Over the weekend, I headed East to a wellness event at Hero Beach Club in Montauk. And it was exactly what I needed, as I marked one month since the passing of my grandmother. It felt cathartic to hit the road, move my body, meet new people, and spend the day by the water. Montauk holds many good memories for me, as I’ve been a frequent visitor for the last few years, and I was eager to continue the tradition this summer.
On Saturday, I attended a wellness event hosted by Dria Murphy, the founder of Alise Collective and someone I’ve followed for years on Instagram and whose career I admire. Without sounding like too much of a fan girl here, it was so cool meeting her in person and attending one of her events. Not only did she organize an amazing morning of workouts with Forward__Space, followed by wellness sessions with Modern Age, but she also curated products from brands including AG1, Bliss, Innersense Organic Beauty, and Roar Organic.
I’ve wanted to try a class with Forward__Space—which is described as a hybrid of movement that incorporates cardio dance, athletic training, and moving meditation—for a while now, but getting into the City for a workout never seems to happen for me. So when I saw that they were going to be at Hero Beach Club, I cleared my schedule to attend (sorry, horses). Since traffic to the Hamptons is even worse than usual this summer, I opted to make it out for their 10:30 am Forward Flow rather than their uber-popular earlier cardio dance class (which I will try when they do their pop-up at The Barn in Bridgehampton during August). The gentle yoga flow was just what I needed for my body, especially after sitting in the car for more than two hours to make it out to Montauk. Rachel, who taught the class, had the most calming vibe, and helped me to feel totally relaxed in the moment.
After class, Modern Age, a New York City-based aging wellness clinic, was on hand to do aging wellness assessments and custom IV drips, as attendees cooled off and hydrated with drinks from Roar Organic and Vita Coco, slathered on clean sunscreen from Bliss, tried out some haircare products from Innersense, shopped laid-back resort-style pieces from Penfield Collective, and enjoyed samples of AG1, a company that’s formulated a convenient way to get your greens and other nutrients in daily.
For me, no trip out to Montauk would be complete without a sanity stroll. So after class, I changed into beach attire and headed down to the sand for a lengthy stroll. The weather turned out to be ideal (which is a welcome departure from the hot and humid days we’ve been having that usually end with thunderstorms), and by the afternoon, it was looking like the perfect beach day to lay out and get some sun (while testing out my new sunscreen from Bliss, of course).
Before an afternoon at the beach, I ordered a light lunch from the bar at Hero, which hit the spot after my early morning stop at Hampton Coffee for breakfast. I’ve always loved spending time at Hero for its funky decor, ocean-front location, and friendly staff, but the other day I loved it even more, thanks to not having to leave the premises to get lunch. If you know Montauk, this is a big deal, especially on busy weekend days!
Once I finished with lunch, the only thing on my agenda for the afternoon was spending time relaxing at the beach on one of Hero’s comfy bean-bag style loungers. I hit the sand about an hour before the clouds started rolling in, and then it was time to rejoin Dria and the group poolside for casual drinks and conversation.
The only downside to spending a day in Montauk is having to leave Montauk at the end of the day. Before making the trek back home, I took one final sanity stroll on the beach. I left Hero Beach Club feeling gratitude for the energy the day gave me both physically and emotionally, inspired to get back into a regular workout routine (see you soon, Forward__Space), and excited to attend more events like this one in the future.
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