During the Gilded Age, the weary sought out hot springs for their purported curative powers; decades later, travelers were building entire vacations around rejuvenation, with guests rounding out cycling tours or massages with healthy cuisine and mindfulness techniques. Today, this integrative approach has grown even bolder, with pioneering spa and resort brands like SHA, Six Senses, Canyon Ranch, and Miraval reimagining the concept of wellness.

According to the Global Wellness Institute’s 2024 Global Wellness Economy Monitor, the sector reached a whopping $6.3 trillion in 2023 and is expected to grow to nearly $9 trillion by 2028. The study revealed that the sectors with the most powerful annual growth rates from 2019 to 2023 were wellness real estate (18.1 percent); public health, prevention and personalized medicine (15.2 percent); and mental wellness (11.6 percent).

Awareness and interest in cultivating one’s wellbeing—across the physical, emotional, and mental realms—is so pervasive now, it’s embedded into daily life thanks to scientific and technological advancements and social media. As a result, rather than merely providing a short, blissful break from everyday reality, the hospitality industry is responding by promoting life-altering, positive habits that yield tangible results, during and even after a guest’s stay.

The Well at Chileno Bay, Auberge Resorts Collection, in Los Cabos, Mexico, stars peaceful relaxation areas

Consider the Well, the socially fueled members club founded by Sarrah Hallock, Rebecca Parekh, and Kane Sarhan in 2019. “We were all searching for a solution that did not yet exist—a space in New York where whole-person wellness was integrated under one roof,” points out Parekh, the Well’s CEO, who formerly served as COO at Deepak Chopra’s Radical Well-Being. Melding Eastern and Western modalities became the trio’s mission, and at the 13,000-square-foot New York flagship designed by Miami-based Rose Ink Workshop, members meet with health coaches and schedule in Vitamin B shots, bodywork, and craniosacral therapy alike.

The expansive model—which evolved post Covid to welcome members and day spa-goers alike—has proven so successful that the Well has now sprouted in several Auberge Resorts Collection properties, including the Mayflower Inn & Spa in Washington, Connecticut; Hacienda AltaGracia in Pérez Zeledón, Costa Rica; and Chileno Bay Resort & Residences in Los Cabos, Mexico, all of which were handled by Nina Gotlieb, founder and principal of Brooklyn, New York-based Otherworld Creative.

A rendering of the workspace lobby at the Well Bay Harbor Islands in Florida, opening in 2025

Looking ahead, the Well Bay Harbor Islands, hatched with developer Terra Group and designed by local firm Arquitectonica and New York-based Meyer Davis, is slated for Miami next summer. Beyond the wellness club, the 66 condominiums, courtyard, and rooftop coworking space are a testament to how the health conscious now desire all facets of living to be in sync.

One of Europe’s most audacious wellness offerings is SHA, which debuted in Alicante, Spain in 2008, handled by Florence-based architect Carlos Giraldi and Pamplona, Spain-based designer Elvira Blanco Montenegro. “From the beginning, we wanted to be innovative and cutting edge, and not so focused on pampering,” says SHA vice president Alejandro Bataller.

Just as SHA merges therapies from both natural and scientific medicine, it combines “the rigor of a wellness clinic,” Bataller says, with the ambiance of a luxury resort catering to executives, CEOs, and athletes who prize prevention strategies and optimal performance. Diagnostics and consultations lead to health plans that span everything from cognitive stimulation to inner balance, buoyed by knowledge absorbed from sessions at the Healthy Living Academy.

The Royal suite at the SHA Wellness Clinic in Spain overlooks the lush landscape and sea

SHA’s goal to have a property on every continent has spawned a location in Costa Mujeres, Mexico, designed by local firms Sordo Madeleno and Alejandro Escudero, a country where SHA’s real estate development arm, AB Living Group, is working with Marriott to conceive branded residences and resorts under the SHA Wellness brand.

In 2026, SHA will also launch in the UAE on AlJurf, a 25-acre private island straddling Dubai and Abu Dhabi that will be dedicated to health and wellbeing. Designed by Cape Town, South Africa-based Saota Architecture and Design and HBA Dubai and HBA Residential, it will feature organic curves, airy pavilions, and vertical gardens.

Another lifestyle brand dedicated to wellness is Kerzner International’s SIRO, which debuted at One Za’abeel in Dubai earlier this year with a design from locally based firm LW Design Group. Athletic-minded travelers are encouraged to partake in a workout hub complete with specialized training zones, cutting-edge treatments grounded in science, and customized, balanced meals. “At SIRO One Za’abeel, we redefine wellness by integrating a holistic approach to its design, focusing on the complete wellbeing of its guests—physically, mentally, and emotionally,” says Sara Felch, Kerzner International’s vice president of design and technical services.

