What kind of fitness center justifies a $10,000 annual fee? Are you out of your mind?

If you're not sick, would you still want to go to the hospital?

Hold on a second, this isn't meant to provoke, but rather a question that Love.Life wants you to think about.

This company, with a name resembling a Japanese manga magazine, is located in California, USA, and was founded by John Mackey, the co-founder of Whole Foods, after a 44-year hiatus: a luxury health center.

In 1978, 24-year-old Mackey and his 20-year-old girlfriend borrowed money to open a small store selling healthy green foods. Two years later, he acquired another brand and established the natural and organic food retail company Whole Foods Market. From then on, Mackey dedicated his life to Whole Foods until the company was acquired by Amazon in 2017, and Mackey stepped down as CEO in 2022.

However, the seventy-year-old Mackey clearly has no intention of retiring. He immediately threw himself into the operation of Love.Life, hoping to make people healthier—not just through food.

A 40-Year-Old Entrepreneurial Dream

Returning to the question at the beginning of the article.

In most people's minds, going to the hospital is never a good thing, especially for today's sub-healthy workers and fragile young people who are more likely to avoid it: they’d rather live with discomfort than risk discovering a full list of ailments during a checkup.

During his time at Whole Foods, Mackey calculated the costs of employee health insurance. He realized that, apart from rare accidents and childbirth, 90% of the money was spent on treating chronic diseases. This led him to start thinking about the relationship people have with medical services.

Mackey believes that we typically only visit the hospital when we notice something wrong with our bodies and need quick treatment from a doctor. This, he thinks, is too impersonal and counterproductive; modern medicine mainly focuses on "symptom treatment, not root causes."

A better approach, he proposes, is "preventive care." People should go to the doctor when they feel fine, regularly monitor their health, and create personalized health plans.

This idea aligns with the health philosophy Mackey has championed throughout his Whole Foods journey. At Love.Life, he aims to promote not just organic diets but overall health in areas such as physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. So, in his sixties, Mackey, along with two other senior executives from Whole Foods, set out on his entrepreneurial path again.

Luxury Experiences for Your Health

It's hard to define exactly what Love.Life is.

Currently, it has opened a flagship health center in Los Angeles, California, featuring an advanced gym, high-end spa, medical checkup center, Chinese and Western medicine clinics, meditation spaces, pickleball courts, cafes, and more.

As a member of Love.Life, you will undergo a series of medical exams to give doctors from over 20 departments a full understanding of your health. Based on these results, Love.Life's physicians and health experts will create personalized fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle plans for you. You can track your progress, book treatments, or order detailed, nutrition-labeled health meals through their app. So far, what Love.Life offers sounds pretty standard, but they go much further with unique experiences.

For instance, you can try the Ballancer Pro lymphatic compression therapy, which enhances lymph drainage, removes toxins from the body, and reduces swelling and muscle soreness. You can also create a digital twin of yourself using OxeFit, which gives real-time feedback on power, speed, load, and balance during workouts to improve exercise results. There's also a cryotherapy chamber at minus 84 degrees Celsius to reduce inflammation and improve circulation, as well as hyperbaric oxygen chambers, red light therapy beds, and more.

However, Mackey emphasizes that membership and community are the key aspects of the experience. The 4,000-square-meter health center is designed to offer the ultimate social atmosphere. The lobby is luxurious with a modern urban feel, the spa center has dim lighting and calming fountains, and the fitness center is equipped with cutting-edge devices, creating a futuristic ambiance.

In the design phase, Love.Life invited an acoustic engineer to manage sound flow. Even the crystals, mirrors, and wind chimes in the space were carefully chosen, with many placed in positions recommended by feng shui experts for optimal energy flow. In short, Love.Life has thought of everything, ensuring that every sensory experience—sight, sound, taste, touch, and mind—is the most luxurious and healthy possible.

The Rich Can't Imagine What They Have

Of course, enjoying such VIP service comes at a hefty price.

The basic membership for Love.Life starts at $750 per month, with three categories based on health goals: "Enhance," "Heal," and "Longevity." After becoming a member, you can see a primary care doctor five times a year, along with access to health guidance, medical tests, fitness, and rehabilitation services. If you want unlimited consultations and 24/7 care, you can upgrade to a "Concierge" membership for $50,000 annually.

However, the Love.Life cafe, select treatments, and spa center are also open to the public. Anyone can purchase a $100 day pass to experience the luxurious lifestyle of the wealthy.

When Mackey was still working at Whole Foods, he was asked by the media whether Whole Foods was only for the wealthy, given its high prices. Mackey cleverly avoided the question, arguing that Whole Foods simply provided the best possible ingredients for consumers, and the prices reflected the true value of the products, catering to those who prioritize their health.

It seems that Love.Life follows a similar philosophy: top-tier resources and configurations targeted at consumers who care about their health—except that, conveniently, these people are wealthy. Mackey admitted that Love.Life had to test its concept in Los Angeles first. If the people of Los Angeles didn't embrace this product, it would be even less likely to succeed elsewhere.

So, do the people of Los Angeles enjoy such luxurious health services? During its soft opening, many media outlets and influencers were invited to experience it. They all reported a great experience but noted that if they had to pay for it out of pocket, they couldn't afford it. It seems that the pursuit of longevity and wellness by the high-net-worth individuals is something that ordinary people might never be able to access.