After the 2026 USA World Cup Kickoff Celebration welcomed nearly 4,000 people to Santa Monica Place in June, the mall is hosting its newest event, Aug. 23: Wellness on the Westside
“We wanted to keep the momentum going and continue to host events in collaboration with Spin PR Group here on the property to help attract more locals and Santa Monica community members,” said Caroline Mayhew, Santa Monica Place’s senior marketing manager. Spin PR Group is the company behind many of the Westside’s most beloved annual events, including MAINopoly: A Taste of Main Street, the OFF THE HOOK Seafood Festival and the SANTA Monica Pub Crawl
“Building on the incredible energy and sense of community from our World Cup Kickoff Celebration at Santa Monica Place, I wanted to create another event that brings people together, this time to celebrate health, wellness and self-care,” said Kim Koury, president of Spin PR Group and co-producer of Wellness on the Westside. “I’m excited to be producing this event alongside my partners Jeff Wills, owner of BOD (Body Overview Data) in Venice, and Michelle Kelly, owner of Restore Hyper Wellness. Together, we’re shining a spotlight on the outstanding wellness businesses that make the Westside such a special place while creating a fun and inspiring day where people can discover new ways to move, recover and recharge. We hope attendees leave feeling healthier, more connected and inspired to continue supporting these incredible local businesses long after the event ends.”
The event, presented by AI Wellness — a platform aimed at educating people about taking ownership of their health — will feature four hours of fitness classes, including pilates, yoga, dance, sound baths, breathwork and stretching, all included in the $40 ticket. Attendees must sign up in advance to reserve a spot in each class
One highlight of the event will be free professional beauty portraits by Community Collage, a public art initiative founded by photographer Josh Madson that celebrates diverse cultures within local communities. The nonprofit aims to photograph 40,000 Angelenos ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, transforming the portraits into murals and installations across the city for the Games
Complementing the fitness classes and portraits will be food and drink samples and an array of wellness activations — including light therapy, sports massages, compression therapy and a flower market — intended to promote wellness education and bring the community together. The event will also celebrate the recent opening of Club Studio, a gym now operating within the mall
“These wellness events are important because they’re getting the education out there that we need to start this process of actually taking better care of ourselves,” said Dr. Gideon Kwok, co-founder of AI Wellness. “It just starts off with that one right question: How can I make a change?”
Kwok said he was initially drawn to Wellness on the Westside because of its ability to expose people to wellness practices they may not be familiar with, in hopes of prompting them to begin — or continue — habits that help their bodies function optimally. He said services such as red light therapy, exosome facials and pulsed electromagnetic field, or PEMF, therapy can help people see quicker results, but that wellness can begin anywhere
“We all want to look like we’re at the finish line, but it’s the journey and the small steps that make that process really impactful,” Kwok said. “It’s the small things added up that will make those changes.”
Downtown Santa Monica and Santa Monica Place have seen increasing vacancy rates in recent years, but Mayhew said the mall is committed to turning the tide. She said it’s the perfect space to host local brands and low-cost community events, adding that the mall’s World Cup transformation highlighted its potential to become a vibrant, lively gathering place even as it continues to lack the retail draw it was once known for
“We want to give [locals] exactly what they want: offer fun wellness events and offer a place to go watch the World Cup and fill that gap that the Promenade in general, not just Santa Monica Place, is lacking at this current time,” Mayhew said
Kwok said he hopes people leave the event feeling empowered. “The biggest thing I hope is that people are getting educated on the fact that you can do something and that you can start that process of being inquisitive for your own health.”
Wellness on the Westside will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 23 at Santa Monica Place, 395 Santa Monica Place
Lila Victor, Special to the Daily Press
