LA's Fave Derm Clinic Facile Launches Effective, Affordable Skincare Line

Facile Skincare is a new, simplified skincare line designed by one of LA’s most innovative dermatologists

West Hollywood dermatology clinic Facile Dermatology + Boutique has launched a line of clinical skincare essentials for all skin-types. This is the first national launch from this LA dermatology clinic known for its design-driven, luxe atmosphere and celebrity following that includes Mandy Moore, Lucy Hale and Dove Cameron. Facile’s skincare line is meant to encapsulate its brand philosophy that “good skin should be easy” at an affordable price point. Each product is dermatologist-designed and can be used on its own or in tandem with the menu of medical and esthetician services offered at Facile’s Melrose Place flagship clinic. 

Made with nontoxic ingredients, each of Facile’s new products are designed to be, “clinical, kind, conscious and sustainable,” according to the brand. The four core basic products include a Bare Necessity hyaluronic acid gel cleanser, a Barely There moisturizer made with Vitamin B5 and green tea, a Dew You hyaluronic Acid serum for lightweight moisturizing with peptides and a Lip Jelly lip moisturizer made with Vitamin E and peptides. The four Super Skin Serums include a Brighten brightening serum that gently exfoliates with tranexamic acid and niacinamide, a Clear acne serum made with lactic and glycolic acids, a Destress calming serum with anti-inflammatory properties and a Reverse anti-aging serum to brighten and smooth with retinol and chamomile. All of the four core basics and four serums have been created for use on all skin types. 

According to Danielle Nadick-Levy, Co-founder and CEO of Facile Skincare and clinics, “We really took our time when developing our line of products. We wanted to create what we felt was missing from an oversaturated market.” Each offering in the new line is, “fragrance-free and gentle enough for sensitive skin types but still make a difference in all skin types. Our Core 4 is the perfect simplified regimen for morning and night and the four Super Skin serums are aimed at tackling the four most common skin concerns.” She continues, “you don’t need to break the bank to get great skincare,” pointing out that Facile Skincare products start at $12.

In addition to offering gentle-yet-effective skincare at an accessible price, Nadick-Levy shares that, “It was really important to us that the line had a very low footprint so all of our packaging - including shipping materials - were made with that in mind. Our glass droppers are made of 50% post-industrial recycled glass, and are recyclable themselves. Our airless bottles are made of recyclable materials,” and all boxes are compostable, fluorocarbon-free and coated with food-safe pigments; and mailer boxes are made from 99% post-consumer fiber.

Facile is available for purchase now at Facileskin.com.

Get Ready To Sweat - The New SoulCycle At-Home Bike Is Available Everywhere

Starting last week, SoulCycle riders in all 48 contiguous states can bring the sweaty, high-energy, in-studio experience into their home with the national launch of SoulCycle’s at-home bike. Initially released to a small set of markets in March, this national launch coincides with the co-launch of Variis mobile app. SoulCycle’s live and on-demand classes stream to the at-home bike’s screen via Variis, Equinox Media’s digital fitness media platform. In addition to powering the digital SoulCycle experience, the standalone Variis mobile app also launches today, powering digital access to a variety of Equinox’s other notable digital fitness and mindfulness modalities.

Not surprisingly given the current climate, demand for SoulCycle’s at-home bike skyrocketed after safer-at-home orders were issued earlier this spring, necessitating a change in rollout plans for the greater launch. According to Equinox Media and Variis CEO Jason LaRose, “We launched this March to select markets and had planned to test and iterate before going national. With the pandemic, it felt critical to accelerate our roadmap and give our members and riders the ability to pursue fitness from wherever they are. On the first day we started taking SoulCycle at-home bike orders, consumers from 47 states and 11 countries were reaching out to us asking when the bike would be available to them.” 

