Half Moon Bay, CA Health and Fitness

Half Moon Bay Kayak Company’s fleet of colorful plastic shells slices through the glimmering waters of Pillar Point Harbor, carrying crews of paddlers past playful harbor seals and chattering pelicans. Co-owners Doug Connor—who has conquered rushing rapids as a member of the United States Wildwater team—and Chris Manchester—who has kayaked along thousands of miles of coastline, including the world’s second-largest barrier reef—channel their passion for paddling into a range of kayak and standup-paddleboard rentals, lessons, and tours. With expeditions to locales as far-flung as Honduras and Mexico, Half Moon provides sea explorers with exotic open-water explorations as well as local excursions to Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, San Gregorio State Beach, and next-door neighbors’ unattended kiddie pools.

The music starts, global beats and dance-club anthems thudding from the speakers. Hips swivel, feet samba, and sweat trickles down foreheads. Zumba is an aerobic workout, but Rosa Greco's students aren't complaining as they follow her lead. She curates a welcoming atmosphere that's as much about fun as it is about toning bodies—but that happens, too, as the groups send heart rates soaring with an international array of dance moves. Rosa's easy-to-follow choreography is focused on low-impact moves, which make it possible for older students or delicate gingerbread men to groove by her side.

At Premier Plastic Surgery, board-certified plastic surgeon James Newman, MD, FACS and his fellow board-certified plastic surgeons enhance beauty within their state-of-the-art surgical suite. Dr. Newman completed his residency and a fellowship in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at Stanford University, where he now serves on the clinical faculty. He completed an additional fellowship with an emphasis on laser surgery after recognizing the large role lasers now play in surgical procedures. The renowned surgeon also lectures internationally and has authored more than 30 surgery-related scientific publications and a coloring book.

Dr. Newman and his staff perform a variety of medical procedures, ranging from face-lifts and Vaser ultrasonic liposuction to minimally invasive body-contouring and enhancement techniques. They can also combat signs of aging via nonsurgical means, including dermal fillers that smooth wrinkles and Vaser Shape sessions that, like a rearview mirror in place of a bathroom mirror, make bodies look smaller.

Strolling into Burlingame Optical is more like the encountering the lobby of a five-star hotel than an eyewear shop. Yet, sure enough, frames by Chanel, Robert Marc, and Chrome Hearts—amid a sea of other designers—fill the shop’s elegant cherry cabinets just waiting to be tested. Eyewear specialists pace the marbled floor, guiding the nearsighted and farsighted to the perfect lenses, from single-vision to digital progressives. At an onsite lab, technicians perform finish grindings and fortify spectacles with anti-reflective coatings and miniature wiper blades.

Owner and instructor Christina Kish spent 15 years applying the skills she learned earning an M.B.A. to work in high-tech marketing and co-founding the DVD-delivery service NetFlix. Despite her achievements in business fields, she feels an even greater passion coaching others to meet their fitness goals and gain personal confidence. She now has a team of enthusiastic instructors who build students' flexibility and endurance in dynamic pole and aerial fabric-based workouts.

The 3,200-square-foot studio sports four aerial fabric, two corde lisse, and 12 aerial hammock mounts for indoor dangling and ten permanent, 20-foot poles for students to practice movement-based tricks, dance moves, and crime-fighting techniques. Instructors guide students through mid-air acrobatics on poles and aerial ropes, or blend yoga and Pilates into aerial hammock training. While most of Poletential's classes cater to women, aerial and power pole sessions also allow men to escape gravity's crushing bear hugs.

When the climbers of Planet Granite say that community anchors everything they do, they have a history of outreach to back it up. After Castle Rock State Park appeared on California’s closure list, Planet Granite’s team quickly organized a fundraiser to save the sanctuary. They pledged $10,000 in matching funds, threw an auction, scheduled guest speakers, and obtained support from companies such as REI. In one night, they raised $20,725.

This kind of response has typified Planet Granite’s team since opening its first facility in 1994. One of the first climbing gyms in the country, Planet Granite has expanded to three gyms in Belmont, San Francisco, and Sunnyvale. The diverse array of climbing resources at each location led Popsugar to name the gym conglomerate one of the top five in San Francisco in 2011. At the Sunnyvale location, members scale 25,000 square feet of climbable surfaces that ascend from low bouldering terrains to 60-foot walls.

In keeping with their commitment to community, the staff tailors instruction and climbing routes to every ability level and affinity for hand sweatiness. They also supervise each gyms’ fully equipped fitness centers, ranging from CrossFit to yoga, which provides a peaceful counterbalance to the full-body workout of rock climbing.