Catching Sun and Sand at The Barbara Beach Club

Seaside Setups Now Available to Rent on Santa Barbara’s East Beach

The Barbara Beach Club | Photo: Valorie Darling

Could our modern model of outdoor relaxation — a k a “going to the beach” — be made any more relaxing?

A quest to solve that quandary is now in full swing on Santa Barbara’s sandiest stretch of shoreline, as The Barbara Beach Club is now seating, shading, and snacking sunseekers down on East Beach.

The first such outpost developed by the SoCal seaside events management company Bliss Beach, The Barbara rents out classy collections of beach chairs, lounges, umbrellas, towels, coolers, and tables, while also selling beverages and sundries from a front desk that sits right atop the sand. There’s surfy music in the air, beach games to borrow, a play zone for kids, and a communal table for proper lunching, combining the format of coastal clubs common across Europe and the East Coast with a carefully curated Santa Barbara vibe.

“How do we make relaxing at the beach even easier?” was the first question to tackle for founder Brian Jones, who won a five-year concession for this business from the City of Santa Barbara last winter and opened for weekends in May, with full-week access coming June through September. The second was, “How do we make it feel like it’s already part of this place?” which explains why the subtle greens, creams, and other earthy colors of the equipment ease right into the landscape.

Indeed, when my family pulled up into the parking lot west of the Cabrillo Arts Pavilion, I wasn’t immediately sure we were in the right place, as the 20 or so beach setups fit pretty seamlessly into the scene. After noticing the hosts at the front desk a few steps from the blacktop, we were escorted to our “Shay Shay” lounge, which featured two chaises, two recliners, two umbrellas, and one table.

[Click to zoom] A lounge set up (left) and the shop at The Barbara Beach Club | Photo: Valorie Darling

Then we took our cooler bag back to the front desk to buy some ice, drinks, and Hawaiian potato chips from the snack shack, which is open to any beachgoer. They don’t sell alcohol, because that’s technically not legal on city beaches, but no one’s checking too close if you bring your own. (And, funny enough, the nearby Reunion Kitchen sells cocktails in plastic glasses.)

Without having brought anything but ourselves, we spent the next three hours doing the typical beach day activities: “bronzing in the sun” (as my daughter said); playing a stick-tossing game called Scatter (or Mölkky in its original Finnish); finishing books; people watching (and commenting); taking dips. It was easier and noticeably more relaxing than lugging our own stuff to the beach, and I was surprised how much having someone else’s expertly attuned playlist to cover sonic needs relieved a bit of the pressure in that regard as well.

A nice spot for a group at The Barbara Beach Club | Photo: Valorie Darling

The Barbara Beach Club founder Brian Jones | Photo: Brandon Kidd

“Leisureful” is the word Jones invented to describe The Barbara’s intended vibe, which is the current culmination of the Spokane, Washington–raised entrepreneur’s twisting career path. After studying poetry at the University of Washington, he became the fifth generation to work for their family’s insurance firm, which he did not like. When his dad hired a life consultant for their staff, “it backfired,” said Jones. “I quit and moved to Kenya.”

He worked with education-minded nonprofits, but wound up dealing with fundraising most of the time, which was also a grind. Noticing an increased demand for conscientious travel options in the region, he founded Kin Travel in 2014, leading safaris that were thoughtful about cultural and environmental impacts.

A few years later, Jones moved to Marina del Rey and started hosting “sundowners” — the name of the happy-hour-like session following a day of safari — on the beach for Kin clients. “I was trying to create a community of friends for myself,” said Jones, who was then new to Los Angeles. “It became this ephemeral living room.”

Set-ups for parties are available at The Barbara Beach Club | Photo: Valorie Darling

In 2019, he incorporated that spirit — and the skill set for building comfortable lounges amid the natural elements that he learned on safari — into a shoreline venue and events company called Bliss Beach that works from San Diego to Santa Barbara. Last year, Bliss hosted 850 events with more than 13,000 guests combined. After about four years of setting up parties on East Beach, Jones learned that the city wanted a seasonal beach club, so he jumped at the chance. (A company called Riviera Beach Club did a similar thing last summer, but the service was reportedly sporadic and the contract was not continued.)

Though tourists will likely fill most of the beach chairs when school gets out, there’s been mostly locals using The Barbara since it opened on May 2, said Jones, who’s offering discounts for Santa Barbara residents as well. There’s a range of options, from the two-seats-plus-umbrella setup (the introductory price is just $30 for two hours) all the way up to a series of cabanas, the largest of which can fit 40 people (which costs around $375 an hour).

The initial feedback is positive. “People end up staying longer than they think — people have even booed us when we walked up at the end of their time,” said Jones. “It’s off to an awesome start.”

See thebarbara.co.