Gymshark and The Mandrake don't want everyone to like them.

Plus: Anti-aging is getting a makeover. The GOOD THINKING London edition.

Morning,

Special letter day.

But before we dive in. What is happening in LA is criminal. We stand with every one of you protesting this weekend. Stay safe LA.

It’s odd to juxtapose this insanity with questions like: will you be in Cannes? But if you are, let’s hang. Drinks on Tuesday at 8pm. RSVP here. Or reply to this email, let’s meet.

And now, welcome to the GOOD THINKING LONDON tour.

As I said last week, the level of friendliness was beyond. And I say this as a British-born person. Something is happening there right now, and I recommend everyone go and bask in it while it lasts—palpably different vibes to a lot of places right now.

As always, if you want an easy visual list of the food/spa/hotel spots, they are all in my AmiGo profile. You can use code GOODTHINKING to bypass the waitlist. Every time Kirsten asked how I found a restaurant, the answer was AmiGo. It became a running joke. Not sponsored, just a fan.

This is a long email and gets cut off. Open it in the app/browser.

What’s in store:

• Gymshark: A lesson in a brand that understands its audience.

• DAMU Spa & The Mandrake Hotel: The definition of differentiation.

• Jacquemus: The future of luxury is warm, storied, and a delight.

• Alaïa: The old-guard of luxury. Unwelcoming as a strategy.

• Rapha London: The world’s greatest club.

• Selfridges: Honest takes on JellyCat, Loewe’s pop-up, Isamaya and Anadola.

• The French Pharmacy: Part pharmacy, part spa, all French skincare.

• Re Place: Recovery is becoming mainstream.

• Rebase: Contrast therapy &hyperbaric chambers—the new anti-aging movement.

• Bar With Shapes For A Name: A masterclass in subtle brand.

• Blank street: Beware of blanding.

• Honorable mentions: Oh My Cream, John Bell & Croyden, Labour & Wait, Arket, Soho House’s gym.

• Where we ate: Dishoom, BRAT, Rochelle Canteen, Sumi, the Knaves of Clubs, Omotesando Koffee,

• Sad to have missed: Percival, Surenne, Neko Health & Anya Hindmarch’s Bespoke Space.

Now, let’s dive in.

GYMSHARK (RETAIL / SPORT)

I’ve been waiting to get into a Gymshark store for a while. There are two in London, but the Oxford location has a whole array of offerings. Takeaways:

1. This is a mecca for strength training. It’s refreshingly not for everyone. It felt like the perfect IRL of the online brand I’ve experienced from afar.

2. This is more than a store. They offer free strength training classes all day. And not just short teasers, legitimate classes. They have 1-1 shopping guides. A cafe with protein shakes (powered by Joe The Juice) and more.

3. The dressing rooms were their weakest zone. They were tight and full. That said, they offered 4 kinds of lighting to ensure that the selfie you took in your new gym fit looked just right—a nice touch.

4. The mannequins stood out. They were built. One was in a wheelchair. At a time when diversity is unfortunately losing ground, it was a nice touch. And seemingly a philosophy they live by too, as the instructor for the next classes used crutches.

5. The product assortment had good variety. We stopped in Alo, Lululemon, and On that day, and while crowded, the offerings were very similar. Actually, the most diverse product assortment we saw in the category was at Sweaty Betty. Sweaty Betty also had a fun campaign about loving your legs called Wear The Damn Shorts. Loved it.

Built for the built

DAMU & THE MANDRAKE (WELLNESS & Beauty / TRAVEL)

While on the hunt for interesting hospitality, I came across The Mandrake. One look at their Instagram and you’ll understand the intrigue. Their spa DAMU just opened 3 months ago. It was a no-brainer. Takeaways:

1. If it’s not clear from the above, we’re team ‘don’t be for everybody.’ The Mandrake is decidedly not for everyone in the very best way. Maximalist, luxurious, dark, with more than a small touch of ‘sex party’ woven through. It’s confidently differentiated.

2. What piqued my interest initially was The Mandrake’s Spirituality Concierge. We went for a sound bath, which was super serene and a stark contrast to the vibe of the hotel (on the surface). The yin-yang of dark, party vibe mixed with the chill spirituality is hard to pull off. They’ve done it well.

3. The best, secret outdoor patio lives inside this hotel. With a £25 lunch special that comes with a glass of Veuve and amazing food, I’m shocked it wasn’t overrun. Consider yourself told.

