Fans of Malibu fitness boot camp The Ranch, beloved by Michelle Obama, say NY outpost is too easy

Jeanette Settembre
·6 min read

A notoriously tough west coast fitness boot camp has gone soft with its expansion to New York.

The Ranch, a famed luxury wellness retreat in Malibu, California, opened a Hudson Valley location earlier this month.

The original Ranch, roughly an hour outside of Los Angeles, has long been known for its 5:30 a.m. wake-up calls, grueling four-hour hikes, high-intensity workouts and restrictive food and drink offerings. A one-week stay costs $9,000, and it’s beloved by A-listers such as Michelle Obama, Jessica Alba and Rebel Wilson.

At the new location in Sloatsburg, NY, about an hour from the New York City, there’s heartier food, shorter hikes and a more chill vibe. Guests can opt to stay for just three days — prices start at $2,575 per person for three nights — while in Malibu they must sign-up for at least a week.

The original Ranch, near Los Angeles, has been known for serving light snacks on its hikes, like six almonds, pictured here. Its since upped its snack game, particularly at the Hudson Valley outpost attendees told The Post. @tory.trombley/TikTok
The original Ranch, near Los Angeles, has been known for serving light snacks on its hikes, like six almonds, pictured here. Its since upped its snack game, particularly at the Hudson Valley outpost attendees told The Post. @tory.trombley/TikTok

“It feels more like indulgent wellness, it felt more manageable,” Matt Murphy, a 54-year-old designer who lives in the West Village, told The Post. He and his partner Chris Connor, 58, spent three days at the Ranch Hudson Valley in early April. It was a relative breeze compared to their week-long stint in Malibu in 2021.

In California, the pair hiked for four hours each day, fueled by six almonds. Then, they’d hit the gym for high-intensity interval training. After just seven days, Connor lost 10 pounds and Murphy dropped 12.

“You couldn’t get seconds even for salad,” Connor, who works restoring historic houses, recalled. “I remember thinking, ‘What do I need to do to get a g–damn banana?'”

In New York, they enjoyed having the option to only hike for two hours — and nibbling on raspberry bars and pistachio bites on the trail.

Matt Murphy visited The Ranch’s Malibu outpost with his partner. He spent seven days there and shed 12 pounds following rigorous four-hour hikes. He told The Post The Hudson Valley outpost “feels more like indulgent wellness, it felt more manageable.” Matt Murphy
Matt Murphy visited The Ranch’s Malibu outpost with his partner. He spent seven days there and shed 12 pounds following rigorous four-hour hikes. He told The Post The Hudson Valley outpost “feels more like indulgent wellness, it felt more manageable.” Matt Murphy
The Ranch Hudson Valley, located in Sloatsburg, New York, is a 200-acre lakefront estate built by J. P. Morgan. The Ranch Hudson Valley
The Ranch Hudson Valley, located in Sloatsburg, New York, is a 200-acre lakefront estate built by J. P. Morgan. The Ranch Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley location is decked with locally quarried stone, stately staircases and a 2,000-square-foot ballroom that has been transformed into the world’s most elegant gym. “I actually really liked being in the mansion. It was quite different in its tone,” Connor told The Post. The Ranch
The Hudson Valley location is decked with locally quarried stone, stately staircases and a 2,000-square-foot ballroom that has been transformed into the world’s most elegant gym. “I actually really liked being in the mansion. It was quite different in its tone,” Connor told The Post. The Ranch

For additional workouts, they did yoga and stretching. They lost a couple pounds, but nothing as significant as Malibu.

The east coast setting is also more bougie. The Malibu retreat is set on a beautiful-but-rustic former working cattle ranch with views of the Pacific.

The Sloatsburg location is a 200-acre lakefront estate built by J. P. Morgan with locally quarried stone, stately staircases and a 2,000-square foot ballroom that has been transformed into the world’s most elegant gym.

“I actually really liked being in the mansion. It was quite different in its tone,” Connor told The Post.

