Everything You Need to Know About Tyra Banks’s ModelLand

The experiential space in Santa Monica will teach you to smize.


We can finally learn how to be fierce like SI Swimsuit legend Tyra Banks. Three years after announcing she would open “a Disneyland for beauty and fashion,” ModelLand is set to open in Santa Monica, Calif., on September 2. And it looks like a full-blown Tyra experience.

The model-mogul, who created the term “smize,” has rocked countless runways and magazine covers over the course of her career, including the SI Swimsuit Issue three times. This expansion of her portfolio into this new arena is going to no doubt thrill her legions of ANTM superfans.

The setup for ModelLand is truly one-of-a-kind. First, you walk through a gold facade building to enter an interactive beauty park. Then, over 60 to 90 minutes, you can try out different modeling-themed rooms. In one, professionals will be on hand to share tips on the best poses that work for your body. Next, there’s a SMiZE boot camp where you learn to make “your eyes sparkle like a pro,” followed by a space to transform your look. There you’ll find a plethora of wig options curated by celebrity hairstylists.

And it doesn’t end there. Another room is a “theatrical retail space” where you can test different beauty products with pros on hand to give tips. Lastly, a dedicated SMiZE Cream ice cream room is described as being served in a “surprizing way.”

“Feast upon gourmet ice cream while surrounded by out-of-this-world environments designed to enhance your unique beauty,” reads the website. “Our Posing Professionals teach you the secrets to capturing amazing photos that highlight your beauty - outside and in.”

This proves yet again how Banks is a brilliant entrepreneur who expanded upon her modeling career and parlayed it into a host of cross-platform ventures.

Ticket prices for the unique experience, which is open Friday through Sunday, start at $49.

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