Former Whole Foods Execs Open Love.Life, A Longevity Medical Club
Situated near a Whole Foods Market, Love.Life’s first flagship location harnesses personalized, functional medicine as the building blocks to a long and healthy life
Love.Life, a new holistic health and wellness club, has finally opened its flagship location in Los Angeles, hoping to make its mark on longevity-seeking California residents.
It’s a health-centered project that’s been in the works since 2020, co-created by Whole Foods Market co-founder John Mackey, former Whole Foods co-CEO Walter Robb and Betsy Foster, a former executive of the popular grocery chain.
First came a health-forward cafe in El Segundo and Miami with menu options such as salads, bowls, sandwiches and smoothies free of seed oils, sodium and added sugar. Now, those looking for deep health insights and personalized care can embark on a health journey with advanced testing and treatments blending Eastern and Western health practices.
Love.Life — a 45,000-square-foot facility at 740 S. Pacific Coast Highway in Plaza El Segundo and situated near a Whole Foods Market — is reminiscent of the well-known health grocer, with a signage background similar to that of Whole Food’s kale green branding.
The Pillar of Prevention
According to Mackey, who stepped down as Whole Foods CEO in 2022, Love.Life presents the new future of health: hyper-personalized and focused on the mind, body and spirit.
It’s a natural extension of Mackey’s vision where a healthy lifestyle can upend the need for possible interventions — once telling Freakonomics Radio host Stephen Dubner in 2020 that “The best solution is not to need health care. The best solution is to change the way people eat, the way they live, the lifestyle and diet. There’s no reason why people shouldn’t be healthy and have a longer health span. A bunch of drugs is not going to solve the problem.”
Expanding on that point, Love.Life is attempting to solve what it refers to as a “fragmented healthcare system,” using functional medical care and wellness therapies to improve overall health rather than manage symptoms.
A variety of annual membership options are available for Love.Life clients,
spanning categories geared towards healing, fitness and recovery, longevity and high performance.
“Our goal is for people to look forward to seeing their doctor and to be active, informed participants in their personal health journey,” Mackey said. “Our members feel empowered because we’re providing the clarity, care team, and onsite resources they need to achieve health transformations and feel amazing.”
A medical membership, Optimize ($750 monthly/$9000 annually), offers packages centered on healing, longevity or high-performance — which includes five physician meetings, individual health coaching, a body composition assessment, bone mineral density testing, advanced bloodwork that measures 120+ biomarkers and access to fitness and recovery services. Based on an individual’s goals and health conditions, additional specialized testing can be prescribed, such as VO2 max, continuous glucose monitoring, microbiome, musculoskeletal assessment and genetic testing. After members undergo lab panels, they receive a personalized plan and use the Love.Life app to track health data.
For those looking for the most comprehensive care, a white-glove Concierge tier is available for a reported $50,000 a year and features unlimited physician visits, full access to Love.Life’s 25+ tests and other perks.
While it may seem like a high-tech space filled with white lab coats, Love.Life also boasts a high-end fitness facility, hot and cold recovery modalities, yoga and Pilates, a meditation space and three pickleball courts for those with a Fitness and Recovery membership ($300 per month or $3600 annually).
Love.Life co-creator and president Betsy Foster says that while competitors offer similar components, it’s Love.Life’s community support that is a differentiating factor. Members also have access to popular wellness treatments such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, IV treatments, cryotherapy and red light therapy.
“Everyone’s health journey is different, and our goal is to meet people where they are on that journey,” she said. “We’re here to be their trusted long-term partner in health.”
Non-members can also check out Love.Life for a daily rate of $100, which allows guests to experience the fitness and recovery equipment. Its healthy restaurant is also available to the public.
While sunny Los Angeles serves as Love.Life’s flagship location, Mackey hinted to the L.A. Times that other centers may follow, including internationally.
“The beauty of Love.Life is we have taken the very best of medicine, nutrition, and wellness and created a truly holistic experience centered around the individual,” Love.Life lead integrative physician Dr. Anna Emanuel said. “And it’s all in one place. All of the doctors, wellness practitioners, and even fitness and nutrition teams work together to support the member in reaching their personal goals.”
Longevity Has Longevity
Love.Life is among a handful of emerging longevity and healthspan leaders in recent months, with more poised to follow.
Earlier this spring, Equinox and Function Health teamed for Optimize by Equinox, which uses biomarker testing to inform personalized training, running members $40,000 a year. The program includes access to a personal team of health and wellness pros, including a fitness trainer, nutrition coach, sleep coach and massage therapist.
On the East Coast on New York City’s Seventh Avenue, anti-aging lab Extension Health has rebranded into an oasis of longevity and human performance under Dr. Jonathann Kuo, a double board-certified physician. Clients can expect DEXA scans, 3D postural alignment, VO2 max, RMR testing, advanced blood work, biological age testing and cancer detection scans, as well as personalized peptide therapies, stem cell and neurological system resets involving the vagus nerve, weight management and gut health treatments, vitamin IVs and hormone testing.
Functional medicine expert Dr. Frank Lipman is also embracing longevity medicine, as seen with his NYC-based practice, Eleven Eleven Wellness Center. The facility offers clients genetic testing, biological age testing and an extensive set of blood biomarker testing for an annual fee. The results are then analyzed to inform personalized recommendations for supplements, nutrition, exercise, hormones and peptides.
