A Pilates Guru’s Healthy LA (+ Packing List)
A Pilates Guru’s Healthy LA (+ Packing List)
In partnership with our friends at
She started with a small NYC Pilates studio, but Erika Bloom has become an alternative health guru with studios in New York City, Connecticut, the Hamptons, Turks and Caicos, and now, her newest, in Los Angeles. The mother of two travels a lot these days, particularly to LA. The key, she says, is staying flexible. “Part of my philosophy is meet yourself where you are,” she says. “We shouldn’t check off wellness to-dos from a list but rather honor our body’s moods, hormones, and needs as they are each day.” No matter what time zone she’s in, before she goes to bed, she sets an intention to stay mindful the next day. “When I’m traveling, I commit to sleeping well, staying hydrated, and continuing my daily Pilates practice,” explains Bloom, whose training in ballet and modern dance has informed her alignment-first philosophy. “I make it a point to exercise before I get on the plane, and I drink Sakara Detox Water on the flight.” A girl after our own heart, one of Bloom’s favorite things about LA is Erewhon in Venice. We asked for a few more favorite spots, along with the wellness essentials she always packs for a trip.
Erika’s Wellness Essentials
-
NEW BALANCE Women’s
Fresh Foam Cruz v2 Knit New Balance Sneaker, $85“The sneakers have just the right amount of heel lift and stability to support posture, but not so much that your foot can’t feel its connection to the earth. Plus, the soft hue reminds me of dusk on the dunes.” -
OPTP LoRox Aligned Roller
goop, $50
“Addressing the fascial system is a key part of my method. We use the OPTP foam roller in sessions to teach self-release.” -
NEW BALANCE
Transform Two Way Tank New Balance, $40“I love the breathable fabric, and it’s such a flattering cut. It’s great for Pilates and hitting the town for the day.” -
ELVIE Elvie Trainer
goop, $199
“Our women’s program focuses on pelvic-floor health, and I’ve found the Elvie to be very helpful for getting clients to do their homework. It shows if you’re engaging well, and also the oh-so-important ‘Are you relaxing on your inhale?’” -
DE MAMIEL
Altitude Oil goop, $44“I love and truly feel the benefits of aromatherapy. I use these two when I travel.” -
TATA HARPER
Aromatic Bedtime Treatment goop, $60 -
VITRUVI Stone
Diffuser goop, $119“For both my home and studios.” -
THE NUE CO. Reboot Travel Set
goop, $160
“My in-flight essentials.” -
THE BEAUTY CHEF
Inner Hydration
Beauty Boost goop, $50“This probiotic has helped me immensely.”
Erika's Picks 
Erika Bloom Pilates
Brentwood
The open space is flooded with natural light, making it a relaxing and—oh yes, we’re going to go there—fun workout. The studio’s knowledgeable staff curates personalized routines that borrow from Pilates, yoga, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais, and weight training. There are also programs for pre- and postnatal women, osteoporosis, injury prevention, acupuncture, bodywork, and holistic health consulting.
Erewhon
Venice
It’s probably the OG LA health food store—and it’s gorgeously redesigned and better than ever. We love the incredible organic produce, juice bar, prepared foods, salad bar, sushi, and the delicious array of wheat-, gluten-, and dairy-free treats for groceries or healthy lunches or dinners. Seating consists of wooden tables outside, so go on a nice day if you plan to eat there. Bloom particularly loves the medicinal broth bar, healing herb lattes, and custom kombucha blends.
Kreation Juicery
Venice
The people behind Kreation Café, a certified green eatery specializing in dishes made from local farmers’ market produce, have applied the same philosophy to their juice bar. Juices are made with 100 percent organic fruits and veggies purchased within the same zip code. The result is deliciously fresh juice. It’s the first place Bloom goes in the morning before she heads to the studio. “They have a fiber-rich, grain-free, sugar-free cracker that’s delicious,” she says. She also stops here to pick up food on the way to LAX.
Moon Juice
West Hollywood
Moon Juice is a New Age pharmacy—look no further than the fifty-pound jade crystal that’s affixed to the shop’s exterior on Alfred Street. There are tonics for every malady or desire (we love the turmeric cup, with cayenne pepper, black pepper oil, and oil of oregano to help us through a cold). At the raw copper Alchemy Bar, one of the alchemists will happily help you customize the Vittoria coffee or gynostemma tea with a Moon Juice dust of your choice. The cabinet of cold-pressed goodness is almost too pretty to drink, but it’s delicious and effective. At the register, the snacks (dried chili and mango slices, activated maca mesquite walnuts) are absolutely addictive.
Plant Food + Wine
Venice
When the long-standing Axe shut its doors last year, a lot of West Siders were pretty bummed—but then chef Matthew Kenney, a force in the plant-based movement, swooped in to take over the space, turning the upstairs into a plant-based cooking academy. The place still has a light, low-key vibe, with exceptional outdoor seating; the difference is the menu is now completely vegan. Kenney’s restaurants across the country all do things with veggies and nuts that you don’t see anywhere else. They’re known for their aged-nut-cheese plate, fantastic salads, and the (amazing) curried cauliflower tacos. Back in New York, Bloom frequents his East Coat vegan pizza joint, Double Zero .
Côte
Brentwood
This serene, grey-washed space looks like it belongs on Harbour Island or Nantucket—not on one of LA’s busiest drags. Just sitting down in own of the beachy, low-slung chairs is relaxing, and the salon is totally clean and nontoxic, too. The 109 polish shades are completely five-free (no formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, camphor, or formaldehyde resin), and the manicures and pedicures involve all manner of all-natural oils and ointments that smell as good as they feel. It’s a winning and well-executed combination; in the front, there’s a sweet little shop full of finds from France.
