It has been said, and not unfairly, that Los Angeles is the land of the health nut (hello, Erewhon Market goers). Yet even in such a sprawling canvas of perpetual self and physical reinvention, the concept of true health can be still enormously overwhelming. So when a nutrionist (did we mention we live in LA?) introduced us to Monarch Athletic Club in West Hollywood, we were both blown away by the place, and relieved to have found a one-stop-shop for all of our health needs and inquiries.
A fitness gym where your movement, recovery, and medical interventions are all customized specifically to you—including tests and bloodwork to check for inflammatory triggers, food sensitivities and other ailments or unveiled issues, as well as a myriad of hydrating and recovery-inducing IV’s, all in the name of getting you to your peak performance levels.
We spoke with its founder, Dr. Ryan Greene, an osteopathic physician with a focus on human performance, sports medicine, nutrition and the most cutting-edge recovery methods available, with a Master’s of Science in Exercise Physiology, Immunology and Human Nutrition at University of Illinois, post-graduate medical training at Dartmouth and The Mayo Clinic, and currently a fellow of the world-renowned University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine (in other words he’s smart af, as we very quickly and humbly realized about 10 minutes into our experience).
In addition to creating a scientific approach to wellness, his principal belief is that integration of a constantly collaborative, holistic, evidence-based practice amongst health and wellness practitioners is crucial for an individual’s sustained success. Below, read all about Monarch and why it just may be LA’s answer to its best self.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND
“I originally started out my medical training in the surgical space. I thought I wanted to help people in the biggest way that I could, which was with my hands, versus just listening and then prescribing something. But as I went through training, I realized there was a huge need for people to be able to get high-quality, validated evidence that they weren’t able to get elsewhere because our healthcare system is financially punitive, cumbersome, and less than a pleasant experience, so most people will do whatever they can do to avoid getting involved in that healthcare machine—which is unfortunate, because by the time you end up seeing someone like me, your issue is usually far more advanced and complicated than it needed to be if we were just able to provide some preventative intervention beforehand.
Preventative health in the US has not been well developed, so I made the decision to shift my practice more into the integrative and preventative space, while still being able to do some procedural stuff, but with a better understanding for high-performing individuals, in whatever space they operate in.
THE A-HA MOMENT
“How do we sustain that level of performance? It all comes down to health. Your health is your biggest investment. If you don’t have great health, you don’t perform well anywhere else. And so came the idea for the Monarch.”
MONARCH ATHLETIC CLUB
“We wanted to create a space that emphasized movement, but also integrated medicine, physical therapy, and nutrition, and then lifestyle modification. So we created a space that’s high-end luxury, yet also multidisciplinary, so all you have to do is show up and you have a concierge team of trainers, physical therapists, medical staff, and nutritionists, in a space that feels like you’re going to a nicer Equinox, with a little bit of a SoHo House community and wellness club component as well.
It’s like a varsity team of athletes where no one can get cut; it doesn’t matter where you are in a health spectrum, what you have, what you don’t have—we can create a program for you. And we also have the ability to utilize advanced technology, if necessary.”
INVESTING IN YOUR HEALTH
“If you look at what people are spending on preventive health care: they have gym memberships, they’re using massages, nutrition, concierge medicine, maybe personal trainers, maybe boutique fitness. If they’re honest with themselves, they’re probably spending a couple grand a month. A lot of people are also looking for functional medicine doctors, which are usually cash-based. So, our approach essentially is: what if you can go somewhere where your movement is customized to you; your recovery is also customized to you; your medical and preventive medical interventions are also customized to you, and your team is all on site constantly communicating about you, and the community that you’re now a part of is not so big that you get lost in the shuffle.
Our hypothesis is that you will probably achieve a higher level of health than you may have ever thought possible, without having to do a lot of crazy treatments or spending a ton of money. And the unique part of our system is, because it’s medically directed and because we’re considered a medical facility, a lot of the services that we offer can be reimbursed through your health insurance once you satisfy your deductible.
Your membership includes unlimited training, unlimited physical therapy and unlimited access to concierge medicine and nutrition, part of which is quarterly blood panels that we can bill through insurance.
We’ve basically said, ‘Hey, it’s a monthly membership fee, it’s far less than what you’d be spending if you tried to do all these things separately, and we have the ability to coordinate and execute a very customized, well-monitored program that can really allow you to get access to anything your body needs, in a space that feels safe, higher-end and luxurious’.”
OK I’VE SIGNED UP, NOW WHAT?
“Your first week, you’re evaluated by the medical team, physical therapy team, and movement team, and then you’ll get a comprehensive understanding of what you do well and where we need to make improvements.
On the medical side, part of that is blood work. We like to do blood work every quarter just to see how you’re doing and one of the things that we often see are hormone imbalances or elevated levels of inflammation. And sometimes we find — because people are not sleeping well, or they’re straining themselves with work, life or otherwise— that the recovery aspect of their health program is suffering. So, if you need elevated levels of supplement intervention or access to peptides, I.V’s, we can do it on site.”
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
“We have the ability to work with anyone at any point in their health, whether you just came out of surgery and it’s all PT, or you may be hyper-mobile in certain areas and need to work on some strengthening and balance, or you may be less mobile in certain areas that you didn’t even know.
The ultimate goal is for anyone to be able to wake up every single day and not say, ‘What am I prohibited from doing?’ but instead, ‘What do I want to do today? Because I can walk out and play any sport or do any activity that I choose’.”
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and should never be relied upon for specific medical advice. The views expressed in this article are those of the expert and do not necessarily represent the views of LEO.
MONARCH ATHLETIC CLUB
8730 SUNSET BLVD. SUITE 190, WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA 323.213.9263
