A growing number of East Bay women are building businesses around group fitness and wellness gatherings, riding a wave of interest that ranges from free community hikes to luxury overseas retreats costing thousands of dollars.
MacKenzie Majors, 28, of Alameda, graduated from college during the pandemic and then took a remote job that let her travel widely. When she returned home to restart her life, she found it difficult to meet people. Her answer was a side venture called 510 Society, which pairs exercise with drinks, such as tennis and tequila or Pilates and Prosecco. Events also feature vendors, goodie bags and photo-friendly touches like a large balloon sculpture. "I was like, I needed community outside of myself and the people that I know around me that I grew up with," she said.
The pursuit of wellness is hardly new, as the ancient Greeks practiced holistic habits for body and mind. But the money involved has swelled. The Global Wellness Institute reported that the global wellness economy reached a new high of $6.8 trillion in 2024, up nearly 8% from the previous year. According to the institute, North America, the Middle East, North Africa and Europe have been the fastest-growing regional wellness economies over the past five years and showed the strongest recovery after the pandemic. Wellness tourism, personal care, physical activity and nutrition were among the highest-earning sectors, and the institute found that people in the United States spend an average of $6,300 a year on wellness.
Heather Depiero of Oakley also launched her wellness offerings soon after COVID. About five years ago she began teaching fitness classes at Barre Beat in Antioch alongside her job in corporate insurance. She recalled that during the height of the pandemic in 2020, people seemed content cycling alone on their Pelotons, but once gyms and studios reopened they wanted in-person contact again. "It's human nature," she said, "to want to feel each other's energy."
She and the studio's owner began organizing destination retreats, and eight months ago Depiero started her own company, Ripl Wellness. This month she took 25 women on a luxury trip to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and said others had pressed her to get off the waitlist. Her business currently focuses on women, though she hopes to open it to all genders. She attributes the popularity of such events to screen fatigue. "We're just getting inundated with virtual connectivity," she said, adding that in-person connection "means more now than it ever has." Attendees have echoed that on social media, with one calling a "Ratchet Reset" barre night out "a vibe."
Timing is another factor, according to industry experts. Podcasts, videos and talk shows increasingly spotlight muscle building, protein powders and hormone health, often aimed at women. Danielle Foster, 36, of Brentwood, started her full-time business, The Wellness Affair, two years ago and now draws as many as 100 women to events across California, plus a retreat in Alaska. "Women want the education," she said, noting that women also discuss their bodies more openly than they did 20 or 30 years ago.
Sisters Shelby Kaiser, 36, and Kimberly Moffat, 38, of Discovery Bay, created 925WellnessClub as a side business after visiting many new East Bay studios and sensing something was missing. They began with a Valentine's Day event for friends and family, and it grew from there. They said they wanted to give women, and especially mothers, a place to spend a couple of hours on self-care. "Leaving the kids, leaving the husband, and just spending those couple hours just for yourself," Kaiser said.
Both sisters have kept their day jobs and put event earnings back into the business, buying mats and paying instructors. Their events, which include "Boot Camp 925" and a "Sip and Sculpt" held this summer in Brentwood, typically cost $40 to $80 and usually come with a gift bag. The club also hosts free events, including community walks it calls "hot girl hikes." The most recent one drew 100 people on a Sunday afternoon. "I think just wellness is a big thing right now," Kaiser said.