The new Ranch location in Sloatsburg also has a 5,000 square foot solarium. “We don’t want it to sound so rigorous or restrictive that it prevents people from coming,” Sue Glasscock, who co-founded the Ranch Malibu, recently told Town & Country. “It’s an evolution.” The Ranch Hudson Valley
The new Ranch location in Sloatsburg also has a 5,000 square foot solarium. “We don’t want it to sound so rigorous or restrictive that it prevents people from coming,” Sue Glasscock, who co-founded the Ranch Malibu, recently told Town & Country. “It’s an evolution.” The Ranch Hudson Valley
Former FLOUS Michelle Obama has visited The Ranch in Malibu. Getty Images for Netflix
Former FLOUS Michelle Obama has visited The Ranch in Malibu. Getty Images for Netflix
A-listers such as Jessica Alba, among other stars, have visited The Ranch in Malibu for its wellness programing. REUTERS
A-listers such as Jessica Alba, among other stars, have visited The Ranch in Malibu for its wellness programing. REUTERS
Rebel Wilson has also attended The Ranch in Malibu reportedly for a 4-day retreat. Getty Images for AFI
Rebel Wilson has also attended The Ranch in Malibu reportedly for a 4-day retreat. Getty Images for AFI

The property also boasts a 5,000-square foot solarium.

“There’s a double height fireplace roaring. That’s how you’re starting your morning, with 25 minutes of meditation, the sun starts rising. It was pretty magical,” Connor added. “That, you don’t have in California because it’s all open, ranch-style where everyone has bungalows, as opposed to being in a 40,000 square-foot mansion.”

A Ranch spokesperson told The Post that the company loosened up some of its rules, for both locations, earlier this year, in part of because of the New York expansion.

“We don’t want it to sound so rigorous or restrictive that it prevents people from coming,” Sue Glasscock, who co-founded the Ranch Malibu, recently told Town & Country. “It’s an evolution.”

A Ranch spokesperson told The Post that the company loosened up some of its rules, for both locations, earlier this year, in part of because of the New York expansion. They’ve since included shorter stays and an option for two-hour hikes instead of four. The Ranch
A Ranch spokesperson told The Post that the company loosened up some of its rules, for both locations, earlier this year, in part of because of the New York expansion. They’ve since included shorter stays and an option for two-hour hikes instead of four. The Ranch

In a shocking move, Malibu recently started allowing guests coffee, which has long been forbidden. That location also began offering light bites beyond almonds on hikes.

“The [New York] snacking and coffee culture have infiltrated The Ranch biosphere,” said Connor, who recalled sneaking in coffee to make in his room each morning with tap water in Malibu.

But, while Gothamites might be rejoicing at The Ranch’s more relaxed approach, hard core Californians miss the intensity.

Hiking the more mild Hudson Valley trails through Ringwood State Park and Harriman State Park was nowhere near as challenging as traversing the sunny, rugged terrain of Malibu, nestled in the Santa Monica mountains, Californians told The Post. “In Malibu, there’s no question you’re pushed, you are absolutely pushed … to places you’re not even sure you can go,” Schipper told The Post. The Ranch

Santa Barbara native Denise Schipper, 60, just did a stint at the Hudson Valley retreat.

She opted for a four-hour hike in hopes of getting the same rigor she enjoyed during a seven-day retreat on the West Coast in September.

“In Malibu, there’s no question you’re pushed, you are absolutely pushed … to places you’re not even sure you can go,” Schipper told The Post.

But, hiking the more mild Hudson Valley trails through Ringwood State Park and Harriman State Park was nowhere near as challenging as traversing the sunny, rugged terrain of Malibu, which is nestled in the Santa Monica mountains.

Particiapnts told The Post they felt more satiated on the Italian-influenced food in the Hudson Valley, which included a vegetable lasagna and a plant based pasta e fagioli. The Ranch
Particiapnts told The Post they felt more satiated on the Italian-influenced food in the Hudson Valley, which included a vegetable lasagna and a plant based pasta e fagioli. The Ranch

“You’re going through the forest and it’s a little shaded,” she said of upstate New York.

The Californian also recalled feeling more satiated on the Italian-influenced food in the Hudson Valley, though a Ranch spokesperson said both locations aim to feed guests 1,400 calories of vegan fare each day.

Schipper enthused, “There was one meal where I was almost full.”