In search of the perfect blow-out for a party on a recent Saturday night, we headed straight to the newly-opened Drybar in Brentwood. “No cuts. No color. Just blowouts.” We knew we’d be in good hands.

Upon entering, we were warmly greeted and offered a glass of champagne. True to its name, the salon is set up like a sophisticated bar: The space is clean and bright, with vases of lemons and bouquets of bright yellow flowers throughout. A large flat-screen TV screen in the back of the salon shows movies (Vicky Christina Barcelona was on when we were in), and tons of glossy magazines are available so you can take advantage of the full salon experience.

Tracy Anderson has become a bit of a phenomenon in the last two years. We at BNLA have been following her closely because everyone she trains, from celebrities to us mortals, looks phenomenal.

I personally was thrilled at the chance to attend Tracy’s master class at her Studio City location. I got a first-hand experience of the “method” she has developed. Her approach is to go after your small accessory muscles and work to tighten them with high repetition specialized sculpting exercises. She believes that building the structure by pulling and lengthening the muscle is the key to building our infrastructure.

Muscles get pulled in tight to the bone and skin smoothes out, which explains why everyone doing her workout looks graceful and conditioned. Tracy insists that we combine dance aerobics cardio with training. She feels that the dance aerobics burns the right amount of calories, but makes a powerful mind- body connection.

Now that Mother Nature is letting up and starting to show us some of that LA weather she’s famous for, let’s get outside! The brand is fitness is your friend and under that umbrella lies Recess, Detention and personal training. What are these, you ask? Alternatives, I say. If you’ve tried kickboxing, rock climbing and spinning you, like me, might be in the market for something new. Why not go back to where it all began… the playground?

At first glance, a hula-hoop, tug of war rope and a rousing game of duck duck goose did not seem challenging enough to achieve my fitness goals. But, one intense game of Blob Tag and you’ll be like me, looking for the nearest park bench to catch your breath and prepare yourself for the rest of the class. Recess was designed to bring a sense of play and fun back into your workout routine. Detention, on the other hand, was created because sometimes you need a “Stern Principal” to help whip you into shape. Stephen Divenere is the mastermind and lead trainer of fitness is your friend. He designed this to get people out of the gym, into the great outdoors and experience what it’s like to revisit childhood.