Lululemon Is Re-Opening on Newbury Street with a Whole New Concept

Photo credit Tessa Yannone

If you’re used to tugging on Lululemon tights before heading down the street to your favorite yoga studio, and then swinging by your favorite juice bar to refuel afterwards, have we got news for you. Now, you can do all three of those things (and yes, grab a quick shower in between) all in one place.

That’s right: The Lululemon store on Newbury Street (currently at 337 Newbury St.) is moving a couple blocks down to a massive two-story destination. Located next to Nike Boston, they’re calling it an “experiential space” and it’s one of the first of its kind for the brand. Inside, not only will you be able to shop for your favorite styles of athleisure, but you’ll also get to enjoy healthy drinks and snacks as well as fitness classes, events, and recovery tools.

The cafe inside the space is the Boston-based juice company Nourish Your Soul, which has additional locations in Beacon Hill and Winchester. The company was founded by Susan Cabana, who sought comfort in the wellness industry by obtaining her holistic health certification and yoga teacher training after her husband passed away. The company aims to emulate every aspect of that brand name in the food offered.

Cabana tells me the menu at Lululemon is condensed, compared to the other store locations, but she plans to debut new menu items special to the location like a “Gut Instinct Juice” made with cabbage, apple, lime, turmeric, and ginger and a “PB&J smoothie bowl.” Customers can choose from juices, smoothies, and bowls to be enjoyed in the cafe onsite, which accommodates as many as 30 people, or take them to-go.

Photo credit Becky Shade

“Every time I heal someone else in their journey, whether they want to make a small change or a big life change, I heal myself a little more,” she says. “This opportunity allows me to touch more people.” Cabana says that the partnership between Lululemon and Nourish Your Soul melds perfectly together, as Lululemon seeks to nourish people on every level with this new space. “That’s what my thing has always been.”

It’s a trend many fitness companies and brands are jumping behind—the idea that wellness is about the whole package. It’s about striking a delicate balance between the body, mind, and soul and being able to recognize and acknowledge when one of those is out of whack to adjust the course of action to keep moving forward. And sometimes, the best way to move forward is by slowing down.

Hence why Lululemon will have recovery modalities, locker rooms, and showers in the new space, for busy commuters and 9-5 office employees who need a few minutes to slow down. Lululemon isn’t the only brand, either, to ease up on the accelerator and shift gears to something more manageable. Recovery studios like Bdy Sqd and Brooklyn Boulders’ BKBX, which have entire rooms dedicated to relaxation, are becoming more of the norm. Even the new TB12 sports performance and recovery facility on Boylston Street has more of an emphasis on the latter than you might think, coming from a professional athlete.

No longer is it acceptable to say you don’t have time to stretch, rest, or recover, because so many companies are making it easier, and trendier, to do so.

It goes without saying that the key to striking that delicate balance is knowing when to shift into top gear and when to hit the brakes. To celebrate the grand opening of the new space, the store will kick things off with a fun run around the city on November 3. Push yourself in a five or 10 mile run, led by Lululemon employees as well as fitness instructors, Leah Jacques and Davis Vanderlin, around the Charles River. Then, swing back to the space for breakfast, time to use the provided recovery tools, and mix and mingle with the Lululemon community.

Grand opening fun run celebration is free and open to all, Sunday, November 3, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., 208 Newbury St., Boston, eventbrite.com.