SoulCycle’s at-home bike experience now includes both on-demand and a growing schedule of live classes. Class length ranges from 20, 30 and 45 minutes, and difficulty from beginner to advanced. Riders can filter by instructor, and peek at class playlists before committing to a ride (something never possible with the in-studio experience). Following rider demand in test markets, SoulCycle and Variis accelerated the addition of live classes. These live rides have been a major hit. According to LaRose and member data, “We’ve seen tremendous reception to the launch of our live rides last month—97% of riders have shared positive user satisfaction ratings, and live riders now ride an additional class per week. We are also building in community features that enable riders to see where others are joining from, and how many people they’re riding alongside—so wherever they are, they’re part of the pack.”

Plans for the standalone Variis mobile app launch were similarly expedited, based on Equinox member demand and a spike in at-home usage. Initially intending to introduce the app in a phased rollout in the spring, Variis accelerated the launch by more than six months and expanded from one market to 14 in less than two months. According to Equinox member data, since Variis’s pilot launch in March, those members who use the app are working out nearly 20% more per month compared to last year. Approximately 2.5 of these workouts each week take place via the app, across 2.3 types of classes. The Variis app now offers, via a monthly subscription, unlimited classes across Equinox’s own roster, as well as SoulCycle, PURE Yoga, Precision Run, HeadStrong, and now [solidcore], Rumble and TB12. LaRose hopes that, starting today, Variis can offer, “an unrivaled streaming experience... classes that best suit each modality, and translate each brand’s deeply engaging real-life experiences—from SoulCycle to [solidcore] to Rumble—to the world of digital.”

The SoulCycle and Variis at-home fitness experiences continue to show the demand for, what LaRose calls, the, “first 360 digital-meets-physical experience on the market.” Since launching in mid-March, LaRose shares that, “Demand for the bike has consistently outperformed forecasts, and sales have increased 115% week-over-week upon our recent introduction of financing and live classes, all of which drove us to double production heading into the tail end of the year, while allowing us to maintain an industry-leading delivery window of 1-3 weeks.” He continues, “Through our partners at Equinox and SoulCycle, we are uniquely positioned to deliver on this hybrid model, and have accelerated our reach and rollout since our March launch to meet the overwhelming demand for premium content and quality instruction that is currently unmet in today’s fitness landscape. Scaling access rapidly, market by market leading to today’s national availability, this is a watershed moment for our brand to continue the forward momentum.”

With this launch LaRose would like, “To inspire and equip you to pursue fitness every day—whether that’s through movement, recovery, meditation, or whatever your, his, her, or their body needs to be ready for today—and we hope this release helps our members and riders achieve exactly that.” Next up for SoulCycle and Variis? Riders looking to multitask will soon be able to “free ride” while streaming entertainment from Netflix, Amazon and Disney+.

The SoulCycle at-home bike is now available for $2,500. The Variis app is available to download as a monthly membership for $39.99/month. Eligible American Express cardholders can enroll in and receive statement credits of up to $25 per month, beginning October 9. Exclusively at launch, Variis app memberships include four Equinox day passes, as well as a virtual or in-person fitness assessment on your first visit. A monthly Variis membership of $40 powers the SoulCycle at-home bike and gives riders unlimited, on-demand access to content from SoulCycle and and other, leading fitness partners.

The Best Streaming Workouts For A Quarantine Sweat

All of my favorite irl studios are now streaming virtual classes, perfect for offsetting my extra wine consumption and giving my sheltered-at-home brain an endorphin boost. Many classes don’t require kitted-out home gym set-ups, and instead rely on either plain, old bodyweight or household items from chairs and soup cans to towels and bottles of wine. Ranging from dance cardio to bootcamps to barre, here are the top streaming workouts I’m relying on to keep my abs, buns and sanity intact, to the other side of the safer-at-home wine fest. 

Barry’s

Barry’s virtual Red Room is offered just about on the hour, every hour throughout the day. Workouts are abridged to 35 minutes per class to suit at-home attention spans (just me?) and conducted over Zoom. Schedules are organized by region: east, central and west, in order to provide familiar instructors and time slots. As in traditional Barry’s Bootcamp classes, different muscle groups are the focus on different days, with classes offered in a variety of prop and bodyweight options. Currently, Barry’s is offering a 28-day Social Fitness challenge. 

