Lola Manekin, who launched Movement Lab in 2016, found success by bringing her members fresh and playful alternatives to moving their bodies. She offered an array of classes—including anti-gravity yoga and jumping fitness, to name a few—that not only aimed for wellness, but also a spirit of self-discovery and joy.

So, when she stepped away from the Movement Lab in 2020 for a personal sabbatical, she knew that she wouldn’t be leaving the Baltimore wellness community for good.

Late last year, Manekin felt the time was right to explore a new concept aimed to educate members in both mind and body through intentional movement. And with former Movement Lab teachers Barri DeFrancisci and Gary Grisham on board, TRIBE was born.

TRIBE, whose name was inspired by the idea of redefining tribal consciousness, is not your typical gym or fitness studio.

“We are calling it a school of embodied arts,” says Manekin. “It’s a place where we teach people how to use movement as an invitation to self-awareness.”

Taking over the space that was once Yogaworks Midtown, TRIBE features five studios that each represent a different element of Chinese medicine. The wood room offers mixed martial arts and calisthenics, the fire room has hot yoga classes, while the earth room is focused on dance and breathwork. The metal room features the area’s first vibroacoustic sound waterbed, which uses vibrations to increase cellular movement and promotes improved sleep and stress reduction, among other things.

The water room is equipped with a cold plunge tub used for boosting circulation and aiding in muscle recovery. And just off the lobby is “The Cave,” a dedicated private space for journaling and meditation.

In addition to classes, TRIBE hosts a variety of workshops and weekly meet-ups where members are able to share and connect through thought-provoking themes that will be used and discussed in class weekly.

“One of the ideas that I have been really standing by lately is the idea of enlightenment through embodiment,” says Manekin. “We want to bring the experience of spirituality back to the body to help people feel more whole, rooted, and grounded.”

When it comes to naming his restaurants, Phil Han tends to get personal. Dooby’s in Mt. Vernon is a nod to his nickname as a young boy. Cocktail bar Sugarvale is a reference to the street that he grew up on. And forthcoming Broadway Market stall Old Boy pays homage to the classic Korean dishes Han now has a deeper appreciation for as an adult. His newest spot Noona’s—meaning sister in Korean—is a dedication to his older sister, Christina.

“In really thinking about what to call this place, I thought back to how the name fits within the grander scheme of what we do,” Han says. “‘Noona’ is a term of respect, specifically from a younger guy to his older sister.”

To further the dedication to his only sibling, Han worked alongside Christina on design and menu details for the Midtown-Belvedere restaurant. Even the logo for the new shop mimics his sister’s natural handwriting.

But beyond just their names, the restaurant concepts also serve as a way to give diners a glimpse at Han’s upbringing: “Like every other kid, almost every birthday party that I went to growing up was always surrounded by pizza as this central food,” he says.

Noona’s—which opens today in the former home of Two Boots Pizza in the Fitzgerald Apartment Building—features a menu of signature sourdough-crust pies topped with ingredients like pancetta and shallots, potatoes and leeks, and classic pepperoni and mozzarella. The offerings will also include larger entrees like braised lamb with mint farro or roasted pork loin with broccoli rabe.

“The menu certainly has a big pizza element to it, but we also just wanted it to be a good neighborhood restaurant,” Han says. “That was so key to where we wanted it to go. We thought about how it doesn’t have to be just a pizza place with a few traditional pizzas and garlic knots. It can be something more than that.”

Though there are some tie-ins to the Korean-fusion flavors at Dooby’s, including a kimchi pork belly pie and similar coffee and pastry program, Han says he wanted Noona’s to have its own identity.

The 55-seat space is a bit more modern, with mirrors by Artstar Baltimore, custom furniture by Goodwood Design, hanging ball light fixtures, a mix of individual and communal tables, and an L-shaped bar—which will be staffed by some familiar faces from his other businesses.

“The bar program is going to be very much driven by the Sugarvale team,” Han explains. “However, it’s going to be a touch more approachable. Sugarvale draws a lot more of the cocktail fanatic crowd, whereas this is more about how the drinks pair well with the food.”

Aside from six local brews on tap, the bar will also offer beers, prosecco cocktails, and a rotating list of signature drinks. Among them are a house Negroni and the “Della Tristezza,” which fuses rum, Strega liqueur, lime, grapefruit, pineapple, cane sugar, and molasses bitters.

An outdoor seating area with views of Mount Royal Station is also in the works for the warmer months. Han hopes that Noona’s becomes a go-to for locals commuting from Penn Station, as well as MICA and University of Baltimore students strolling around the area.

“It’s definitely a new neighborhood for us, but the way I think about it, it still feels like home field advantage,” Han says, mentioning that many Midtown residents are regulars at Dooby’s. “This definitely feels like familiar territory, and it feels great to be able to continue those relationships.”