mornin’ merrymakers 💪🥤🌿 🌸 💊

a few weeks ago, i made 6 predictions about how wellness would reshape retail in 2026 (read part 1 and part 2).

the retail-ification of health.
bio browsing.
gathering as a growth strategy.
retail routines.
stores getting shows.
calming as a conversion strategy.

i felt pretty confident when i wrote them. but predictions are easy. the more fun part is seeing the evidence (or lack of it) roll in.

so every month i’ll be highlighting wellness openings and what they signal about the broader market and brand expansion trends. plus one that just really annoyed me…

i vividly remember how stoked i was when barry’s was opening their 1st studio in sf. i went to the promo classes at lululemon with my friends and was at the studio on opening weekend.

the 1st studio opened in 1998. the 2nd in 2003. the 10th in 2013.

they took an a big chunk of outside investment in 2015, leading to much more rapid expansion. which is what makes this fascinating.

if you’re in a major city, you obviously know them, but you like me probably didn’t realize how close they were to this mileston

they opened studio 100 on wall street in nyc this month. they’re celebrating with 100 minute classes, 100 blend smoothie, and a virgin red giveaway.

it’s the extreme fire horse energy.

in contrast, a brand that is very much all over your social media feed is only now hitting store 11.

the 60 year old grocery chain was a single fairfax la location until 2014 (around the time it changed ownership).

the brand has been opening about 1 location per year in socal. slowly they’re ramping up opening cadence with 3 planned for this year:

last last year, they opened their 1st non ca location test with a “tonic bar” in the kithy ivy social club in nyc. which can also be ordered on ubereats.

all this to signal more erewhons will becoming soon, filling in the gap that whole foods left when it became amazon….

interventional psychiatry is picking up momentum thanks to changes in regulation.

this is a branch of mental health care that uses fast-acting, technology-based treatments like ketamine infusions, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and apravato nasal spray (esketamine) to treat conditions such as depression, PTSD, and anxiety in days or weeks rather than the months typically required by traditional therapy or medication.

stella mental health clinics are leading the way with 20+ locations, which is a mix between their owned/operated spots and partner spots.

in february, they opened their second clinic in the boston area (13th owned and operated).

i expect to see a lot more of them & their competitors opening this year.

not sure if it’s because of social media or because lots of my friends are having babies, but pelvic floor therapy is getting more and more mainstream.

i love how origin therapy is leading the way.

they just closed a series B for an undisclosed amount 😳

they opened their 19th clinic in glendale, ca for third la location. opened their 1st ever clinic in la in 2020.

i titled it as 20ish because they relocated to expand their carlsbad, ca location. as someone who worked in house at brands, i know as much if not more work goes into a relo so giving them credit where credit is due.

excited to see where else they open with their fresh funding!

ulta’s betting on inside out beauty.

opened 3 new wellness shop-in-shops in late january in columbus, oh; short pump, va; & peabody, ma.

the 300–600-square-foot boutiques feature 58 brands across four pillars:

think celeb brands like naomi watts' menopause-focused stripes line, christina aguilera's sexual wellness focused playground, and kourtney kardashian baker’s gummy vitamins lemme. as well as therabody, sakara, the nue co, arrae, neom, & more.

all this comes strategically after ulta announced the full target break up by august 2026 and after sephora announced they’re exiting the supplement game…

the vitamin shoppe which opened it’s first store ever in nyc in 1977, opened it’s first ever “innovation store” on the upper eastside.

fun fact: the brand is intentionally called the archaic name “shoppe” to evoke a sense of quaint, old-fashioned charm.

this goes directly against the title of the innovation store…. but w/e.

this new 2,400 sq. ft. store include an ai-powered touchscreen that gives product recs, wellness content, and real-time inventory. i so rarely see customers interact with these so i really hope they did something special.

in classic nso fashion, they partner with a fitness influencer, sara saffari, raw nutrition, and juice press for a collaborative smoothie.

this is a classic example of ai-washing making waves in stores.

p.s. what openings did i miss? i love hearing from y’all!