From Sept. 10-12, Hulu promoted its original series Nine Perfect Strangers with a free, immersive pop-up in the middle of the Westfield Century City Mall in Los Angeles.Photo: Carly Otness Photography
And from Sept. 10-12, Angelenos could visit a Tranquilum House of their own—set in the middle of the busy Westfield Century City mall. Designed as an oasis from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles, the free, immersive pop-up featured a variety of self-care and wellness-focused activities set amongst lush green hedges, palm fronds, bespoke wooden installations and other eye-catching details.
Hulu worked with Gold Sky Productions to handle creative, design and build, as well as staffing and day-of production management, while PR DEPT handled publicity.
"We wanted to provide an in-world experience for the fans that have fallen in love with the series,” explained Gold Sky Productions' founder and creative director, April Luca. “Our aim was to develop a wellness retreat that referenced moments from the plot and that was evocative of the gorgeous and engaging 'Tranquillum House'—all while providing moments of calm, healing and rejuvenation to the public.”
The pop-up was designed as a multi-stop journey, with various activations along the way including an aura reading, a greenery-filled spot where guests wrote down their intentions and a personalized astrology reading. There was also an on-site specialist teaching guests proper posture to reduce stress, as well as crystal healing, a smoothie pop station and giveaways from online boutique Smudge Wellness.
Moments from the show were used as a springboard for the various activities and stations. “Hulu's team was focused on bringing actual moments of healing to the larger population, and our job was to make sure that we could execute that vision while keeping a Tranquillum-esque vibe,” said Luca. “We worked to pinpoint some of the overarching mindfulness and wellness themes that were tied to the show and created moments that could be guided, or self-guided, where guests could experience an aura photo and reading, posture tips and a personalized TikTok astrology reading from Smudge, along with setting intentions on plantable wildflower paper and a moment to give thanks and cultivate gratitude.”
Creating a tranquil, stress-free environment in the middle of a bustling shopping mall was no easy feat—but Luca said the team actually leaned into it. “The busyness around the space, the energy of the mall, is the necessary soil for us to accomplish some old-school Hollywood magic,” she explained. “Hulu and Gold Sky took great care to do an exceptionally premium buildout so that it would echo the quality of its surroundings—and at the same time the space was separated by vibrant hedges and a visually stunning presentation at the entry of Masha (Nicole Kidman's character) welcoming guests to Tanquillum House."
She continued, "The staff acted as guides in a wellness retreat and had their own roles to play within the oasis at the pop-up. Everyone working was focused on creating real moments of wellness and relating them to the show's messaging.”
Luca and the team also made intentional efforts to evoke the show’s physical setting with direct references to the meditation dome, the exterior deck, the type of plants used, the color scheme and the furniture design. “Using the sounds of the show and costuming are also very important. Once all these references are threaded seamlessly into the whole, storytelling takes over and guests experience a sum greater than the parts.”
The finale of Nine Perfect Strangers airs on Hulu on Wednesday, Sept. 22. Scroll down for a look inside the wellness-focused pop-up.
