Puppy Sphere, a wellness events company that pairs yoga with puppy playtime, will open a new studio in Santa Monica this month, returning to a Los Angeles market its founders say holds a special place in the company's story.
The studio opens July 18 at 2400 Main St., steps from the beach. To mark the return, the company said it will donate $1 from every ticket sold during the studio's first month to local animal rescues.
"Los Angeles holds a special place in our story, and Santa Monica is the perfect home for what we do: wellness, play, and connection, all in one," co-founders Francesca Albo and Lea Burbidge Izquierdo said in a statement. "We cannot wait to welcome the city back into the Puppy Sphere."
The studio's signature offering is a 75-minute session called Wellness Puppy Yoga, which combines a 45-minute yoga flow with 30 minutes of what the company calls puppy chill time. Each guest receives a yoga mat, and a cart of sparkling drinks is available during the session. The company said themed and seasonal events will roll out over the course of the year.
Albo, the company's chief executive, said the format was the product of extensive testing.
"We were convinced movement and puppy time each had their own kind of power for mental well-being, so we wanted guests to get the full dose of both, no shortcuts," she said. "After a ton of trial and error, 45 minutes of yoga into 30 minutes of puppy time turned out to be the magic ratio."
The company traces its origins to the founders' own experiences with stress and burnout in demanding corporate jobs. Burbidge Izquierdo, the chief operating officer, said their dogs, Nala and Hershey, helped them through difficult periods.
"Not everyone can have a dog, but everyone deserves to feel that," she said, describing the daily comfort the animals provided. "So we built Puppy Sphere to bottle that magic ... without the commitment of owning one."
The company frames the experience as more than a novelty. It describes its aim as nervous system regulation and meaningful connection, positioning time with puppies as a gentler approach to mental wellness for people who are unable to own a dog. Albo said the yoga-and-puppy format remains the core of the business even as it has expanded into offerings such as Simply Puppy Yoga and Puppy Pilates.
"That format is the heartbeat of everything we've built," she said. "But the mission hasn't budged an inch: help people reconnect, recharge, and smile a little more."
The founders said the animals' welfare is central to the experience, not an afterthought. Each class is staffed by two to three dedicated puppy care workers in addition to the instructor, with a pet first aid-certified supervisor on-site at all times, according to the company. The puppies receive at least 45 minutes of rest between sessions, water on demand and regular wellness checks.
"Puppy well-being isn't a checkbox for us, it's the whole point," the founders said. The company said the socialization also helps the puppies grow into more confident animals as they await adoption.
Founded in 2021, Puppy Sphere describes itself as a global wellness events company operating across corporate wellness, mental health and experiential events. It says it has hosted more than 500 private events and raised $16,000 for animal rescues. The company has partnered with Google, TikTok and The New York Times, and has counted Sabrina Carpenter, Simu Liu, Alessia Cara, Mr. Beast and Travis Scott among its guests.
Albo was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2025, and both founders were named to Inc.'s Female Founders 500 in 2026, recognition the company attributed to its growing brand and celebrity partnerships and its fundraising for rescues.
Burbidge Izquierdo said Santa Monica was a natural fit and signaled more expansion to come.
"The whole city breathes wellness, community, pets, good living, basically everything Puppy Sphere is about," she said. "But this is just chapter one, more studios are coming!"
More information is available at thepuppysphere.com.