I Tried the Wellness Club With a 10,000 Initiation Fee. Is It Worth It?

Get the Full StoryI am, admittedly, no stranger to wellness clubs. I've spent a consecutive week at Heimat, taken a private Pilates class at the elusive Alo Gym, tried contrast therapy at Pause Studio, and more. Each of these spaces is essentially the same concept in a different font - they're all places where like-minded individuals can gather, build community, and enjoy wellness services. Yet, each club has distinguishing features that make it stand out from its counterparts. One of the latest to join the pack: LIVV Natural, the first private health club in San Diego.

LIVV is more or less a hybrid of Remedy Place and Soho House, with additional medical services - at least, that's how the founder described it to me when we chatted during the club's opening week. According to their site, it "blends cutting-edge treatments with holistic healing to elevate every aspect of life, empowering members to unlock their full potential and thrive-physically, mentally, and socially."

But with its lowest-tier membership clocking in at 11,940 a year plus a 10,000 initiation fee , unlocking your potential certainly comes at a cost. Are LIVV's services enough to justify the steep price tag? I tried out the club to decide that for myself.

My Experience With LIVV Natural

During their opening week, I was invited to experience LIVV Natural firsthand. I was given a gold card literally, a shiny, heavy, gold-toned metal card which gave me access to the club for a single day. When I walked in the doors at LIVV, I was welcomed into an entryway that was separated from the rest of the building by a dramatic velvet curtain. Intrigued, I checked in with the lovely front desk employees, who went over my itinerary for the day: consultation, massage, contrast therapy, Hydrafacial, and then a wellness shot and no, we're not talking about juice .

The receptionist pulled back the heavy curtain to reveal a moody, earth-toned sitting area that felt akin to a luxury hotel lobby in a tropical locale which as it turns out, is by design, as the decor was inspired by Tulum, Mexico . To the left of the expansive lounge space, there was a small juice bar tucked away, where I was offered my beverage of choice.

With a green juice in hand, I met with a member of their team, who went over my health history, and discussed my wellness plan for the day. Normally, for members, you would begin your journey at LIVV with blood and hormone testing - then one of the naturopathic medical doctors NMD on their team would create a personalized health protocol tailored to your goals, along with a treatment plan featuring the health club's amenities. However, since I was only there for the day, I didn't get a full work-up. Note: Naturopathic doctors differ from medical doctors as they tend to focus on holistic health, and the body's ability to heal itself rather than using pharmaceuticals or conventional medical treatments. That said, they don't go through the same training, education, and credentialing process as medical doctors.

From there, I was escorted around the corner to the small but chic locker room, where I was given slippers and a sage green robe that perfectly matched the decor.

With a few minutes before my first wellness appointment of the day, I took a moment to stroll through the hallway, noticing that each closed door featured a glowing label over the doorframe Spa, Plunge Room, Sauna, etc. - it was like a wellness advent calendar, each room revealing a new treat. I later found out that the building was previously a post office, and they maintained much of the original architecture.

At the far end of the hall, I was greeted into the massage room, where I enjoyed 30 minutes of muscle-soothing bliss - despite the condensed appointment, I was genuinely impressed by how much the service helped soothe my muscles and calm my whole body.

From there, I had an hour to enjoy the sauna and plunge room - which are separate rooms, connected by a door - for a bit of contrast therapy. I opted for the plunge first I am a cold plunge fan, after all and dipped into the 50 degree tub for a quick jolt back to reality after my massage. In the plunge room, there are three tub options 40, 45, and 50 degrees , so you can choose which level of cold therapy suits your preference.

After three minutes, I dried off, and padded over to the sauna room. I was immediately impressed by the spacious seating area, which felt similar to communal saunas I've tried in Scandinavia. Also, since it uses infrared healing rather than a traditional dry sauna the room didn't get quite so hot, which meant I could comfortably enjoy the room for a bit longer than I otherwise would. I could see this co-ed space being a great place for club members to gather and chat. After 15 minutes, I hopped back over to the plunge room, where I dipped in the 45 degree tub - and I repeated this pattern until I'd experienced each tub and ample time in the sauna.

After a quick rinse, I went through yet another hallway to the skincare room, for my hydrofacial - a treatment which combines cleansing, exfoliation, extraction, and hydration to improve the overall appearance and health of the skin. For anyone who's gotten a HydraFacial before, you know just how amazing this treatment can be - not only does it hydrate your skin with hyaluronic acid and other nourishing ingredients, but it also uses a vacuum suction technique to extract impurities from your pores. For those of you who find pimple popping videos incredibly satisfying, I'd highly recommend checking out the "gunk" tube at the end of your treatment.

To close out my day of wellness pampering, I opted for a B Complex shot a blend of B vitamins that's injected into your glute , and took a few minutes to lounge in the dreamy seating area before stepping back into reality.

Is LIVV Natural Worth the Price?

The dues at LIVV range from that aforementioned 11,940 annually or 995 monthly , plus a 10,000 initiation fee, for the Emerald membership all the way to a whopping 59,940 annually or 4,995 monthly for the Platinum membership.

Each membership tier includes a wide spectrum of wellness offerings, such as: a comprehensive biomarker test; clinical lab review; hyperbaric oxygen therapy; NAD ; ozone therapy; peptide therapy; hormone optimization; IV therapy; wellness shots; therapeutic massage; Hydrafacial or microneedling; and access to LIVV social events. The different tiers, for the most part, have access to all the same services - the cost discrepancy really has to do with the volume for instance, an Emerald member gets one massage a month, while Platinum gets four .

If you were to break down the cost of each of these services a la carte, you'd find that the monthly fees are actually a pretty great value for instance, Ozone therapy costs 350 for an initial consultation, then an additional 200 for one service . LIVV is essentially meant to serve as both a social wellness club and a naturopathic healthcare facility, providing comprehensive holistic care, wellness coaching, a full-service spa, and a community component. Plus, a membership at LIVV gives you access to some modalities that are otherwise hard to find otherwise like ozone therapy or comprehensive biomarker tests .

That said, even the lowest tier is pricey. And while some might argue that preventative medicine should be an integral part of any health and wellness routine, the specific treatments they offer still feel like a bit of a nonessential luxury. The club itself may also not be a great fit for anyone who is looking for a space to fill all their general well-being needs for instance, there is no gym at the moment . But for those who are interested in working closely with a holistic healthcare provider and regularly using cutting-edge wellness modalities, then LIVV is essentially wellness Disneyland.

Kristine Thomason is a lifestyle writer and editor based in Southern California. Previously, she was the health and fitness director at mindbodygreen, and the fitness and wellness editor at Women's Health. Kristine's work has also appeared in PS, Travel Leisure, Men's Health, Health, and Refinery29, among others.

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