LOOM
Mid-City
Loom is doula Erica Chidi Cohen’s home base in LA for women and families in every stage of their journey—thinking about conceiving, struggling, expecting, parenting, and everything in between. During the Roadmap class, you’ll learn more about the menstrual cycle and reproductive health than years of sex ed and Google searches could teach you. Baby Care Basics is a giant parents-to-be chill pill in the form of a two-hour class covering everything—diapering, sleeping, swaddling, all of it. After the baby is born, there’s baby massage, parents-and-me playgroups, feeding support, and so much more. Sessions with Cohen encourage body, sex, and overall wellness positivity, plus she—and every therapist, doula, and lactation expert that works at Loom—is just so cool. The pastel-and-wood space hosts special events, talks, and drop-in playgroups regularly. (If you happen to be a new mother and can’t catch Cohen in person, check out her book Nurture.)
WMN Space
Culver City
This all-ladies clubhouse is welcoming and airy, and deliberately, wonderfully unfussy. Founded by doula Paula Mallis, WMN Space has pre- and postnatal workshops, meditation and movement classes, full-moon circles, and more. The roster of in-house specialists includes a vaginapractor (if you’re not familiar, it’s basically a chiropractor for your vagina), healers, and hypnotists, as well as talk and body therapists.
Erika Bloom Pilates
Brentwood
The open space is flooded with natural light, making it a relaxing and—oh yes, we’re going to go there—fun workout. The studio’s knowledgeable staff curates personalized routines that borrow from Pilates, yoga, Alexander technique, Feldenkrais, and weight training. There are also programs for pre- and postnatal women, osteoporosis, injury prevention, acupuncture, bodywork, and holistic health consulting.
Erewhon
Venice
It’s probably the OG LA health food store—and it’s gorgeously redesigned and better than ever. We love the incredible organic produce, juice bar, prepared foods, salad bar, sushi, and the delicious array of wheat-, gluten-, and dairy-free treats for groceries or healthy lunches or dinners. Seating consists of wooden tables outside, so go on a nice day if you plan to eat there. Bloom particularly loves the medicinal broth bar, healing herb lattes, and custom kombucha blends.
Kreation Juicery
Venice
The people behind Kreation Café, a certified green eatery specializing in dishes made from local farmers’ market produce, have applied the same philosophy to their juice bar. Juices are made with 100 percent organic fruits and veggies purchased within the same zip code. The result is deliciously fresh juice. It’s the first place Bloom goes in the morning before she heads to the studio. “They have a fiber-rich, grain-free, sugar-free cracker that’s delicious,” she says. She also stops here to pick up food on the way to LAX.
Moon Juice
West Hollywood
Moon Juice is a New Age pharmacy—look no further than the fifty-pound jade crystal that’s affixed to the shop’s exterior on Alfred Street. There are tonics for every malady or desire (we love the turmeric cup, with cayenne pepper, black pepper oil, and oil of oregano to help us through a cold). At the raw copper Alchemy Bar, one of the alchemists will happily help you customize the Vittoria coffee or gynostemma tea with a Moon Juice dust of your choice. The cabinet of cold-pressed goodness is almost too pretty to drink, but it’s delicious and effective. At the register, the snacks (dried chili and mango slices, activated maca mesquite walnuts) are absolutely addictive.
Plant Food + Wine
Venice
When the long-standing Axe shut its doors last year, a lot of West Siders were pretty bummed—but then chef Matthew Kenney, a force in the plant-based movement, swooped in to take over the space, turning the upstairs into a plant-based cooking academy. The place still has a light, low-key vibe, with exceptional outdoor seating; the difference is the menu is now completely vegan. Kenney’s restaurants across the country all do things with veggies and nuts that you don’t see anywhere else. They’re known for their aged-nut-cheese plate, fantastic salads, and the (amazing) curried cauliflower tacos. Back in New York, Bloom frequents his East Coat vegan pizza joint, Double Zero .
Côte
Brentwood
This serene, grey-washed space looks like it belongs on Harbour Island or Nantucket—not on one of LA’s busiest drags. Just sitting down in own of the beachy, low-slung chairs is relaxing, and the salon is totally clean and nontoxic, too. The 109 polish shades are completely five-free (no formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, camphor, or formaldehyde resin), and the manicures and pedicures involve all manner of all-natural oils and ointments that smell as good as they feel. It’s a winning and well-executed combination; in the front, there’s a sweet little shop full of finds from France.
LOOM
Mid-City
Loom is doula Erica Chidi Cohen’s home base in LA for women and families in every stage of their journey—thinking about conceiving, struggling, expecting, parenting, and everything in between. During the Roadmap class, you’ll learn more about the menstrual cycle and reproductive health than years of sex ed and Google searches could teach you. Baby Care Basics is a giant parents-to-be chill pill in the form of a two-hour class covering everything—diapering, sleeping, swaddling, all of it. After the baby is born, there’s baby massage, parents-and-me playgroups, feeding support, and so much more. Sessions with Cohen encourage body, sex, and overall wellness positivity, plus she—and every therapist, doula, and lactation expert that works at Loom—is just so cool. The pastel-and-wood space hosts special events, talks, and drop-in playgroups regularly. (If you happen to be a new mother and can’t catch Cohen in person, check out her book Nurture.)
WMN Space
Culver City
This all-ladies clubhouse is welcoming and airy, and deliberately, wonderfully unfussy. Founded by doula Paula Mallis, WMN Space has pre- and postnatal workshops, meditation and movement classes, full-moon circles, and more. The roster of in-house specialists includes a vaginapractor (if you’re not familiar, it’s basically a chiropractor for your vagina), healers, and hypnotists, as well as talk and body therapists.
