Scheduling essential visits with various doctors and practitioners has long been a struggle for harried New Yorkers, so Sarrah Hallock, Rebecca Parekh, and Kane Sarhan boldly simplified the time-consuming process by founding the Well, a transportive, urban members club focused on physical, mental, and spiritual health, in 2019. “We were all searching for a solution that did not yet exist—a space in New York where whole-person wellness was seamlessly integrated under one roof,” recalls Parekh, the Well’s CEO.
A restful seating area at the Well New York
A former COO at Deepak Chopra Radical Well-Being, Parekh grew up surrounded by the principles of holistic health. Her mother taught yoga, her grandparents practiced meditation daily, and her great-grandfather was an Ayurvedic doctor. “I was fortunate to witness the power of wellness practices early on and have it play such a significant role in my upbringing,” she points out, yet acknowledges that the hectic world of finance left little room for partaking in such rituals until she was reminded of their importance upon staying at a retreat in Sedona, Arizona.
Meanwhile, brewing frustration over her undiagnosed Hashimoto’s disease led Hallock, the Well’s COO, to leave her marketing career and become a health coach. Hallock’s “dramatic and distressing decline,” as she puts it, was marked by rapid weight gain, fatigue, and hair loss, but multiple doctors told her nothing was wrong. Knowing this wasn’t the case, she took matters into her own hands, conducting extensive research that revealed she was suffering from the autoimmune disorder. “This journey taught me the importance of being your own health advocate,” she says. “My personal experience has fueled my dedication to helping others get the comprehensive care they deserve.”
When Parekh and Hallock approached Sarhan, the Well’s chief creative officer, about launching the company, he was riveted by the idea of hatching a hospitality concept from scratch, drawing from his background as head of brand for SH Group helping to build 1 Hotels & Homes and Baccarat Hotels & Residences. He was passionate about fitness, but Sarhan admits he “smoked a ton of cigarettes at the time,” eventually kicking the habit with ear seeding, a form of acupressure suggested by Parekh and Hallock. “From there, I’ve made it my personal mission to redefine what wellness could be through creating a community where every detail supports and enhances whole-person care.”
A rendering of a living room at the Well Bay Harbor Islands in Miami, which will feature 66 residential units when it opens next summer
At the 13,000-square-foot New York flagship, members and spa-goers (their model changed from a pure membership model post Covid) rove between Mindful Movement classes, cold plunge and infrared sauna sessions, and personalized East-meets-West bodywork, skincare, acupuncture, IV drip therapy, and vibrational energy healing treatments buoyed by a social atmosphere.
Beyond New York, a partnership with Auberge Resorts Collection has brought the Well to the Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Connecticut, as well as to the foothills of Costa Rica’s Talamanca Mountains at Hacienda AltaGracia and Chileno Bay Resort & Residences in Los Cabos, Mexico.
As a result, the Well has been able to reimagine the traditional hotel spa, Hallock says, introducing experiences and amenities “that allow travelers to maintain their at-home routines and elevate their self-care while on the go.”
Crucial to each of these destinations is thoughtful design that “encourages relaxation, restoration, and connection to yourself and others,” adds Hallock. For example, local- and Miami-based Rose Ink Workshop crafted the Rest & Recovery Lounge and Library in New York “with communal seating nestled adjacent to an actual well, serving as the architectural representation of inner reflection. The design emphasizes curved walls and incorporates crystals and custom scents,” Sarhan says.
The glass-walled hydrotherapy center at the Well at Hacienda AltaGracia, Auberge Resorts Collection in Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica
It’s bolstered by the Meditation Dome informed by both Mexican temazcal huts and James Turrell’s colorful light installations along with swaths of seasonal foliage curated by New York landscape designer Luz LeStrange that simultaneously purify the air and provide herbs for the restaurant’s kitchen. Nina Gotlieb, founder and principal of Brooklyn, New York-based Otherworld Creative, handled the equally dreamy, biophilic designs of the Auberge Resorts outposts.
In 2025, the Well Bay Harbor Islands, a collaboration with developer Terra Group, is slated to open in Miami. The most ambitious of the bunch yet, it unites 66 branded condominiums and almost 94,000 square feet of offices with a 22,000-square-foot wellness haven, including the city’s first Roman bath-style caldarium.
Designed by local firm Arquitectonica and New York-based practice Meyer Davis, the residences will showcase open, illuminated layouts with floor-to-ceiling windows and features like red-light therapy and aromatherapy diffusers. “Our vision is fully realized here by integrating spaces where people can live, work, and play in complete wellness,” says Sarhan. Adds Hallock: “We truly see community as the starting point for building a life with wellness at the center.”
Now five years old, the Well is booming, with more than 10 new locations planned over the next five years and over one million square feet currently under development.
“As we expand, our commitment to a multidisciplinary approach remains steadfast,” Parekh points out, “all in pursuit of our mission to make wellness a natural part of everyday life.”
In Los Cabos, Mexico, the Well at Chileno Bay, Auberge Resorts Collection features peaceful areas to lounge or nap
This article originally appeared in HD’s September 2024 issue.