4. DAMU offers spa standards like massages, but their mud spa is a new level of experiential wellness in a city setting. The experience took just over an hour and was high-touch the whole way through. It starts with a steam room, followed by a cold plunge shower, and then you continue to a mud cave where you scoop your own scrub and muds for a series of 4 self-guided treatments. Memorable. Interesting. They also have something called ‘the Origin pool’. I’ll be going back for that.

5. Improvements: I’d have loved more story with the muds. The robes felt off-brand (heavy cotton would have made more sense than toweling). Bathing suits were optional, but the temp underwear could have been cooler. Tiny things. If they added a guided experience in this space à la Othership, but with the Mandrake spiritual lens, now that would be supreme.

Delightfully different

JACQUEMUS (RETAIL)

It’s hard to believe this is the first time I’ve stepped into a physical Jacquemus store, given how well I feel I know the brand. That’s a testament to them. Takeaways:

1. The store felt exclusive without the faintest bit of snobbery. Every guest (you feel like a guest, not a customer) is personally greeted and guided through the store. When it became clear we were admiring and not buying, the attention didn’t wane. We were invited to fall in love with the brand, not ignored for not purchasing.

2. The current collection is based on LA. It felt wearable and aspirational at once. Pieces you could work in a capsule wardrobe to stand out showstoppers. The team knew how to deliver the story in a way that felt scripted but not canned.

3. The interior was stunning. The whimsy of the brand comes through in the collections (like the very bougie yet quirky workout equipment), not the architecture.

4. They let us use the bathroom. 5 stars.

5. I left not only wanting a bag but more in love with the brand than ever. And convinced this is the model luxury brands should be emulating.

Hard to do justice to Jacquemus

ALÄIA (RETAIL)

The contrast of this store to Jacquemus couldn’t have been stronger. Takeaways:

1. I wanted to go because of the cafe/library, which I’d enthusiastically written about. It’s on the 4th floor. It was closed (and is most of the time). The design was indeed cool, corporate fetish. It would have felt more compelling open, obviously. But there was zero sense that this was somewhere you’d spend time.

2. The interior was decent. The product displays were as one would expect. Overall, this felt like a more traditional luxury experience, as in not the future: low touch, grasping at prestige with aloofness—unwelcoming as a strategy. Grammable, not memorable.

RAPHA (RETAIL & SPORT)

As part of my research for the SXSW talk, we swung into the Rapha store. It’s getting a lot right. Takeaways:

1. You enter right into a coffee shop that you can tell is a place people regularly hang out. There were a few tourists. But most were locals.

2. Fran Millar, their CEO, spoke in our talk about wanting to be the greatest club in the world. Rapha is the OG of community and events. They’ve had cycling clubs since near inception. They are beloved. Revered. And while I’m sure many people use it as a dating pool, it’s not relying on it for popularity (Anecdotally, I was informed that London run clubs are also the go-to substitute for online dating apps). I agree with Fran that the clubs and the quality of design are what Rapha is truly known for and how they’ll win going forward.

3. On the wall as you enter, there’s a wall of ‘rides’ cards. You can pull a few pages off the pegs and use the elastic bands to bind yourself a custom London Rides book. The copy on each was brilliant. Best part of the store.

4. They had a lot of local, in-store-only merch.

5. The imbalance of the gendered sections was odd. The women’s section was minuscule. Zero nod to teens or kids. I live in one of cycling’s capitals, and it didn’t reflect the diversity I see on the paths. That’s an opportunity.

Community as a strategy

SELFRIDGES

Much like Bon Marche in Paris, no trip to London is complete without a swing through Selfridges. We were there for 4 reasons, takeaways for each:

JELLYCAT (ALPHAS)

I’m here to report that my feelings on Jellycat have not changed. Don’t meet your idols. The line was long. The misery of waiting in line to watch an over-tired employee with some tongs to wrap a stuffie is not a trend that will stand the test of time. I do love the oddity of their products. Kirsten bought a piece of ginger, and it was gleefully received by her resident Alpha. It’s not done yet, but this one trick, slow-ride pony will need a new trick soon.

