Inside the Rafi Lounge • NFT Membership • The Malibu Times

by James · September 10, 2022

Table of Contents

Malibu’s health, wellness and workspace

The sparkling Pacific Ocean and the big blue sky meet in the coastal backdrop of the Rafi Lounge, an oasis of health and wellness overlooking the sand and waves of Malibu. Rafi Anteby’s health and wellness salon will add to its unique experience in October with an exclusive NFT membership in a limited edition.

At this point you may be asking what is an NFT, why is it limited, and what makes it exclusive? The answers to these questions are presented in an unfolding experience of mind, body and spirit that takes place in the heart of Malibu on the rooftop esplanade known as the Rafi Lounge.

An NFT is short for the digital asset known as a “non-fungible token.” In practice, it functions as a key or a deed that proves ownership for the holder and can relate to everything from real estate to physical or digital objects. At Rafi Lounge, that means access.

From PCH, a look up at the Rafi Lounge presents a scene of tents and umbrellas, with members enjoying the sun, sounds and science of the health club. But from the deck of the lounge, with a sweeping view of the sea, members refresh, exercise and stimulate mind, body and spirit, a new model of health and well-being is emerging.

With the first of its kind NFT release on Rafi Lounge, an exclusive asset class will be born to give owners lifetime access to everything Rafi Lounge has to offer.

Rafi

Rafi Anteby was born in Israel, and in his formative years he encountered an environment that demanded a level of self-defense and discipline that led him to train in kung fu. After serving four years in the Israeli army, he practiced kung fu for two years in a monastic state in Hong Kong, then learned kung fu in South Africa, and won the 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 blind. His teachers recommended that he take acupuncture and study medical qigong in China. Rafi was then invited to study at the Wudang Taoist Monastery where he became a monk trained in qigong, tai chi and Taoism.

“All these things brought me to this lifestyle that I carry with me throughout my life that shapes who I am today,” Rafi said in an interview with Axel Arzola.

On his journey, it was art that guided his travels. His curious mind and engaging spirit embraced new experiences while healing from the past.

“I love nature and would travel alone to different places,” said Rafi, “I practice art as well as an escape and a way to focus. I couldn’t focus unless I was painting.”

Before the pandemic, Rafi created “gift salons” for celebrities during awards ceremonies, and was also fascinated by the rise of the “digital nomad” who could work from anywhere. Returning from a trip abroad in 2020 at the outbreak of the pandemic, he decided to bring his life of exploration and training into one place as an opportunity for others who haven’t had the chance to experience things he had.

On 23 August 2020, he opened the Rafi Lounge on the 6,000 square meter balcony. His vision to create a safe haven for his experiences and weave them into one thing where health and wellness can permeate the members and bring healing into relationships and finances was born.

“Everyone can have healing experiences, and all kinds of wellness modalities from the ancient warriors and ancient healers,” said Rafi, “and at the same time lift them up with futuristic modalities of health and financial wellness so that they can truly grow into the ‘next’ world. .'”

Rafi Lounge

Rafi Lounge is a new age health and wellness hybrid where members can work and meet productively, then transition to engage and exercise with like-minded people overlooking Malibu landmarks, including Carbon Beach and the Malibu Pier.

Rafi Lounge members have access to work and study spaces, refreshments, wellness and fitness classes, networking opportunities with creative and educational classes.

Classes and experiences include yoga, guided meditation, sound baths, cycling, boxing, martial arts, dance, Reiki, Tai Chi, master classes with gurus and a wide range of additional options. Rafi combines ancient wisdom and practice with future technology, including educational Web3 evenings to bring together those interested in the future of the internet.

These Malibu rooftop experiences provide guided personal training and networking to foster personal and professional growth in a space curated by Rafi for optimal growth and engagement.

Rafi Lounge NFT

“What I realized is that on some level the world is turning upside down, in the most beautiful way,” Rafi said. “We see more and more children teaching their parents to be social in new ways and to earn money in new ways.”

As a former Taoist monk, Rafi is immersed in the I Ching – “Book of Changes”.

“Everything is changeable,” Rafi said. “At the beginning of the pandemic, I told all my students from all over the world that this is the time they want to learn how to swing. So they better understand that everything they practice in martial arts … this is the time.”

