The kooky wellness that gets Goop criticized is exactly what people like about it

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.RR