36 Hours At Alex Cooper's Unwell Weekend Miami

I rolled up to Unwell Weekend Miami on Friday, March 21, fearing a spray tan catastrophe. After booking my flights one day prior, I realized I needed a last-minute glow, so I pre-gamed my travel day with a visit to a tanning salon in my neighborhood. Six hours later, I noticed my tan wasn’t setting in... like, at all. “Just went to the plane bathroom to investigate,” I texted a friend. “Where is the medium dark tan in question? I’m going to have to book someone else for tonight.”

Luckily, my day turned around as soon as I arrived in South Beach. I was invited by Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network to attend the brand’s first-ever weekend event, pegged as a spring break experience for Cooper’s fans. It was a college party girl’s dream: three days of non-stop festivities, including poolside socials, open bars, workout classes, free snacks, and a chance to mingle with Unwell creators like Hallie Batchelder, Grace O’Malley, and Owen Thiele — plus reality TV faves like Bachelor Nation’s Tyler Cameron and Rachael Kirkconnell.

I only made it to the second half of the three-day extravaganza, but it was enough time to get an inside look at what a Daddy-fied event is like (and will be like in the future). Cooper told Bustle to expect “more Unwell Weekends,” so there will be another chance for the Daddy Gang to gather IRL, likely as soon as the Fourth of July.

In the meantime, here’s a breakdown of everything I did in my whirlwind 36 hours in Miami. (In case you’re worried, my spray tan did set in overnight. Turns out I was just being dramatic.)

Friday, March 21

5:30 p.m.: Arrive and check in

I stayed at the W Hotel, just a five-minute walk from the SLS Hotel, where most of the weekend’s events were held. Guests at Unwell Weekend Miami could either select their own accommodations and pay $25 for entry to individual events, or purchase a VIP package that included a three-night stay at the SLS and unlimited access to parties and activities. At around $1,400, split between two to four people, it’s cheaper than the average all-inclusive resort, and that price includes open bar access and snacks throughout the day (just not full meals — attendees had to grab those on their own).

6:00 p.m.: Attend Sirius XM live radio taping

Not wasting any time, I changed out of my plane clothes and walked to the Sirius XM studio down the street for Unwell On Air, a live radio taping with Cooper and the hosts of two Unwell podcasts: The Daily Dirty and Dialed In. They riffed about their time in Miami so far (at least one person was hungover) and responded to listener calls about people’s wildest spring break stories. The live audience chimed in at several points, too, sharing their stories about vacationing with their exes or having drama on the girls’ trip. The crowd of around 50 people had traveled in from all over: Massachusetts, Michigan, and nearby universities in Florida.

7:30 p.m.: Eat dinner

Meals weren’t included in the Unwell Weekend VIP package (though, if you wanted to save $$$, there were plenty of free snacks to keep you going throughout the day). I changed into a black miniskirt and studded heels to join my PR hosts at HaSalon Miami, a Mediterranean restaurant about a 10-minute car ride from the hotel. We chowed down on family-style plates, including Greek salad, dipping platter, tomato pasta, a crispy mushroom “steak,” and caprese bread.

9:30 p.m.: Live it up At Unwell After Dark

After two hours of eating and yapping, we got an Uber to the W Club for Unwell After Dark, the party of the evening. (While most things took place at the SLS, this was the exception — it was hosted at a venue space inside the W Hotel).

The vibe was clubby, with black lights, mirrors everywhere, silver balloon accents, and a giant Unwell “martini glass” that a costumed dancer sat in at one point. The open bar included themed cocktails like the Founding Father and Mr. Sexy Zoom Man, some of which included Unwell Hydration, Cooper’s electrolyte drink (~balance~).

Cooper and her gang showed up around 11:30 p.m. to dance and take pictures with attendees. The DJ duo Twinsick went on at midnight and kept the party going until 2 a.m., but I headed to bed soon after their set started.

Saturday, March 22

10:30 a.m.: Grab coffee and a morning pick-me-up

I woke up in time to grab an iced vanilla latte and bagel with cream cheese at the Unwell breakfast stations outside the SLS lobby. I also grabbed a mango citrus Unwell Hydration (bottles of these were basically limitless, BTW) to replenish my electrolytes for the day ahead.

11:00 a.m.: Get a massage and IV drip

If anyone knows the importance of next-day recovery, it’s Cooper, and that showed in the weekend’s details. The second floor of the SLS was decked out with vintage posters, bowls of protein bars and fruit snacks, and an IV drip station in the corner. I signed up for a 30-minute massage in the penthouse and was given a chilled Unwell Hydration on my way out — kiwi pineapple this time (my new favorite).

I also got my first-ever IV drip, which I was nervous about, but it was quicker and easier than I expected. I *think* I felt more refreshed afterward, but it could have also been the massage and copious amount of hydration drinks I’d already consumed. Either way, I was living.

