Wellness of yore, centered on flashy fitness clubs and quick-fix spa treatments, has percolated into an expansive $5.6 trillion industry. A more holistic approach—fusing mind, body, and spirit—unfolds in hotels, salons, and clinics alike, and to heighten the experience, is often complemented by sustainable design that rejuvenates guests with biophilic elements.
Take Six Senses. Known for its eco-conscious ethos and innovative wellness programs, it continues to push boundaries in properties like the recently opened Six Senses Crans-Montana in Switzerland, where recovery takes centerstrage in nine treatment rooms and a Stretch Pod, perfect for post-ski fatigue. It joins brands like Hume, a holistic wellness club in Venice Beach, California, and Hylla Mansion, where London firm Holloway Li is crafting a short-stay residence in Hong Kong centered on Zen philosophy.
A serene walkway at Hylla Mansion in Hong Kong, shown in a rendering
Lifestyle brand JOALI, includes two properties in the Maldives: private wellbeing island JOALI Being and art-centric sister resort JOALI Maldives, both designed by Istanbul studio Autoban. Founded by Esin Güral Argat, vice president of the board of Gürok Group, the industry, tourism, and construction conglomerate established by her family in 1948, JOALI was sprung from Güral Argat’s realization that although “luxury hotels had great food, beautiful design, and intuitive service, they were missing something important: a soul,” she says.
The pioneering JOALI Being espouses the notion of weightlessness through the four pillars of mind, microbiome, skin, and energy. Following an integrative health assessment and movement analysis, teams of naturopaths, herbalists, chefs, and tea sommeliers play an integral role in guests’ customized self-discovery journeys toward strength and vitality, restorative sleep, and alignment.
Bolstering this programming are JOALI’s in-house practices, such as a sustainability fund that pledges to support locally led projects, a reef restoration initiative that promotes biodiversity, and a turtle rehabilitation and conservation sanctuary. “We’re inviting guests to reconnect with themselves within the beauty of nature, so it was important we embraced the splendor of the island by leaving the wild forest untouched,” says Güral Argat.
A striking ceiling installation hangs above the indoor pool at Six Senses Crans-Montana in Switzerland, the handiwork of AW2
The three-bedroom overwater villa at the JOALI Maldives
This article originally appeared in HD’s December 2023 issue.