The Sculpt Society

Megan Roup’s Sculpt Society is a dance cardio fitness method popularized by supermodels and celebs (fans include Elsa Hosk and Sofia Richie), with classes ranging from 5 to 50 minutes and most clocking in at around 35. Megan’s classes are easy enough to follow along with for non-dancers, sweaty, modifiable to always be prop-free and new sweaty routines are offered each week. During shelter-at-home orders, Megan is offering a two-week complimentary trial to new Sculpt Society members.

Tone It Up

Tone It Up has been offering complimentary access to its robust fitness app during the pandemic. Workouts appear in the app, and range from HIIT and kickboxing to yoga sculpt and barre. Classes range in time commitment from a breezy 9-minute HIIT class to 35-minute yoga flows. 

Aaptiv

Throughout every new and notable fitness app launch, I always go back to Aaptiv. All-audio workouts, meditations, runs and recovery sessions led by a variety of talented instructors range from beginner to advanced and from short to marathon (marathon-training is in fact one programming option in the app). Workouts can be filtered by level of difficulty, instructor, music and a multitude of other options - making it super customizable. Currently, Aaptiv is offering 30-days of free membership to new subscribers.

Healthified Life

The newest option on this list, Healthified Life’s dance-cardio classes are taught by current assistant coach and former captain of the Warriors Dance Team Amira Mourad. Offered a handful of times each week via Healthified.co, Amira’s classes are fast-moving, incorporate dance cardio and strength movements and are prop-free.  

SoulCycle Launched Its Own Retreat Program (Answering All Of Our Fitness Prayers)

Those who enjoy both luxe travel and premium indoor cycling should take note that Retreats by SoulCycle has launched this week. In partnership with luxury tour operator Black Tomato, SoulCycle fans (and their friends, because no doubt us fanatical SoulCycle devotees will tell everyone we know) can now find their center through Black Tomato-organized, SoulCycle-inspired experiences over the course of a handful of days. Retreat itineraries will be curated by SoulCycle’s top instructors and filled with activities that, like their signature classes, focus on community and fitness; with ancillary spa and wellness programming. When not sweating together, rider-travelers will be guided through local experiences reflective of the local culture and nourishing food. 

According to SoulCycle CEO Melanie Whelan, “SoulCycle classes are physical, musical, emotional and community-based - some of our riders say we create a sanctuary, therapy and release as the experience gives them space to connect to themselves. Our retreats have been designed similarly. Each retreat is multi-dimensional and offers participants the opportunity to find their center through one-of-a-kind experiences in amazing destinations - while also connecting with a like-minded community. The experiences are specially curated by our incredible, top instructors and include activities that focus on community building and bonding, movement, nourishing food, and, of course, SoulCycle.” 

The first retreat took place last week in Texas’ Hill Country and led by Master Instructor Melanie Griffith and Senior Instructor Bevin Prince. According to SoulCycle, this itinerary included mindfulness exercises led by Melanie, breathing workshops with acupuncturist and Reiki Master Erin Telford, healing workshops, morning movement sessions, SoulCycle classes, and stargazing. Hospitality partners for this retreat included The Kimpton Van Zandt and Lucky Arrow Retreat, and will include others in the future. 

According to the brand, “the first official Retreats by SoulCycle trip open to the public will take place in Winter, 2020 and will be available for purchase in the coming months (those interested can sign up for more intel here). The cost of the trips will vary based on the destination at hand and length of the trip. The first trip will accommodate 20-30 participants with quantities varying moving forward based on the destination at hand.” 

The Best Vegan Restaurants For Busy People, According To Spoke & Weal's Founders

I recently visited the new, expanded Spoke & Weal salon on LA’s West 3rd Street. It reminded me why we are not planning any salon pages for our VitalGuide series. In the eight cities where Spoke & Weal operates, the list would have only one pick. After years of in-the-field research as a wellness reporter, trialing notable salons throughout the west coast, I’ve become a full-on Spoke & Weal devotee. In addition to offering a cutting-edge and client-first technique, a very cool company culture (perhaps a future blog post) and a low-key vibe, founders Jon Reyman and Christine Thompson are both totally plant-based. And since they’re jetsetting each week between their network of best-in-class salons, you bet they’ve become experts on the best spots to dine. So we asked them for their favorites:

Congrats on the new LA expansion of Spoke & Weal! What can you share about it?

