The First Visit at Aurum.
For members and prospective members alike, the first appointment at Aurum is not a "new patient visit." It is a membership intake — a 150-minute, fully-attended, discreetly orchestrated arrival at the Penthouse Suite at 1 Harbor Drive. What follows is a complete walkthrough of what to expect, what to bring, and how we have designed every detail of the experience to respect your time, your privacy, and the quality of your care.
Before You Arrive — The Concierge Sequence.
Every membership intake begins three to seven days before you set foot in the suite. Our concierge team handles the logistics so the only thing you have to plan is whether to bring driving shoes or driving shoes.
Within 24 hours of your inquiry, our concierge director — currently Adeline Vance — will place a private 20-minute call at a time you nominate. This is not a sales call. It is a chance for you to share what brought you here, what you are hoping to address, and any preferences around schedule, privacy, or accessibility that we should know about. Nothing about your future care begins until this conversation.
Shortly after your welcome call, you will receive secure access to our HIPAA-grade portal. Inside, you complete a structured health history, an executive lifestyle and sleep questionnaire, prior imaging upload (we accept DICOM and PDF), and a brief biomarker self-report. Nothing is paper. Nothing is faxed. Everything you submit is reviewed by Dr. Harrison Blake before your arrival.
Three days before your appointment, our concierge team confirms the small details: black-car pickup time and origin address (or your parking spot in the harbor garage), suite refreshment preferences (espresso, kombucha, sparkling water, herbal infusion — we keep your preferences on file from this visit forward), and any guest you wish to bring. One companion is always welcome, in the suite or in the private lounge.
The evening before your appointment, you will receive a brief, personally-written note from Dr. Harrison Blake. He will reference one or two specific items from your intake — not to demonstrate diligence but to make clear that your records have already been read, and that the time you spend in the suite tomorrow will not be wasted on what you have already disclosed in writing. This is the standard.
Your Arrival, Walked Through in Detail.
From the moment our valet greets you in the porte cochère at 1 Harbor Drive to the moment you receive your written protocol summary, the first visit is paced for two-and-a-half hours of careful, deliberate work — never rushed, never lingered.
Porte Cochère, Valet & Welcome
Our valet meets your vehicle at the 1 Harbor Drive porte cochère. If you arrived via our complimentary black-car service, your driver delivers you directly to the private elevator vestibule. A concierge attendant greets you by name — no clipboards, no front-desk check-in. You are escorted up to the Penthouse Suite via the dedicated express elevator. The corridor between the elevator and the suite is private to our practice; you will not encounter another clinic's patients during your visit.
The Arrival Lounge & Refreshment
You are seated in the private arrival lounge — a quiet 12-by-18 room with floor-to-ceiling harbor views, hand-selected art, and the refreshment preferences you indicated at booking already prepared. Wi-fi credentials are presented on a small card; a discreet acoustic-treated phone booth is available for any call you need to take. The expectation is that you arrive twenty minutes early and spend those twenty minutes decompressing. For executives who arrive directly from offices or airports, this transition matters more than the medicine that follows.
The Diagnostic Suite — Imaging, Scanning, Biomarkers
You are escorted to the diagnostic suite by Dr. Isabelle Fontaine. Three baseline workups are performed in sequence — typically 50–55 minutes total, performed in one private room with no transitions between machines.
DEXA scan — a full-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, the clinical gold standard for body composition, regional lean mass, visceral adipose tissue, and bone mineral density. This becomes the baseline against which we measure every six months thereafter.
3D postural and gait imaging via a markerless DARI motion-capture system — frontal, sagittal, and rotational analysis at standing, walking, and squat depth. Output is a full kinematic report Dr. Blake reviews with you in the consult.
Optional biomarker draw — if you opted in during intake, a phlebotomist (on-site Tuesdays and Thursdays) draws a customized panel that may include hs-CRP, ApoB, fasting insulin, HbA1c, comprehensive metabolic panel, ferritin, vitamin D, omega-3 index, and free testosterone. Results return within five business days and are reviewed with you on a follow-up call.
The Chief Consult with Dr. Blake
You are seated with Dr. Harrison Blake in his consult library — a quiet space designed for conversation, not examination. He has already reviewed your intake, your prior imaging, your DEXA, your 3D postural data, and any biomarkers available. The first ten minutes are listening. The middle twenty are explanation — Dr. Blake walks you through every finding, what it means, what it does not mean, and which findings warrant immediate attention versus which are simply baselines we will watch.
The final fifteen minutes are protocol design. Together you map out a 30-, 60-, and 90-day plan — clinic visits, recovery sessions, home protocols, optional in-home check-ins, and the cadence of follow-up imaging. You leave with a written protocol document, not a verbal summary.
