Her leisurely SoCal routine of cruising to and from the beach before work turned into shlepping her longboard down a steep and narrow apartment staircase, suiting up in a beefy 4/3 and booties, and driving home in her wetsuit because it felt too frosty to undress in the parking lot. At the end of the season, she surfed less and less.
“The motivation factor wasn’t there as often because of the board shlepping and the cold,” said Julie. That says a lot for someone whose pathways (she’s been sponsored by Roxy, worked as a surf retreat instructor, and was Director of the California Surf Museum in Oceanside) always led out to sea.
To soften the edge of surfing in the Bay Area’s chillier waters, Julie opened the Traveler Surf & Swim Club in Pacifica, a short walk to her favorite nearby surf spot, Linda Mar beach. Even though the Bay Area is home to many surfers—from the Ocean Beach and Mavericks heavies to weekend warriors from the city—Julie explained that surfers don’t gather the same way they do in Southern California.
She hopes the surf and swim club can change that.
“Up here, the beach culture isn’t laying out on the sand after [surfing], hanging out on in your towel and chit-chatting. It’s kind of cold. You’re putting on your beanie and going to get something warm to drink or heading back home,” she said.
After surfing, members can walk to the Traveler Surf & Swim Club, grab their dry clothes out of their locker, stow away their surfboard, take a hot shower, and warm up in the communal garden common area on the heated bench with a fresh cup of hot coffee or tea in hand.
“That warm bench, no one wants to leave it,” Julie laughs. “You’re literally sitting next to someone and go, hi, ‘I’m this person!’ The whole club part is to hang out a little longer in a cool space and meet other people. It's a way to warm up your muscles after surfing and have it be the next launch pad for what you’re going to do the rest of your day. It’s a nice little transition place.”
The surf and swim club amenities function like a gym membership or a yoga studio. Committed dawn patrollers can pay a monthly fee to enjoy all the amenities (showers, lockers, off hours access, surfboard storage, hot beverages, and 10% off the retail shop where you can buy beach and outdoor goods, including Seea swimsuits); and if you're not in Pacifica as often, you can purchase a pack of day passes, or individual day passes.
Club events and social gatherings, and picking Julie’s brain for surf recommendations (Where to sign up for a women-friendly surf lesson? That would be with Julie, who’s an excellent teacher) are free to all. Check out their online calendar or follow @__t_r_a_v_e_l_e_r__ on Instagram for the next film screenings, foodie pop-ups, and mini concerts.
Special just for Seea friends! Get $10 off any Club Membership (includes 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, annual, and Day Pass packages) or a single Day Pass! Simply enter the code: SEEABABESSURFCLUB at the Traveler online store checkout to redeem. Limited to one per customer. Offer ends November 1, 2017.
Surf photos of Julie Cox by Leslie Muirhead.
MORE OF OUR FAVORITE SHOPS
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We love breathing in the comforting scent of Sex Wax, neoprene rubber and swimsuits when walking into a surf shop. The local retailers that stock Seea suits are integral partners in getting our labor of love into your hands.
At first glance, our newest California Seea dealer, Huntington Surf and Sport in Huntington Beach, doesn't look much like a mom and pop shop. What many people don't know is that HSS is still a family owned business. Behind the glitz and glam and corporate surf logos that dominate PCH and Main, there is a core of enthusiastic employees with a passion for surfing, some of whom have worked at HSS for over 20 years.
Recently, we caught up with Ashlyn Pai, daughter of owner Aaron Pai, to find out more about the HSS story, and to find out what it was like to grow up surrounded by all the things we hold dear.
Then: The first HSS 15th St. location in Huntington Beach. |
Now: HSS Pierside store at Pacific Coast Highway and Main Street in Huntington Beach. |
Seea display at HSS. |
The story starts with Ashlyn's father, Aaron Pai, who moved from his birthplace of Honolulu, Hawaii to Southern California as a child. Aaron fell in love with surfing in Huntington Beach when he was 12-years-old and spent his adolescent summers visiting his great grandmother in Honolulu.
In 1978, Aaron was the first employee to be hired at Huntington Surf & Sport and one year later, he had the opportunity to buy the shop. With the help of his parents, he started living his dream of running a surf shop. Today, the whole Pai family—parents, brothers and sisters—are involved in the store. As part of the women's merchandise team with buyer Latisha Tavarez, Ashlyn told us about what life is like being in a surf shop family.
Pai family Aaron, his sister and cousin picking pineapples in Hawaii in the late 1960s. |
Pai family as children. Pictured from left to right: Trevor, Lindsay, Taylor, mom (Sher) and Ashlyn. |
Ashlyn with her father in Hawaii. |
Trevor Pai and his wife Jenna (wearing the Seea Swami's Playsuit in Waterstripe) fishing off the coast of Tavarua. |
Lindsay Pai, now a mother of two children, at San Onofre in 2009. |
We are excited to work with a small network of like-minded, independently owned shops - Places where you can still find the owner behind the counter. Today we are proud to announce five new additions to this list, and we hope you stop in if you're near these stores this Summer!
If you have a favorite place to shop where they appreciate small, independent brands and the importance of domestically produced goods, please let us know at [email protected]. Your comments, suggestions, and feedback are always welcome!
Thanks again to all of our new dealers! We're looking forward to a great summer!!