JR: The L.A. expansion was dramatic. We doubled in size (from 2000 square feet to 4000 square feet) and renovated the entire space from the floors to the ceiling in about two weeks! The result is the best lighting we’ve ever experienced in a salon anywhere, an incredibly open and airy luxury experience, and acoustics that keep the salon relaxed and warm. Gone are any echos and much of the buzzing sounds of hair dryers.

What are your favorite spots to grab lunch when you're on your feet all day seeing clients at the LA location?

CT: You will find us in or ordering from these L.A. favorites: Kreation Organic, Erewhon, Gracias Madre, Sweet Greens, Cafe Gratitude. 

How do you survive fashion week/s with standard American style catering?

JR: New York Fashion Week is fairly vegan-friendly because the city is filled with veg options at every level of dining. Juice Press is a go-to all fashion week. The grab-and-go is filled with fresh and raw juices and vegan snack options that pack easily and fuel the team very well. We do not depend on catering—we are too busy back stage to find provisions!

Eating during the day is minimal but we do plan great dinners. I'm at ABCV every week and in-between take out from JaJaJa, Double Zero 00, or the fake tuna salad from Le Botaniste—and the vegan Caesar from Scarrs Pizza is insanely good.

How often are you on the road each month and where? Where are your favorite vegan restaurants in those cities?

JR: As we see guests and train our teams together in most cities, much of our meals are together on the road. In San Francisco, we love Burma Love—veggie soups and Laphet-Tea Leaf Salad are delish. Also, bon, nene, Gracias Madre, NoJo ramen (the vegan ramen should not be missed), Beloved and Al’s Place. In Chicago, you can often find us at Althea or Veggie Grill. Whole Foods recently opened one block away from our Lakeview salon, the smoothie bar and salad bar always work.

Further south, our Nashville Spoke & Weal is located right above True Foods Kitchen which delivers the goods every time! We are newer to Nashville so looking forward to exploring more. In Boston, Juice Press is around the corner and always hits the spot. Falafel Salad with Green Goddess dressing will fill you up for many hours.

In London, we like Yautacha for veggie dim sum and Detox Kitchen.

Any favorite airport restaurants or handy tips for plant-based road warriors?

CT: Traveling through many airports has become easier on the snacks end of things—meals are not on our agenda. If the flight justifies more than snacks we will do grab and go from Juice Press or many of the places above. Most often snacks suffice and below is our short list and most options are available at Cibo Express, Hudson News, or other airport snack and gift shops.

The GFB gluten free bites in the PBJ favor

Banana Bites - PB flavor

Chrunchsters - Sea Salt 

Smart Sweets - someone figured out how to make vegan gummies sweetened with stevia and monkfruit and they actually taste perfect! 

Louisville Vegan Jerky

Dried Mango (unsweetened)

Any other vegan and/or healthy travel trips you can share?

Travel tip: we each have a pair of bamboo utensils and water bottles. The utensils come in a narrow nylon pouch and include a spoon, straw, chopsticks, a fork and knife. We do our best to avoid using disposable goods. Traveling already takes a large amount of resources. The straws - metal or bamboo are great. Yes, a couple extra steps in rinsing and washing but this easily becomes routine. Single use plastic is insane—and very difficult to avoid. Bamboo utensils and reusable straws is a no brainer.

Wanderlust's New Passport Program and the Rise of Mindful Fitness with CEO Sean Hoess

The Wanderlust brand of four-day retreats and one-day festival turns ten next year, its evolution paralleling greater trends in the mindful fitness space. Sixty-five full-time employees and thousands of local and temporary employees now execute 60 events annually, including the new Wellspring conference in Palm Springs. Below, CEO and Co-founder Sean Hoess describes how the festival has evolved in their 10 year history, what’s next and why the work they are doing matters not just to personal wellness but cultural wellness, too.

