- Tony In Your Town
Wellness club gives Latino men space to focus on mental health
ByTony Cabrera
Thursday, August 6, 2026 11:15PM
PLAYA DEL REY, LOS ANGELES Calif. (KABC) –There’s a new community group designed to use movement to support the mental well-being of Latino men. It’s called the Hermanos Wellness Club and for the last four months, the club has met on the beach in Playa Del Rey every weekend to use exercise as a way to work on their mental health
They start with stretches, giving everyone a chance to introduce themselves and lead a stretch
“It’s basically a space for Latino men to come and work on their mental health aid founder Alberto Juarez, who started the club after dealing with his own anxiety and depression
While therapy and a psychiatrist helped him on his journey, he realized there was more to the equation
“Community is a big thing, culture is a thing, and exercise is another big thing,” he said
The group started with a handful of men, then kept growing thanks to Instagram. Now they average about 20 to 30 guys, given a space to open up about life’s struggles
“That machismo in the Latino culture pushed that down and I struggled a lot just talking about it,” said Juarez. As children we’re taught to you know hide our emotions and be strong and don’t cry and you want to cry I’ll give you something to cry about you know so being able to express my emotions and being able, to know that we’re breaking that mold for the next generation is great,” said Erin Luis of Downey.
“We don’t know what they’re going through. We don’t know if they feel like there’s no one to talk or just listen. You don’t even have to say anything. Just come and listen or hang around with us, you know walk, run, and have a good time,” said Guillermo Cruz from Inglewood
The Hermanos Wellness Club meets every Saturday at 8am in Playa Del Rey. They also have other free events, like yesterday’s carne asada night, hiking, dancing and jiu jitsu
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