For those who didn’t book the VIP package (which is how you got access to the wellness treatments), there were plenty of fitness classes available for individual sign-ups, including yoga, Pilates, HIIT, and a beach workout with Bachelorette star Tyler Cameron.

12:30 p.m.: Head to the beach for Jet Skis

Have I ridden a personal watercraft once in the last 15 years? Nope. Did my reintroduction to this activity take place in front of Alex Cooper herself? You bet. Unwell set up a Jet Ski session for me, Cooper, her husband Matt Kaplan, and Hallie Batchelder, and we had the time of our lives zooming around in the ocean directly off the beach. Cooper reassured me that she didn’t know what she was doing either, and none of us flipped the Jet Skis, so I’m considering it a win.

I got to chat with Cooper briefly as we walked back to the hotel, and she kept getting stopped for selfies, which she graciously agreed to. One man who wasn’t there for Unwell Weekend recognized her and came up to us, saying, “Alex, my girlfriend will kill me if I don’t get a photo with you.” As we hugged and parted ways, she told me, “I’m glad I got you on that Jet Ski.” (Me too, girl. Me too.)

2:00 p.m.: Walk to Cocktails & Cabanas for an afternoon of pool time, snacks, and crafting

The major day event on Friday and Saturday was the pool party, which was come-and-go between 1 and 5 p.m. Unwell Network creators had curated activations taking place throughout the afternoons, including a Y2K tramp stamp station with Owen Thiele, Too Hot To Handle games with Harry Jowsey and Chloe Veitch, “Shaken, Not Stirred” bar chats with Batchelder, and a pong tournament with Grace O’Malley. Cameron and his girlfriend, Tate Madden, won the pong tournament, jumping in the pool to celebrate.

There were also booths set up by event sponsors, including a station to pick out a pair of Crocs and unlimited Jibbitz charms, and a Bondi Sands table to grab some sunscreen. Snack options included tacos, fried chicken, fresh fruit, popcorn, and (obviously) Unwell Hydration.

Thiele tells Elite Daily he got to pick out the tramp stamp designs himself. “I made one of them @OwenThiele, so now people are walking around with my Instagram handle on their *ss,” he says. “I'm obsessed with the 2000s, so I was like, ‘What feels very Y2K? A tramp stamp.’ I want to bring them back.”

Jowsey has been to almost every Unwell live event, and while he jokes that he doesn’t know why “they keep bringing me,” he says he loves supporting Cooper. “More inspiring than anything is how she's spun her brand. At the start of the Call Her Daddy, it was obviously college, sexualized, crazy stuff, but now she's a serious business mogul with an empire. She matured in a very classy and elegant way. That's obviously something I wish I could do, but I don't know how to do it.”

5:30 p.m.: Catch some pre-dinner downtime

After hours in the sun, I desperately needed to be horizontal, so I walked back to my hotel for my first real break of the day. Before taking a shower, I spent an hour on the balcony bedazzling my Crocs, which are now my prized possession. (Sorry to all the Crocs lovers I’ve judged in the past.)

For VIP attendees, there were blowouts available starting at 4 p.m. at a nearby salon, but I opted to get ready in the comfort of my quiet hotel room. I watched Summer House while I did my hair and makeup, then donned a pink Sabrina Carpenter-esque minidress and white platform heels for the evening.

8 p.m.: Head out for dinner

I hopped back in an Uber with my PR friends to go to Planta, a vegan restaurant in South Beach. We split a bottle of sauvignon blanc and a collection of small plates, including spinach and artichoke dip, crispy rice balls, vodka pizza, and olive oil cake.

10:00 p.m.: Show up to The Final Bang

The weekend ended with the biggest event of all: an outdoor party at the pool, featuring live performances by Two Friends and Fat Joe. The decor was a neon dreamscape, and there was a whole new set of booth activations, including a White Claw-sponsored gel nail station and neon airbrush tattoos. (I got one on my shoulder.)

Cooper danced on stage with O’Malley and other content creators like Connor Wood and Carter Gregory, and the music was every nostalgic hit you can think of, including “Mr. Brightside,” Unwritten,” “Everytime We Touch,” “Shake It,” and “Sweet Caroline.”

TL;DR: I’m Unwell Until Further Notice

I was very exhausted and headed to bed around midnight, but the party kept going until 2 a.m. While I had to hop on a flight bright and early to go back home, I left with a swag bag, my new favorite shoes, and another Unwell Hydration in tow.

Cooper and her besties have been sharing BTS content all weekend, and she’s promised there are more IRL events in the pipeline for her fans. I’ll plan my spray tan better next time, but you can bet me and my pink Crocs are ready to make the trip.