During that time, Rafi studied the rise of NFTs from both an artist and utility perspective. What he saw is that they allowed artists to present themselves in a new way, as well as opening a tool that presented new ways of access, and he wanted to know more.

“I hosted a few NFT nights here, bringing different speakers,” said Rafi. “And if I can say it humbly, it was for personal reasons – I wanted to learn. So I brought different people with me and listened to their lectures and was able to pick and choose my team.”

Discovering the world of NFT, Rafi learned the balance that the digital resource offered and decided to integrate it into the Rafi Lounge as both art and utility.

“As an artist, I paint mandalas from sand and I always wanted to share that,” said Rafi. “It’s very difficult for an artist. It takes me over 2000 hours to make one mandala. It is grain by grain that I lay down, and it is two years of my life to do it. So selling it – it’s like saying goodbye to a part of my life.”

NFT gave Rafi an opportunity to fractionalize his artwork and sell it without giving up the art entirely so that others can still enjoy his art. NFT offers members to gain ownership in his mandala as well as lifetime benefits at the Rafi Lounge.

“We bring here the best of the best,” said Rafi, “from the Lama of Tibet to Sri Sri, the guru from India, to Gladys Knight who performed here, to Brooke Burke who teaches here and other wonderful teachers that we have.”

NFT provided Rafi with a means to distribute an ownership interest in Rafi Lounge in both art and utility, and owners benefit from the expansion of experiences in Rafi Lounge. The value of NFTs is emerging in the digital space, and their application in utility is emerging. Rafi sees his salon – and the existing delivery of services, experience and opportunities – as an essential asset integrated into an emerging digital reality.

“NFT was the perfect thing,” said Rafi. “You take 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 it will give more and more utility. People want to see that there’s substance behind it. I’m not a Picasso. I don’t have $10 million worth of art. My art has value, but NFT needs utility.”

Rafi Lounge provides tangible benefits to members, and Rafi stands behind what he created.

“I have proved my worth,” said Rafi. “I’ve had Rafi Lounge for two years, it’s not working, it’s just growing. I opened it at the most difficult time. When everyone closed, I opened. I was the only one open in town and I opened it right. It was an outdoor health club and met all CDC requirements. It was a very good opportunity for me to explore it and show it to the world. I think it’s the perfect thing at the right time.”

The future

“I think what’s happening now is a merging of two worlds that’s so beautiful, and that’s what I wanted to bring together in the Rafi Lounge,” said Rafi, “a space to focus and work, hold meetings with like-minded people, jump then onto a cycle or into a class of boxing, tai chi, qigong, kundalini, yoga, and enjoy the things that uplift them and help them become healthy inside and out.”

The power of the internet is in its infancy as it connects people on earth. Possibilities are constantly emerging, merging, evolving and reproducing.

“I hope people will raise their awareness the way the internet is going,” 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 boundaries. I’m Israeli and I can contact a Palestinian guy and say ‘I want you will 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 salon as a physical space that can inspire the individual’s mind, body and spirit to rise into the greater world.

“If I can do that at the Rafi Lounge and bring like-minded people together, then the collective consciousness can grow on so many levels,” Rafi said. “Each of us can do that part. I wish everyone could see that, and see the little bit that is pressed and makes the difference that is so big. If you knew how little you press makes a difference – you walk on the beach and 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 want everyone to see it and pay attention and care about what’s going on next door.”

Rafi Lounge NFT membership opens in October, with benefits including:

Access to all wellness and fitness classes
Access to all Co-Working & Meeting Spaces
50% discount on the venue fee for hosting an event in the lounge
Lifetime membership access to all future Rafi Lounge locations (Miami, Newport, Austin, Scottsdale)
Monthly educational Web3/NFT evenings
Monthly educational wellness/guru evenings
Access to online sessions with guest speakers
Owns part of Rafi’s physical “Malibu” Mandala as fractional art
Free access to Rafi Lounge Annual Retreats (Does not include accommodation and food)
Free access to the Oxygen Wellness Bar
On your birthday you will be able to reserve an ocean view Cabana for free.
50% discount for an NFT holder guest attending a class with the NFT holder
Networking opportunities with other entrepreneurs, entrepreneurs and artists.