Chiesa di Pazzo Lupi | A coworking and event space

Introducing a bit of red-blooded Italian energy to the mix, Chiesa di Pazzo Lupi is an unpretentious shared office space for entrepreneurs, self-starters, independents and freelance professionals who want to stay networked and in the game. The name pays homage to the building’s previous owner Italo Lupini, a feisty and fun-loving Italian architect with a passion for beautiful spaces. Wave goodbye to soul-sucking fluorescent cubicles and solo freelance pyjama parties in your lounge! Spacious and airy, this reinvented church features a multi-purpose space, boardroom and kitchen, all opening out onto green external courtyards and vistas. Designed to optimise productive life force, Chiesa di Pazzo Lupi has numerous desks, where you can rent a cubicle or a table for a day, a month or a year. 

 

It offers access to wi-fi, fast Internet, reception and cleaning services, ample and safe parking, a fixed business address, kitchen facilities and sufficient security. A boardroom is also available for smaller meetings, interviews or brainstorming sessions. You can even get your gym membership included in your rental. 

 

Chiesa di Pazzo Lupi also boasts an event space large enough to host 40 to 70 guests in differently styled seated settings, or 100+ guests in a cocktail-style setting. Any form of catering can be arranged. Prices range from R250 a day for a hot/temporary desk to R3 000 per month for a fixed desk with use of the boardroom and other services. Chiesa also functions as a neighbourhood lounge for travellers who need to store their luggage, have a workout, shave, print a boarding pass, update social media, check mails and/or enjoy a delectable Chiesa meal.

 

Chiesa Cantina | A lively café serving fresh and easy-going meals 

Chiesa Cantina is a hybrid canteen serving piadina (Romagna Italy), traditional South African food (for locals and travellers to experience) and other healthy food options (for the conscious cuisine crew).

 

Teatro Chiesa | Showcasing South African films and theatre

It’s not every office that has its own cinema/theatre on-site! Chiesa di Pazzo Lupi features its very own cinema/theatre that screens or stages homebrewed South African films and theatre productions at least once a month. See website for details: https://secure.activitybridge.com/book?activityid=11362

 

Melville Wellness & Pilates Studio | Gym, chiropractor, physiotherapist, massage therapists

This state-of-the-art gym and Pilates studio is run by ex-Springbok sprinter (former National 100m and 200m record holder) Marlize Steyn, with a support team of six physical trainers offering personal training. The Studio also has a chiropractor, a physiotherapist, and a massage therapist on site, ready to attend to every ache or sprain.

 

World of Faces | Scar & Skin Rejuvenation Clinic 

Run by aesthetic therapist Mandy Gonzales, World of Faces provides a range of cosmetic treatments to help restore, revive and rejuvenate through the latest products and services in the cosmetic field. The Clinic specialises in scar and skin treatments for face and body, and also offers beauty treatments designed to pamper. State-of-the-art facilities create a welcoming, tranquil environment, while a team of highly qualified cosmetic staff is on hand every step of the way.

 

De Necker Dentistry | World-class dentistry and orthodontics

Aesthetic dentistry offers both physical and psychological benefits. The perfect smile is about the position of the teeth, how the upper jaw is positioned against the lower jaw, gum position and how the lips fall against the teeth and frame the smile. This Melville practice first opened in 1976 and offers a range of dental treatments including dental implants, teeth whitening, crowns and bridges, root canal, orthodontics and periodontology, to name a few.

 

Dr De Necker also offers Botox and filler treatments. He underwent his training with well-known London-based Consultant Ophthalmic Plastic Surgeon Sabrina Shah-Desai and completed an intensive course at King’s College in London. In partnership with Galderma, 

 

De Necker Dentistry offers Restylene treatments, a range of hyaluronic acid-based fillers, skin boosters and skincare products that can be used to smooth away wrinkles and fine lines, create fuller and more accentuated lips, and add facial volume and contour. All products work to naturally enhance facial features, giving long-lasting, yet non-permanent results.

 

motel Mi Pi Chi | Architect-designed accommodation

Directly across the road, is Motel Mi Pi Chi. A streamlined contemporary oasis in the heart of one of Johannesburg’s most lively and accessible suburbs, Motel Mi Pi Chi is the ideal spot to return to after a day of meetings or sightseeing in South Africa’s capital of Afropolitan cool. 

 

Within an easy stroll to other eateries, cafés and meeting spots on Melville’s 7th Street, this welcoming, whip-smart establishment is a perfect stopover for the visiting academic, artist, entrepreneur or savvy businessperson. Its healthy breakfasts, plush finishes and thoughtful quirks also make it ideal for a leisure visit. Free and easy parking is an added plus. For more privacy, check in to one of two self-catering properties located immediately adjacent to Motel Mi Pi Chi.

 

7th Street, 27 Boxes, Bamboo Centre | Cafés, restaurants, bars, street life

Kribo Trading is located within easy walking distance of Melville’s buzzing 7th Street. With its sidewalk restaurants, tattoo studio, charity shops, Rotterdam-trained barbers, clubs, tapas bar, art studios and much more, this street hums with street life every day of the week. Look out for: Freedom Hair; Pablo Eggs-Go-Bar; The Federal; Café Picobella; Hell’s Kitchen; La Santa Muerte; Xai Xai; Nuno’s (with their Tuesday night pub quizzes); The Bean Café; Liquid Lounge (cocktails and tapas); Buzz 9; Poppy’s and Bread and Roses. 

 

Also within walking distance is the designer container complex, 27 Boxes (so named because each container is 27 cubic metres in size), where artisanal breads, soups, curries, cronuts, smoothies, coffees, ice cream, clothing and jewellery can be bought from the shop owners and vendors. And just down the hill, you’ll find the Bamboo lifestyle centre with Service Station, Love Books and the Great Eastern Food Bar – and across the road, Sue Pam-Grant’s studio and designer Superella.