Ever since surfers started standing sideways, the post-session routine has been anything but predictable. The iconic surf photographer, Leroy Grannis’ romanticized the salad days of the 60s and 70s on warm Kodachromes depicting bronzed bodies on long lazy days poised for another paddle out, boards propped up readily waxed in anticipation of the tide push. But unless it’s summer, a lot of weekend warriors and dawn patrollers simply can’t make the time to posture at the Malibu wall, lounge at Leo Carillo or kick back at their local break.
As a response to this, Traveler Surf Club founders, Julie Cox and Rel Lavizzo-Mourey saw the need for an inviting atmosphere for the sandy and salt crusted so they opened one of the first all-inclusive surf clubs in Pacifca near San Francisco. “We wanted to create a space where we could convene with other surfers, cross paths and have that sense of community that sometimes exists more naturally at other phases of life. We wanted to recreate that,” adds Cox.
The popularity of the coastal outpost grew quickly with surfers from all over the area basking in the promise of a warm shower and a hot jolt of joe. A storied history in the industry ranging from a stint in marketing to tenure at the California Surf Museum, also inspired Cox to build community with her partner alongside the regular rotation of sliders and gliders. Short-term pop ups, film screenings along with yoga and sound baths brought additional people through the door and engaged them in a way other surf shops hadn’t.
Knowing they could scale a similar vibe down south, Julie and Rel dropped a pin for their second location directly across PCH from the famed Surfrider Beach adjacent to a surf school. “It’s perfect—walking distance to the point and that’s a criteria for where we open the locations. It always has to be be steps from a surf break. The whole point is to be able to walk your board to the beach—the convenience factor,” adds Lavizzo-Mourey.
The space offers board lockers for the sports car canyon crowd who want to ditch the sandy wax before heading to the office. Hot showers for anyone wanting to rinse off and a jam packed store-front with a rotating crop of surf-centric provisions. While the clubhouse atmosphere in both locations is currently female-forward and attracts mainly women, Traveler encourages an all-gender atmosphere and aims to connect everyone through the common bond of surfing and the fine art of just hanging out.
