Malibu’s Health, Wellness, and Workspace
The sparkling Pacific Ocean and big blue sky meet in the coastal backdrop of Rafi Lounge, an oasis of health and wellness overlooking the sand and surf of Malibu. Rafi Anteby’s health and wellness lounge will add to its one-of-a-kind experience this October with an exclusive NFT membership in a limited run.
At this point, you may be asking what’s an NFT, why is it limited, and what makes it exclusive? The answers to these questions are presented in an unfolding experience of the mind, body, and spirit which takes place in the heart of Malibu in the rooftop esplanade known as Rafi Lounge.
An NFT is short for the digital asset known as a “non-fungible token.” In practice it acts as a key or a deed which proves ownership for the holder and can relate to anything from real estate, to physical or digital items. At Rafi Lounge, it means access.
From PCH, a look up at Rafi Lounge presents a scene of tents and umbrellas, with members soaking in the sun, sounds, and science of the health club. But from the deck of the lounge, with an encompassing view of the Ocean, members refresh, exercise, and stimulate the mind, body, and spirit, a new model of health and wellness emerges.
With the first-of-its-kind NFT drop at Rafi Lounge, an exclusive asset class will be born to grant owners lifetime access to all that Rafi Lounge has to offer.
Rafi
Rafi Anteby was born in Israel, and during his formative years faced an environment that demanded a level of self defense and discipline which led him to train in kung fu. After serving four years in the Israeli army, he practiced two years of kung fu in monastery condition in Hong Kong then taught kung fu in South Africa, and won the World Title Shaolin world tournament in China.
His experiences brought him close to natural healing and spiritual healing, which came in handy when he was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, and told he was going to go blind. His teachers recommended him to take acupuncture, and to study medical qigong in China. After which, Rafi was invited to study at the Wudang Taoist Monastery where he became a monk trained in qigong, tai chi, and taoism.
“All those things brought me to this lifestyle that I carry with me all my life that shape really who I am today,” Rafi said in an interview with Axel Arzola.
In his journey, it was art that guided his travels. His curious mind and engaging spirit embraced new experiences as he healed from his past.
“I love nature, and would travel by myself to different places,” Rafi said, “I practice art as well as an escape and a way to focus. I couldn’t focus unless I paint.”
Prior to the pandemic, Rafi created “gifting lounges” for celebrities during award ceremonies, and was also intrigued by the emergence of the “digital nomad” who could work from anywhere. On return from a trip abroad in 2020 at the outbreak of the pandemic, he decided to bring his lifetime of exploration and exercise to one place as an opportunity for others who have not had the chance to experience things he had.
On August 23, 2020, he opened Rafi Lounge on the 6,000 square foot balcony. His vision to create a safe haven of his experiences and merge them together into one thing where health and wellness can permeate its members and bring healing into relationships and financial matters was born.
“Everybody can have healing experiences, and all kinds of wellness modalities from the ancient warriors and ancient healers,” Rafi said, “and at the same time uplift them with futuristic modalities of health and financial wellness so they can really grow into the ‘next world.’”
Rafi Lounge
Rafi Lounge is a new age of health and wellness hybrid where members can work and meet productively, then shift to engage and exercise with like-minded people overlooking Malibu landmarks including Carbon Beach and Malibu Pier.
Members of Rafi Lounge enjoy access to work and study spaces, refreshments, wellness and workout classes, networking opportunities with creatives, and educational classes.
Classes and experiences include yoga, guided meditation, soundbaths, cycling, boxing, martial arts, dancing, Reiki, Tai Chi, master classes with gurus, and a long list of additional options. Rafi merges ancient wisdom and practice with the future of tech, including educational Web3 evenings to gather those interested in the future of the internet.
These experiences from the Malibu rooftop provide guided personal exercise and networking to advance personal and professional growth in a space curated by Rafi for optimum increase and engagement.
Rafi Lounge NFT
“What I realized is that the world on some level is turning upside down, in the most beautiful way,” Rafi said. “More and more we see kids teaching their parents to be social in new ways and make money in new ways.”
As a former taoist monk, Rafi is immersed in the I Ching — the “Book of Changes.”
“Everything is changeable,” Rafi said. “In the beginning of the pandemic, I said to all my students from around the world that this is the time they will learn how to pivot. So they better understand that everything they practice in pivoting in martial arts … this is the time.”
