place to answer an email or two either. On any given day, you’ll find customers with their laptops between appointments, enjoying the tranquil environment while avoiding crowded cafes or (gasp!) their offices.
Sage + Sound, which opened its doors in late October, is one of several new hybrid wellness and blending spaces that have sprung up since the pandemic. And while the business is focused on being a one-stop shop for beauty and wellness services, the crafty New Yorkers wasted no time turning it into a makeshift coworking space.
With so many of us now working remotely, we’re looking for more from our shared office spaces than just cold beer on tap. To get people out of the house, these workspaces really need to to improve your quality of life. Enter: hybrid spaces of work and wellness, which are popping up in cities across the country.
although it is not officially a coworking space, another popular location is The Well, located near Union Square in New York City. On a typical weekday, the on-site restaurant Kitchen & Table — which serves seasonal fare like salads, juices, and smoothies — is packed, with many diners having casual business meetings or typing directly at the tables. When they are done, some can head to the lounges, or perhaps enjoy a foot massage or some time in the sauna. Companies can also hold their own events by reserving space in the “Library”, a cozy, cushion-lined room.
Incidentally, The Well is just steps away from what was the original location of Wing, the women’s coworking chain founded by Audrey Gelman and Lauren Kassan in 2016. In August of this year, all Wing locations closed their millennial pink doors for good ( although the company has been slowly bleeding since 2020, between COVID and allegations of a racist and toxic work environment).
Well’s “library” space.
Photo: Courtesy of The Well
In a way, The Well seems to be learning from The Wing’s mistakes. It originally opened in 2019 as a members-only club, but when it reopened in April 2021, it took a more welcoming approach. Selling $11 green juices and $205 facials might not exactly qualify as affordable or cheap, but simply opening its doors to anyone who walks around the (highly visible) corner is less exclusionary.
“The Well New York really was designed to be a one-stop shop for wellness,” says Megan Mulholland, who serves as vice president of brand and marketing. “Guests come for a variety of reasons – whether it’s to experience a relaxing massage, receive post-travel IV vitamin therapy, get a foot massage with friends after work, take a Mindful Movement class or drop by for lunch at our cafe. wellness.”
The Well’s Kitchen and Table in-house restaurant.
Photo: Courtesy of The Well
Remedy Place, which bills itself as “the world’s first social wellness club,” opened in Los Angeles three years ago and added a New York location in September.
scroll to continue
“We want to make people feel better through self-care and human connection,” said founder Dr. Jonathan Leary Fashionista. He predicts that wellness, which has seen a boom since the pandemic, will soon overtake fitness in popularity. “What I see for Remedy Place and self-care is like creating the first gym before the fitness industry boom. More people will practice self-care than work out; Remedy plans to lead the way,” he says.
Remedy Place offers subscriptions but is also open to everyone as long as they book in advance. And while the wellness offerings like ice baths and acupuncture are the initial draw, Leary says people do get-togethers there, too, with or without added wellness experiences. The place has even become a dating destination, with couples participating in sports together.
New York City location of Remedy Place.
Photo: Courtesy of Remedy Place
Equinox Hotels, recently opened in New York’s Hudson Yards, is also a popular destination for locals and visitors alike. In addition to the on-site Equinox gym, SoulCycle, barrel saunas and indoor and outdoor pools, there is also the Spa by Equinox Hotels, with an extensive menu offering offerings such as lymphatic drainage treatments and the Gold Collagen Facial, created in partnership with Dr. Lara Devgan.
Guests, of course, take advantage of the hotel’s wellness amenities, but they’re not the only ones. “The hotel and spa is a local destination, with open spaces to work, eat, play and regenerate,” says Jeff Rednour, general manager of Equinox Hotels. “It’s the perfect space for digital nomads to move from morning meetings, to a quick spa treatment, to happy hour.”
He notes that especially post-COVID, it makes sense to have everything under one roof. “Now, more than never, [spaces] need to be fully integrated.”
With a focus on de-stressing, these types of spaces are natural fits for bustling New York and LA. But the trend is also going global; Leary says Remedy Place plans to open two to three more locations annually. Other similar venues have opened outside major cities, such as The Ring, located in Clearwater, Florida. In addition to the usual suspects like fair-trade coffee and printing services, The Ring offers a massage therapist, chiropractor, yoga, and something called an “energy pod rejuvenation room.”
Energy capsules and lymphatic drainage aside, one thing is certain: workers are demanding more from their workspaces. The pandemic has clarified for many just how important mental and physical health is – and how our work is no different from the rest of our lives.
“I think a big light switch has been turned off for the whole world,” says Leary. Developers and entrepreneurs included.
Never miss the latest fashion industry news. Sign up for the Fashionista daily newsletter.