Protocol Handoff & Quiet Departure
Your concierge attendant returns to walk you through the member portal — how to book recovery sessions, request a house call, message Dr. Blake's direct line, and review your imaging at any time from the Aurum app. Any retail items recommended (postural support cushions, the Eight Sleep, a specific pillow) are arranged for next-day courier delivery. Your black-car return is summoned. The total time, from valet to valet, is rarely more than 160 minutes.
The Equipment Earning Its Square Footage.
Each diagnostic modality available in the suite was selected against a single criterion: does it materially change the protocol we build for you? If not, it does not earn the space.
What to Wear, What to Bring.
A short list of practical preparation. Anything you forget, we have on hand — pressed athletic wear, supportive shoes, even a change of business attire — but most members prefer to bring their own.
What to Wear.
- Comfortable, form-following athletic wear for the DEXA scan and 3D motion capture. Compression leggings or shorts and a fitted top work well. The 3D capture cannot see through loose fabric.
- Athletic or supportive footwear for the gait component. We provide a clean pair if you prefer.
- Minimal jewelry. DEXA results are affected by metal — please remove watches, large necklaces, and any wired undergarments. A private changing suite is available.
- For the biomarker draw, a top with sleeves that roll easily above the elbow. Eight-hour fast is required if you opted in.
- For the consult, change into whatever you arrived in. Most members prefer to return to business attire for the conversation with Dr. Blake.
What to Bring.
- A photo ID and your insurance card, if you have a PPO plan you wish to bill toward the diagnostic component. Most diagnostic and recovery services are member-funded; we are transparent about what bills.
- Prior imaging on physical media or via cloud link. If you have an MRI, CT, or X-ray from another clinic within the last 18 months, we'd like to review it before the visit. Upload via the intake portal.
- A list of medications and supplements, including dosing and frequency. Our portal has a form for this — but a paper backup is welcome.
- A short list of three priorities for the year ahead. These need not be medical. "I want to play more golf without my back complaining" is a perfectly valid input.
- Optionally, a companion. Spouses, partners, or trusted advisors are welcome in either the suite or the private lounge. Please let us know in advance.
Parking, Entry, Discretion.
The Penthouse Suite is accessed via a private elevator vestibule on the southwest corner of 1 Harbor Drive — separate from the main lobby and not signed. Detailed entry instructions are sent the day before your visit.
Door-to-door pickup and return for any member arriving from within an 8-mile radius. Booked at intake — preferred service is Carey San Diego with a clinic vehicle reserved for member use. Please request 24 hours in advance.
If you prefer to drive yourself, the porte cochère valet is reserved for our members. Inform the attendant you are "with Aurum" — your vehicle is held without ticket exchange and returned to the same spot upon departure.
The express elevator to the Penthouse Suite is accessed via the southwest corner vestibule, not the main lobby. Members receive a QR-coded keycard at the welcome call which unlocks the vestibule and pre-authorizes the elevator. No signage, no clinic plaque.
For longer recovery sessions (Normatec, infrared, IV protocols), members are validated for the adjacent harbor garage — Level B2 has eight reserved spaces. Validation is automatic via your member portal check-in.
Two quiet windows each day — early morning and late evening — are reserved for members who prefer maximum privacy. The suite operates at one-third typical capacity, ideal for public figures, executives, or anyone whose presence at a clinic could attract unwanted notice.
Concierge home visits remain available for Lifetime members and members in active executive-recovery protocols. Dr. Blake or Dr. Fontaine, plus relevant equipment (portable Normatec, mobile assessment), travels to your residence. Rate is structured into your membership tier.
The Member Portal — Your Care, Continuous.
Every member receives access to the Aurum portal — a private, mobile-and-desktop application that holds the entirety of your care record, your imaging, your biomarker history, and your direct line to the clinical team.
Continuous, Discreet Communication.
Most members will tell you the portal is what they did not know they were missing. The ability to message Dr. Blake's clinical team directly from the back of a car at LAX, to see a DEXA trend over four years, to book a recovery session without speaking to a scheduler — these are small frictions removed, and removed friction is what concierge care is really selling.
The portal is HIPAA-compliant, biometric-secured, and never accessed by anyone outside the clinical team. Your records are not shared with insurance, employers, or third parties without your written authorization on file.
- Full medical record access — imaging, biomarkers, notes, protocols
- Direct-message line to Dr. Blake and Dr. Fontaine
- Recovery session booking — Normatec, sauna, cold plunge, IV
- House-call request with 24-hour and 48-hour windows
- Trend dashboards for body composition, HRV, biomarkers
- Protocol library with home video demonstrations
- Member events & private invitations
- Pause, resume, and travel preferences self-managed
- Biometric-locked — Face ID / Touch ID on mobile
Discretion is not a feature we advertise. It is the precondition of the work — and the reason our members refer their peers without ever needing to mention us by name. Your visit, your records, your presence in the suite, and your protocol remain entirely yours. We design every detail of the first visit around that fact.
A complimentary 25-minute call with our concierge director to determine fit, scope, and which membership tier suits your circumstances. Nothing is committed before the call.