During that time, Rafi studied the emergence of NFTs from both an artist and a utility perspective. What he saw is that they allowed artists to present themselves in a new way, as well as allow for a utility that presented new ways of access, and he wanted to know more.
“I hosted a few NFT nights here, bringing different speakers,” Rafi said. “And if I can say it in a humble way, it was for personal reasons — I wanted to learn. So, I was bringing different people and listening to their lectures, and was able to pick and choose my team.”
In discovering the NFT world, Rafi learned the balance that the digital asset offered, and decided to integrate it into Rafi Lounge as both art and utility.
“As an artist, I paint mandalas from sand and I always wanted to share it,” Rafi said. “It is very difficult for an artist. It takes me over 2,000 hours to create one mandala. It is grain by grain that I put down, and it is two years of my life to do it. So to sell it — it is like saying goodbye to a piece of my life.”
The NFT offered Rafi an opportunity to fractionalize his artwork and sell it without giving up the art completely, so others can still enjoy his art. The NFT offers members to attain ownership in his mandala as well as lifetime benefits at Rafi Lounge.
“We bring here the best of the best,” Rafi said, “from the Lama of Tibet to Sri Sri, the guru from India, to Gladys Knight who performed herem, to Brooke Burke who is teaching here and other amazing teachers that we have.”
The NFT gave Rafi a means to distribute an ownership stake of Rafi Lounge in both art and utility, and owners benefit from the expansion of experiences at Rafi Lounge. The value of NFT is emerging in the digital space, and their application in utility is emerging. Rafi sees his lounge — and the existing delivery of service, experience and opportunity — as a substantive asset integrated in an emerging digital reality.
“The NFT was the perfect thing,” Rafi said. “You take the NFT and distribute it to your members and they become almost like partners. They have the same goal as you — to make it go high. As the NFT world grows, I really believe that it will bring more and more utility. People want to see there is a substance behind it. I’m not a Picasso. I don’t have $10M art. My art has value, but the NFT needs utility.”
Rafi Lounge provides tangible utility for its members, and Rafi stands behind what he created.
“I have proven my utility,” Rafi said. “I have had Rafi Lounge for two years, it’s not going, it’s only growing. I opened it in the most difficult time. When everybody closed down, I opened. I was the only thing open in town and I opened it correctly. It was a health club, outdoors, and met all CDC requirements. It was a very good opportunity for me to explore it and showcase it to the world. I think it is the perfect thing at the right time.”
The Future
“I think what is happening now is a merging of two worlds that is so beautiful and that is what I wanted to bring together in Rafi Lounge,” Rafi said, “ a space to focus and work, hold meetings with like-minded people, then hop onto a cycle or into a class of boxing, tai chi, qigong, kundalini, yoga, and enjoy those things that uplift them and help them get healthy from the inside and from the outside.”
The power of the internet is in its infancy as it connects the people of the earth. The possibilities are continually emerging, merging, evolving and reproducing.
“I hope people will elevate their consciousness the same way the internet goes,” Rafi said. “The internet is something that happened, and people don’t even realize. We see so much polarity, so much left and right, but really the internet broke all borders. I’m Israeli, and I can contact a Palestinian guy and say ‘I want you to be my brother. I want you to be my friend.’ We can contact people from all parts of the world and overcome the system that tells us not to.”
Rafi envisions his lounge as a physical space that can inspire the elevation of the mind, body, and spirit of the individual and into the larger world.
“If I can do it on Rafi Lounge and bring people of like mind together, then the collective consciousness can grow on so many levels,” Rafi said. “Each one of us can do that part. I wish everyone could see that, and see the little bit that is pushed and make the difference that is so big. If you knew how little you push that makes a difference — you go on the beach and you see a plastic bag and the seagull right next to it … stop and put it in your pocket and you don’t see the butterfly effect of that action. I wish for everyone to see that and be mindful and care about what is happening next door.”
Rafi Lounge NFT membership opens in November, with perks including:
- Access to all Wellness & Workout Classes
- Lifetime Membership Access to all Future Rafi Lounge Locations (Miami, Newport, Austin, Scottsdale)
- Monthly Educational Web3/NFT Nights
- Monthly Educational Wellness/Guru Nights
- Access to Online Sessions with Guest Speakers
- Free Access to Rafi Lounge Annual Retreats (Does not include housing and food)
- Free Access to the Oxygen Wellness Bar
- 50% Discount for an NFT Holder Guest who attends a class with the NFT Holder
- Networking opportunities with other entrepreneurs, founders & artists.