Located in Zihuatanejo, Mexico, ZihFit was conceived as a place for a physical, mental, and emotional reboot

That 360-degree philosophy is also central to ZihFit, a four-to-six-night retreat in Zihuatanejo, Mexico conceived by Los Angeles-based event producer J. Ben Bourgeois and Brazilian-American personal trainer Eduardo Penteado as a physical, mental, and emotional reboot. Yoga classes, workouts, meditation sessions, and daily massages are mixed with meals centered on organic ingredients as well as spiritual cacao ceremonies, Temazcal rituals, and sound baths that pull from Mexican culture. When everything comes together, they “offer an opportunity to connect with our higher selves,” says Bourgeois.

Zeyrek Çinili Hamam, a centuries-old Turkish bathhouse in Istanbul that recently relaunched after a 13-year renovation by KA-BA Architects, is reverting to wellness principles of the past. This historical landmark was built in the 1530s by architect-in-chief Mimar Sinan and today is a multifunctional space (including a museum) that preserves its Ottoman architectural heritage via a 30,000-square-foot bathhouse.

Atelier Brückner of Stuggart, Germany, an architectural firm specializing in exhibition design, worked to preserve the hammam’s lost tiles, which were an important part of the site’s history and were the basis for the museum, where tile displays run along a narrow strip of the building and extend into an outdoor courtyard. “The whole experience is a valuable cultural offering,” says senior designer Emma Kilday. “You can have your spa day and then learn more about the history of this unique experience and setting.”

The Healing Ruins exhibit at the Zeyrek Çinili Hamam in Istanbul, curated by Anlam de Coster, features works from 22 artists

The interiors are just as enticing at the new Ranch Hudson Valley, a 40,000-square-foot mansion in Sloatsburg, New York formerly owned by Ukrainian nuns. The East Coast follow-up to the Ranch Malibu—husband-and-wife team Alex and Sue Glasscock’s Spanish hacienda-turned-Los Angeles retreat—this 25-key incarnation comes courtesy of New York-based studio S.R. Gambrel, which turned the ballroom into a gym and added a solarium.

Orange trees line the dining room
at the Ranch Hudson Valley

It’s an ideal backdrop for the intimate groups that partake in structured, all-day programs incorporating hikes, naps, fitness, yoga, daily massages, and plant-based foods that generate incremental but lasting change. “So many people are looking for a silver bullet. They want a pill or a specific diet, and that doesn’t work longterm,” explains Sue. “It’s the small things we do for our wellness journey that become successful.”

Those baby steps are the foundation of the Estate by sbe, the brainchild of sbe entertainment group founder, chairman, and CEO Sam Nazarian. He joined forces with author, coach, and speaker Tony Robbins as well as singer and actor Marc Anthony and events producer and global strategist Richard Attias on what the quartet is dubbing a hospitality and residential ecosystem.

It was only 2006 when Nazarian launched the Philippe Starck-designed SLS Hotels brand (now part of the Accor portfolio). Then, the masses craved sleek design and an air of exclusivity, but “over the years, I’ve seen how consumer priorities have evolved—from nightlife to lifestyle to now a deeper connection with health and longevity,” says Nazarian, whose own metamorphosis has helped culminate in the Estate. “Guests are no longer looking for a fleeting escape; they seek purposeful experiences that enhance their lives. The Estate meets this need by blending 5-Star luxury with the latest in functional medicine and AI-driven diagnostics.”

A rendering of the forthcoming Estate health and wellness center by sbe in Los Angeles’ Century Plaza

By 2030, the Estate is aiming for 15 hotels and residences and 10 urban longevity centers around the world, from St. Kitts to Montreux, Switzerland. In partnership with Fountain Life, they will offer bespoke nutrition and fitness plans alongside full-body MRI scans and holistic treatments.

“This isn’t about medical hotels; it’s about creating transformative luxury destinations that empower individuals to live healthier and more vibrant lives. Guests will leave not just feeling relaxed but also with actionable insights to enhance their health,” Nazarian says. “We’re creating spaces where wellness is a lifestyle, not an add-on.”

The 16th-century Zeyrek Çinili Hamam has been recently restored after a 13-year renovation

This article originally appeared in HD’s December 2024 issue.