Entering My Self-Care Era At The Ultra-Exclusive Apple Fitness+ Studio

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from interviewing celebrities about their morning routines and recovery rituals, it’s that wellness takes *work*. I’m constantly inspired to try the latest workout trends and skin care products, but actually maintaining consistent “me time” feels impossible when life gets busy. So, I’m officially hitting pause on the chaos and putting myself first.

Instead of making excuses like I usually do, I’m committing to three simple goals for 2026: establishing a skin care routine I can stick to, moving my body each day, and logging off social media to touch grass whenever possible. With these goals top of mind, it felt like a total manifestation moment when Apple invited me to check out its super private Santa Monica fitness hub. (Easiest yes ever.)

I’ve seen the Apple Fitness+ studio in a lot of the workout videos I’ve tried on my phone, and have always wondered what it looks like IRL. While I’ve been lucky enough to visit Alo’s invite-only gym in Beverly Hills — which is always buzzing with celebrities and influencers — Apple’s wellness space is a completely different world of private. Aside from the instructors who film there, only a handful of outside guests have ever stepped foot inside — and I was about to be one of them.

Upgrading My Daily Digital Wellness

Our day of pampering kicked off with a gorgeous spread of delicious little matcha balls, fresh hummus wraps, and refreshing pressed juices. Once we finished snacking, it was time to dive into the tech. While I’ve tapped through the iPhone Health app before, I quickly realized I’ve been totally sleeping on what it can actually do.

Along with a step tracker, there’s also a section for Mental Wellbeing that features a tool called State of Mind. This is where you can log your real-time emotions and pinpoint exactly what is causing them. Looking back at your emotional patterns can help you understand yourself better. (Spoiler alert: Sitting in gridlock traffic is apparently a major trigger for my anger. Shocker, I know.)

Another eye-opener was the daylight tracker. Since my remote-work life keeps me chained to my indoor desk, it was a massive wake-up call to start stepping outside for at least 20 minutes a day.

Then came the Journal app, which completely blew me away. I use my Notes app all the time to jot down random things, but this is a serious upgrade. Instead of just plain text, you can lace each entry with your State of Mind logs, photos, voice memos, and location maps. As someone who loves keeping a travel journal, I find it to be an absolute game changer for bundling vacation memories.

Of course, nothing will ever truly replace my love for handwritten notebooks, but it’s so nice to be able to capture thoughts right in the moment. It immediately made me think of when Jake Shane and Dylan Efron talked about struggling to stay consistent with journaling on Therapuss. Now that I see how effortless this app is, I low-key want to introduce them to it.

Channeling My Inner Yogi

With our walkthrough complete, it was time to step inside for a quick 15-minute yoga flow with instructor Dice Iida-Klein. Apple gave me the ultimate main-character moment by picking me to be the one to officially open the door. It felt like I was the chosen one to get a wand picked out for me in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Walking through the doors felt like stepping right into my iPhone screen. With all of the cameras and lights, the setup gave off peak movie-set energy. After snagging a yoga mat in the back row, I was ready to get into our flow. We were all geared up with an Apple Watch, which let us track our real-time metrics and seamlessly sync the workout straight into our Journal app entries later.

During the session, I picked up a genius hack: You can use your Apple Watch as a remote control for your iPhone camera. If you’re filming content or workout videos at home, you just set up your phone at the perfect angle and tap record right from your wrist. While I’m definitely not an influencer, this is going to be a lifesaver for solo travel moments or capturing group pics with my friends.

Turning Off The Chaos

After yoga, we headed up to the roof to wind down with a quick meditation session led by Jessica Skye. Sitting on a setup of plush, comfy pillows, I was already in such a lovely headspace from our stretch that this felt like the absolute cherry on top. Turning off my mind was so easy while soaking in the cool breeze coming from the nearby ocean.

Once we finished, we got a few quiet moments to jot down our final thoughts in the Journal app. From there, I headed back downstairs, snagged one last hummus wrap, and hit the road to tackle the rest of my workday.

TL;DR

Coming off a high-energy workout at the Alo gym, I was worried Apple's studio would be just as exhausting. Luckily, it was all about wellness *your* way. If you want to go hard to crush a fitness goal, you totally can — but for anyone like me, it’s also the perfect place to gently ease into a consistent routine.

I was super excited to be able to visit such an elite location — and also be the one to open the studio doors — but my biggest takeaway was actually how much I can do right at home. Since my visit, I’ve committed to doing just one small thing for my mental health each day, whether that’s a quick journal entry, logging my mood, or stepping outside to catch some sunlight. Just that one tiny shift has made a world of difference, and I can proudly say I’m still firmly in my self-care era with no end in sight.