How broad has the scope of Wanderlust events become?

"We’re at over 60 events annually. We did 25 one-day events in the US and six festivals this past year, the rest were international. We originally started with Wanderlust Festival, our four-day retreats that combine large-scale yoga retreat with a music and arts festival. Around 2013, we thought it would be fantastic to be able to reach people where they live and not require them to travel 500 miles to the mountains. So we dreamed up a simpler version called Wanderlust 108, which sometimes I think of as Wanderlust 101. It’s an accessible, linear event in contrast to our larger festivals, where you have over 200 events to choose from. The 108 events are beginner-friendly mindful triathlons, created to get people together and being active in their local park. We now have four-day festivals in Australia and New Zealand, most of our growth has been with the one-day Wanderlust 108 events, which are now happening everywhere from Russia and Japan to Western Europe and Chile.

With our new Wellspring event taking place this October in Palm Springs, we wanted to work to redefine wellness, in a broader sense than personal wellness. It’s a cross between an ideas conference and wellness festival. The new event lets us focus on on environmental wellness and societal wellness, too, which we’re really excited for."

How has the ethos and offering of the festival evolved?

"Yoga has and will continue to sit at the center of our vision of a mindful life. Your personal practice might be yoga or meditation or another form, but we do think that ‘practice’ more generally is part of the process of finding one’s true north. We were very deep into yoga in the beginning, but even in 2009 and 2010 we were offering a wide-range of other outdoor activity like meditation and hikes and stand-up paddleboard. For our audience, while yoga might have been the be-all-end-all for them in our earlier days, now it is still an important part of their wellness regime but a lot of them have started cycling and exploring more outdoor activities.

As far as the other part of the festivals, our music, art, food and wine have and continue to be a big interest of our community. We work to make that piece of the offering feel fresh and exciting each year."

How has having Adidas as a title sponsor changed the evolution of the festival?

"When I think of mindful fitness, there is fitness-fitness like HIIT or Crossfit, but mindful fitness would encompass yoga, Pilates, SoulCycle. It’s fitness that has a component of personal empowerment. Yoga is a forced digital detox, and a lot of other modalities have picked this up, which has fragmented the market a bit. ClassPass has helped with this. Our goal is get everyone into developing a meditation practice in one form, wherever it sits on this spectrum.

As far as Adidas goes, they have a strong interest in reaching women. They work with athletes, and started out with core sport and competitive sport. We’ve seen athletes adopt yoga as part of their physical and mental health programs, and Adidas wanted to understand it better and get more involved in it. They saw an opportunity with us to access our expertise. We are Wanderlust - we are this global container for a community that is out there already. It’s hard as a small company to do this expansion ourselves. Our partnership with Adidas has made it a lot easier for us to grow internationally."

I hear there are more changes to come! What is next for Wanderlust?

"We are always focused on our events and what they represent. I would like to see Wanderlust be more of a global lifestyle community, rather than a series of people who attend an event or buy a piece of apparel. I’ve always seen it as representative of a lifestyle, but it is a sort of container that brings people together. Everyone has the ability to bond through social networks and shared interest. We are in a position to offer this globally. This is the mission statement, expressing this. And to that end, we are launching a Wanderlust Passport. We will sell a pass that lets you go to any Wanderlust event in the world for an entire year. You could stay within your country or travel internationally. This would extend to our studios, too, and services and products that support the lifestyle of the wandering, conscious yogi and joining a global community. We really want to bring the community together in-person.

In addition to that, we are going to bring the Wanderlust festival experience to new cities for the first time. It’s also our 10th anniversary next year. Instead of four-day festivals on mountain resorts, we will bring a two-day version of this to cities and public parks. It will be done in lieu of the 108 version in that city - and really create a festival in a park, very much aligned with what we do on the mountainside. We want to a. raise the visibility and accessibility of the deeper experience of what Wanderlust offers and b. increase the awareness among people who can’t really travel to the destinations. Stay tuned."