AI therapy, Ibiza retreats and cooking your way to wellness

Hi besties,

How are you doing? Like, actually. 🤍

Things in the region are still unresolved, and we know many of you are still carrying that low hum of uncertainty that doesn’t quite go away. No clear answers, no neat resolution - just the ongoing business of life in a city that is, quietly and steadily, finding its feet again. People are returning, things feel busier (wasn’t sure we’d ever see the day we were wishing for Dubai to be busier - but here we are!) and there’s a gentle momentum building that feels worth leaning into.

Which is why this week, we wanted to say something simple. If you feel comfortable, get out there. Support your local. Show up for the small businesses, the studios, the practitioners and the people who make this city what it is. Your presence matters more than you know right now.

And speaking of showing up - we’re getting back to it too. We have events coming very soon, and we cannot wait to be in a room with you again. Watch this space. 👀

Before we get into this week’s drop, one quick thing from one half of The Wellness Drop…

As some of you may know, Harriet runs her own luxury wellness retreat company under The Connected Collective - and she’s just had a couple of spots open up on her previously sold-out girls Ibiza retreat, 22nd–26th May. This one is co-hosted with one of our absolute favourite healing practitioners, Liza Hamilton Smith, and it is genuinely the most beautiful combination of grounding practices, nervous system-focused work, and ultimate girls holiday energy (think: if Carlsberg did girls’ wellness holidays, you’re on the right track) - and it’s truly the kind of intentional reset that this moment is calling for. There are a couple of options remaining - a full room for two friends to share, or individual sharing spots if you’re coming solo. Trust us when we say - this is one not to be missed. All the details are right here.

And now, let’s get into this week’s drop.

In the Local Lowdown this week, it’s a week of softer rhythms and exactly the kind of experiences your nervous system has been quietly asking for - think immersive breathwork to thaw out of frozen patterns, floating meditations on water, sound healing with gongs and crystal bowls, and a free community morning at SIRO built around movement and breath. 

Over in the Wellness Wire, we’re covering Jumeirah’s smart pivot into community wellness, WHOOP hitting a $10 billion valuation (wearables are coming for your entire health stack), a hybrid AI therapy model that actually keeps a human in the loop, and a cooking app that’s giving Strava energy but make it soufflés. We’re also looking at the anti-social media backlash that’s finally gaining real momentum - and a genuinely exciting breakthrough in pain relief that could change everything.

Let’s get into it.

With love (and so much gratitude for this city and all of you in it),

A week of softer rhythms, nervous system support and small moments that help you come back to yourself - from floating meditations and sound-led evenings to restorative mornings built around movement, breath and stillness. Whether you’re craving release, clarity or simply a few hours that feel genuinely nourishing, this week’s edit gathers experiences designed to leave you feeling lighter, steadier and more grounded.

💨 BreathPlay: Thawing Into Aliveness
Sunday 5th April, 6:00 – 8:00 PM
BodyHack (formerly Achievher Studio), Meyan Mall
A deeply immersive breathwork session designed to help you move out of frozen patterns and reconnect with your body. Through guided breath and gentle co-regulative connection, you’ll release stress, restore presence, and reclaim your sense of aliveness. No agenda, no analysis—just arrive and allow your body to do the rest.
Book here

💧 Immersive Float & Flow
Thursday 9th April, 8:00 – 9:00 PM
One&Only One Za’abeel, The Garden Pool
An immersive meditation journey on water with headphones, in collaboration with IMD Breathwork. Experience deep stillness as you float, letting sound and breath guide your nervous system to soften, settle, and restore.
Book here

🤍 SANCTUM Community Gathering
Friday 10th April, 7:00 AM
SIRO One Za'abeel
A morning built around movement, breath, and togetherness.
Held in the garden at SIRO, this free community gathering blends music-led movement with a guided affirmation ritual by Intelligent Change - designed to shift energy, release tension, and reconnect through shared experience.
Book here

🎶 Sound Healing Meditation with WHOOP
Saturday 11th April, 6:00 PM
HWH Studio, Delano
An evening to soften into stillness.
This guided sound meditation uses layered frequencies and quiet space to help the body slow down and the mind settle - a simple, grounding way to end the day feeling lighter.
Book here

🔮 Talise Sound Healing
Saturday 11th April, 10:00 AM
Talise Spa, Jumeirah Al Qasr
A deeply immersive sound healing session using gongs and crystal bowls to calm the nervous system, restore balance, and guide you into full-body relaxation. Includes wellness assessments, complimentary spa pool access, and exclusive same-day offers on spa and wellness treatments.
To book: Call (04 366 6818)

