How To Stay Healthy and Active in Tel Aviv, a Wellness Guide

Those in search of fully equipped studios can sign up for functional training classes at Space, one of the most popular clubs in Tel Aviv with six locations. Different memberships are available with classes on offer at least four times per week, as well as Les Mills and ultimate stretching classes to ease stress and tension. Similar studios include Locker Room, which offer athletics classes that place functional training at the forefront. Pilates students will also appreciate the advanced reformer equipment as well as the TRX and body-sculpting training sessions.

Along the shores of Hilton Beach, hop onto a floating paddle board to salute the sun and tone up with SUP yoga and pilates exercises. In this unique waterfront class, students challenge their balance, focus and inner strength without experiencing the common issue of overlapping mats and cramped space. The traditional Savasana practice reaches new heights, too, floating on the Mediterranean underneath a picture-perfect sky. Private and group classes are suitable for beginners and experienced yogis. The season runs from March to November, and sessions can be booked online.

Located at the port in the Old North district, Ella Yoga was among the first urban yoga studios to open in Tel Aviv and offers a great combination of seafront location, experienced, multilingual teachers and a wide range of classes including Iyengar, Vinyasa, Integrative, and Ashtanga. The studio is open seven days a week and welcomes guest instructors from around the world.

The first space of its kind in Tel Aviv, Sahar’s Urban Shaman wellness café also launched Teepee, an urban healing studio connected to the café that offers holistic workshops and an infrared sauna. “We essentially built the studio with the intention of having wellness experts come in and curate content for clients. It’s like the WeWork of wellness. Classes include piano meditations, esoteric readings, men’s circles and full moon yoga. There is no membership fee; clients can simply drop-in and pay per class.”

Ikigai wellness studio is one of the newest meditation spaces in Tel Aviv and introduces new yet practical ways to achieve peace in a turbulent environment and where the ultimate goal is to find your happy zone and connect anytime, anywhere. Founder Reut Reuvani has designed a holistic experience with wellness practices including meditation and the art of chi kung to illustrate the symbiotic relationship between body and mind. The weekly class schedule is also available in English.

Shraddha Yoga Studio is a creative wellbeing studio where international instructors lead weekly yoga and holistic movement classes to heal, support and liberate its students. The highly aesthetic interiors and warm lighting create a harmonising and energising ambience. The studio also hosts exclusive Ikebana classes, prenatal yoga and restorative yoga for stress relief, as well as workshops on nature-sourced skincare, vegan delicacies and drawing. Experiment with additional yoga practices at Orha Yoga, the Yoga Dharma School and Studio Naim with an interesting events schedule that includes yoga on the beach.

Sahar makes juice cleanses for clients and offers personal consulting and detox programs on request, with recipes available online, too. He created the Urban Shaman menu, and the café has earned a reputation for having the best super bowls in Tel Aviv, complete with plant-based ice cream, perfect for summer power lunches. His favourite? The Cacao Ceremony. Bestsellers include the coconut yogurt and the gluten-free pancakes made with bananas and ‘almost’ milk, topped with organic maple.

With a focus on high-quality vegan cooking, chef’s kitchen Opa pays tribute to the beauty and abundance of the plant kingdom. Chef Shirel Berger has studied the functionality and contribution of seasonal fruits and vegetables, and works her magic to create recipes that bring out the best of Mother Nature’s offerings, bringing a refreshing perspective to ‘haute veganism’. Each dish is named after the central ingredient, served with unusual, bold accompaniments. Try the plum served with a black mustard compote, almonds and dill, or blueberries served with fermented potato and pickled mustard seeds.

Young and trendy locals flock to Café Anastasia for its bold and colourful menu designed for the curious and health-conscious. Founded upon an ecological ethos, free-trade farms source the coffee beans, and four different varieties of plant-based milk are available. The cafe’s vegan cheese collection has received accolades from the most dedicated vegans. Each ingredient is freshly cut and prepared per order, and each dish is packed with superfoods to enhance taste, freshness and experience.

To experiment at home, head to Neroli Health Food Store & Diner in the chic district of Neve Tzedek where buying organic products is only half as fun as trying them on location with locals who share the same passion. Pre-prepared meals are artistically composed and are packed with wholesome goodness. Be sure to order one of their fresh shakes and power health shots to boost the immune system, metabolism and infuse energy. Try lemon-cayenne pepper-ginger, goji and red fruit packed with antioxidants, or wheatgrass rich in iron, magnesium and calcium.