The In Goop Health summit, the lifestyle brand’s first foray into experiential conferences, was just as bizarre as you’d expect it to be. There were kale-flavored ice cream pops, vitamin B-12 IV drips, and a DIY bone broth bar. Attendees could check out a foam-rolling class or have their “auras photographed” before listening to a lecture on alternative gut health strategies. Celebrities such as supermodel Miranda Kerr and actress Cameron Diaz served as panelists for a talk on how to handle life’s stresses. You overheard people saying they wished their soap bars came with embedded crystals.
And most of all, there was a lot of shopping.
This might all sound like the type of stuff that gets Goop often criticized by the press, but what I learned throughout my 10-hour experience was that this is exactly the far-out stuff that keeps fans coming back for more. These are affluent, educated women who like their consumer-driven health and wellness information with an amusing touch of whimsy—and, of course, Gwyneth Paltrow as their guinea pig.