LOEWE POP-UP (RETAIL)

I love the design of this pop-up. The paper accordions felt premium, different, and refreshingly recycling friendly (the majority of pop-ups are sadly wasteful, especially when just for a weekend). The product experience was simple but fun. The drinks were highly grammable though, in my humble opinion, foul tasting. The one concern: the recent over-exposure of this brand. They had 2 pop-ups in London (mostly centered on drinks) and another in NYC. They need to tow the accessible and luxury line carefully.

ADANOLA (RETAIL & GEN-Z)

This is a brand I’ve written about. I’m fairly confident they are about to take the US by storm. The product was good, highly shoppable. I saw at least a dozen of these sweatershirts on the street.

ISAMAYA & the BEAUTY DEPARTMENT (BEAUTY)

Selfridges' beauty department is designed to be an experience. Like most things, the difference was made by the quality of the staff. Isamaya was my destination of choice. I loved the displays. But Phlur, the fragrance brand, ended up being the most impactful simply due to staff engagement. While Augustinus Bader is beloved, that display was the most dated of the group. Without surprise, there was an enormous K-Beauty section. We also swung by Refy. The staff was terrible. This makes or breaks your brand. Don’t invest in spaces if you can’t invest in hiring.

Lots to love, lots to not.

THE FRENCH PHARMACY (WELLNESS & BEAUTY)

The French Pharmacy got my attention because of its 3-pronged approach. Part actual pharmacy, part French skincare destination, part spa. Takeaways:

1. This store is small but packed to the brim with French brands like La Rosée, SVR, Nooance, Embryolisse, Cotton, Gallinée, and Skin Diligent.

2. This is yet another example of staff making the difference. They knew the store back to front.

3. Downstairs, in the spa, they offer LPG Endermologie. This is, apparently, a French beauty secret we all need to try. It’s known for stimulating cellular activity to boost circulation, tone, and support lymphatic drainage.

4. I have to say, French sheet masks feel like ancient technology compared to Korean ones.

5. We got quite the haul. We plan to hand them off to our wellness and skincare guru,

   Jenny Evans
   for her hot takes. Stay tuned.

Making a grid is harder than it looks—always.

RE PLACE (WELLNESS & BEAUTY)

This is a classic case of ‘social sold me’. I saw this place on Instagram and I had to try it. Takeaways:

1. This small-footprint store is entirely about recovery. No workouts. They have body rollers (what got me in the door), PEMF, red light therapy, and a Somadome, which is a pod for manifestation—we should have tried this too, clearly.

2. The body rollers, depending on the settings, are good for muscle recovery or to aid lymphatic drainage.

3. They are guided on screen, with position changes about every 5 minutes for an hour (or there’s a short 20-minute option). You could work, hang out, or chill. I could see these at every gym.

4. Similarly, we noticed 30mins rentals of Hyperice boots at the Soho House gym. Recovery as an amenity is booming.

5. Stand-alone recovery centers that aren’t at gyms are an intriguing category. I expect these will be as ubiquitous as yoga studios within the next year.

Recovery is a new sector.

REBASE (WELLNESS & BEAUTY)

Rebase is a rejuventation center. Don’t let the names fool you; there’s no connection between this and Re Place. Except there is. Recovery and restoration as a service is a growing category. Takeaways:

1. Rebase offers cold plunging, saunas, and a hyperbaric chamber with some signature classes.

2. We opted for the Urban Oasis, which offered a guided plunge and sauna that began with a yoga routine.

3. Unlike Othership, which we visited in New York, this model is more focused on the individual. While there’s a communal aspect, it was a more solitary experience. Otherships' philosophy has them more focused on mental wellbeing (which I love), this concept is purely rooted in restorative health. To me, those are very different customers. As an introvert, I could come here daily.

4. I wish I had tried the hyperbaric chamber. Next time. These were mentioned at SXSW in the longevity talk I attended. Previously, when you heard ‘anti-aging,’ you thought skincare. I predict this definition is going to shift dramatically in the next few years. It will no longer be viewed negatively and will be intrinsically associated with healthcare. The addition of the coffee/matcha shop in the lobby was great. And the gift shop was stocked with a lot of unique brands that were restorative-focused. I enjoyed that it wasn’t all merch.

Credit: Louis Waite Photography

A BAR WITH SHAPES FOR A NAME (Drugs & BOOZE / F&B)

This bar has been on my want-to-go list for ages. It was a must-do. Takeaways:

1. It’s tiny, unassuming, and effortlessly cool. The type of ‘cool’ spot that you go back to frequently because it’s not trying to be cool.