🌊 Floating Sound Symphony
Tuesday 14th April, 7:30 – 8:30 PM
The St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort, Abu Dhabi
A water sound healing session on the pool, designed to calm the nervous system and restore balance. Let the layered frequencies and gentle vibrations guide you into deep relaxation and full-body stillness.
Book here

 INDUSTRY TRENDS AND NEWS

🌴 Jumeirah Is Leaning Into Community Wellness
Jumeirah is rolling out a series of community-led wellness events across its UAE properties this April and May - from sound healing at Al Qasr to reformer Pilates on Saadiyat Island, somatic breathwork at Marsa Al Arab, and beachfront yoga at Zabeel Saray. Complimentary, thoughtfully curated, and very much open to residents. For in-house guests, there’s also a new Learning Campus at Jumeirah Beach Hotel - a structured, school-style setup for children navigating distance learning, with IB-certified teachers and a full day of creative and movement-based activities.
Our thoughts: A smart move from Jumeirah - meeting the moment, reading the room, and creating spaces people actually need right now.
Read More

⌚️ WHOOP Is Going Big (like… $10B big)
WHOOP just raised $575M at a $10.1B valuation - nearly tripling its worth, with backing from sovereign funds, the Mayo Clinic, Abbott, and athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James. The bigger play? Moving beyond fitness tracking into full health territory - deeper biometrics, medical partnerships, and a more serious role in how we understand recovery, performance and longevity. With serious capital behind it, WHOOP is clearly scaling fast.
Outtake: Wearables aren’t just counting steps anymore… they’re coming for your entire health stack. And WHOOP clearly isn’t playing small.
Read more

🧠 AI Therapy… But With a Human Still in the Loop
Jimini Health just raised $17M to roll out “Sage” - an AI mental health platform designed to work alongside therapists, not replace them. Think between-session check-ins, guided support, and real-time insights fed back to clinicians so care doesn’t just stop when you leave the room. It’s a response to what’s already happening: millions are turning to AI for support anyway. Jimini’s bet is that the future isn’t AI or therapist… it’s both, working together. (Currently US-focused, but feels like one that will travel.)
Punchline: We’re all for AI widening access to support. But handing your inner world entirely to a chatbot comes with its own risks… so this hybrid model, with a real therapist still in the loop, feels like the smarter move.
Read More

🍳 Cooking Is Getting the Strava Treatment
Linecook just raised $2.3M to turn home cooking into a social, trackable experience - think logging meals, refining your skills, and sharing dishes with a community that actually cares. Using AI, the app can analyse your ingredients and finished plate, turning it into a recipe and post without the admin. Built by ex-Strava minds, it’s taking everything we love about fitness tracking… and applying it to food. Because quietly, cooking at home is becoming the ultimate wellness flex - better for your health, your habits, and honestly… your personality.
Our thoughts: Less sunset stories, more soufflés. Honestly… we’d follow.
Read More

🔮 TREND TO WATCH

📱 Anti-Social Media Is Having a Moment
After years of endless scrolling, the backlash is here. 76% of people say they spend too much time on their phones - and most feel it’s impacting their mental health. Now, a new wave of platforms is trying to fix what social media broke. Think less infinite scroll, fewer dopamine traps, more real-world connection. Apps are emerging to get people offline, organising actual plans, meaningful intros, and community over content. Adding fuel to the fire is the rise of AI-generated “slop” - low-quality, mass-produced content flooding feeds, making social media feel noisier, less human, and increasingly… pointless. Even Big Tech is being called out, with recent rulings highlighting how addictive features were intentionally designed. 
Wellness Bestie Thoughts: We’re craving connection, not content. Less scrolling, more seeing people in real life… revolutionary, apparently.
Read More

🔬 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

🔬 A New Way to Switch Off Pain (Without Opioids)
Scientists have developed a next-gen gene therapy that targets pain directly in the brain - acting like a precise “volume control” rather than numbing everything like traditional painkillers. Using AI to map pain pathways, the treatment mimics the relief of opioids… without triggering addiction or major side effects. Still in early (preclinical) stages, but the potential is huge - especially with over 50 million people living with chronic pain and the ongoing fallout from opioid dependence.
Outtake: Pain relief without the addiction trade-off? Game-changing… if it makes it out of the lab.
Read More