2. They batch all of their cocktails, freshly made all week, so the service is speedy but the cocktails fiercely unique.

3. The details were all there. The not-matching jumpsuit uniforms. The hand-painted ‘logo’ on the bottle. The manifesto/explanation of the name on the wall. The light fixtures (dreamy). This made it feel more than a bar, and truly a brand.

4. The snack was literally a wedge of cheese and a knife. It was perfect.

5. It’s down the road from an adorable canal with a cool bar that we didn’t get to try, but I’m desperate to, called the Towpath. If it hadn’t rained, you would have found me there for hours.

Say less

BLANK STREET (F&B)

This wasn’t on my list of places to see, but it was the closest coffee shop to our hotel. And I feel compelled to share thoughts. Takeaway: For a brand that used to feel buzzy, this was remarkably corporate and bland. While the coffee was ok, the brand was uninspiring.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Oh My Cream: A lovely little clean beauty store next door to The French Pharmacy. They had a nice range of products. Well displayed. But the wow factor: the staff. The type you could spend hours talking to.

John Bell & Croyden: Perhaps this little block of London is the skincare way. Around the corner from The French Pharmacy and Oh My Cream lies this classic brand. Kirsten wasn’t convinced it was worth it. But the range of supplements astounded her. Pharmacy, skincare, and supplement section that felt like a mini Erewhon. It was fun.

Labour & Wait: A quintessential hipster store that you just love to go to. This is the type of store I love to buy gifts. Classic items that you know will work.

Arket: My first in-person experience of this brand, and it was great. Whoever I read recently described this as ‘H&M’s answer to Old Navy’ is out of their mind. H&M is the Old Navy in this relationship. This is the cool younger sister to COS. Major fit issues. The type of brand is best shopped in person. But the kids section: 10/10. I left with something for every family member.

Luna & Curious: Cool store. Great kids shop too.

Soho House: We’ve been SH Members since our inception, and we have tried most of them. What really stood out on this visit was the gym. Typically at members’ clubs, the classes are a case of ‘get it done’. There but never remarkable. Without a doubt, the best class was the Barre (we weren’t fans, and left converts), but the Yoga was fantastic, and weight training was challenging. It felt like there was a deep awareness of the level of competition in members' clubs, and SH Shoreditch is determined to meet the moment. The Farmhouse has also leveled up. And guess what the big new addition is: a recovery zone.

So many good finds.

WHERE WE ATE

Dishoom: I’ve been a fan for a decade. And seems like they are going strength to strength. Go when they open in NYC.

BRAT: Delightful, hidden, modern British food mostly cooked on a wood fire grill. Hang with our new bestie, Zeyn, the most adorable somm you’ll ever have a chance to meet.

Rochelle Canteen: Hidden might be the theme. Don’t look for a sign, there isn’t one. Hidden in old school grounds, you’ll find an adorable greenhouse with very delicious food.

Sumi: I was unaware that Notting Hill is not what it once was. This restaurant will convince you the neighborhood has still got it.

The Knaves of Clubs: A classic pub with delicious food and a great Guinness.

Omotesando Koffee: Adorable store. Fantastic matcha. Right next to The Mandrake.

London's food scene = top notch

Sad to have missed

Percival: Love this brand online. It was down the road, I’m kicking myself for not going in.

Surenne: This member’s club has crazy huge digital workout screens to beam in world-class instructors from around the world.

Neko Health: I so wanted to get a body scan at Neko. Maybe one day I’ll emerge from the waitlist.

Anya Hindmarch’s Bespoke Space: They were setting up for the latest edition of their famously odd ice cream shop. It opened the day after we left. Heart slightly broken as most of these flavors are a weird encapsulation of my childhood. Next time.

Rituals’ New Spa: I tried to get a brain massage. Sadly, I did not hear back.

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THE END

Huge thanks to all of the brands that let us swing through. For every employee that let us pepper them with questions. And mostly to the people of London who showed us charm is not the least bit dead.

Next time, we’ll hire another photographer to come with us. We’re doing Milan, Berlin, and Seoul next. Want to join, know someone who should be our plus 1? Tell me.

We love you. All.

That’s all, folx.

-Chris

If you read this and liked it, that little heart is there for that. The algo and I appreciate it.