Hi friends,

Both Katie and I are back in the UK this week - loving the lush greenery, the glorious weather (yes really!) , and endless cups of tea… but also fully in the trenches of full-time parenting. With no childcare and very energetic small humans running the show, it’s been less wellness content, more snack negotiations and bed time battles.

So while there’s not much us this week, we did want to share a brilliant piece from Fitt Insider that really hit home - a new kind of wellness manifesto that feels very aligned with what we’re about here at The Drop.

Wellness is booming, but so is the burnout it often causes. Think: perfection peddling, stress-selling, and overpromising fixes that leave people feeling broken.

The big idea? Wellness 2.0 is here - and it’s finally self-aware.

It’s moving from hype to help - because products don’t fix people, meaningful support does.
From metrics to meaning - your recovery score isn’t the point, purpose is.
And from perfection to process - because there’s no finish line. Wellness is a way of being, not something to tick off.

Instead of selling glow-ups, real wellness meets people in the mess - and helps them cope, grow, and connect.

The piece also laid out some fresh frameworks that resonated with us:
Wellness isn’t a luxury, it’s a coping strategy.
Behaviour change starts with values, not wearables.
Care should be personal, not prescriptive.
Rituals need joy, not just protein powder.
And community matters — niche is the new mainstream.

One thing we loved? The callout that wellness has been a bit too busy shouting about what it’s not, and forgetting to show people what it is. In a world craving calm, the brands offering real tools and a hopeful vision will win.

Bottom line? Preach less, support more. Sell less perfection, offer more peace.

Which - funnily enough - is kind of what we’re trying to do here at The Wellness Drop: keep it real, share what’s good, and offer support without the stress. Take what helps, leave the rest, always

You can read the full manifesto here — but in the meantime, let’s dive in. The Local Lowdown is a little lighter this week (because, well… summer), but scroll on for this week’s goodness.

With love(and approximately 37 snack requests a day),
Harriet & Katie
xoxo

📍 Browns & Co., Al Wasl

Once known as the brow and semi-permanent makeup destination in Dubai, Browns & Co. has seriously leveled up — and it’s been my go-to aesthetic spot for a while now.

Step inside firstly and you’ll understand why: think Ibiza energy, soft neutral tones, and the kind of calming, curated vibe that makes you want to move in. But it’s not just the aesthetic that delivers — the treatments are next level too.

Earlier this month, I went back for RF microneedling with Biosomes — an advanced skin rejuvenation treatment that combines collagen boosting radiofrequency with lab-engineered Biosomes (aka tiny vesicles packed with growth factors). Translation? Tighter, glowier, calmer skin fast — with minimal downtime. It’s ideal for fine lines, acne scars, pigmentation, or just an overall skin refresh.

This was my second round, and I’m really noticing the results: smoother texture, reduced redness, and that subtle lifted look we all love.

And good news — Browns are gifting one lucky Wellness Drop member to win the exact same facial. Head to our latest Instagram post on the grid for all the details.

We’re keeping it light this week - because let’s face it, Dubai in July is hot, half the city’s travelling, and the other half is hugging their A/C 😅

But that doesn’t mean the wellness world stops.
Here are two beautifully curated experiences to bring you back to yourself, even in the slow season.

🌬 Immersive Multidimensional Breathwork
Tuesday 22nd July, 7.00pm
IMMERSEE, The Sustainable City
Step into a 360° breathwork journey where sound, art, and energy come together to help you release trauma, dissolve anxiety, and fully reset your nervous system. A full-body, full-sensory experience.
🎟 Book here

⚡️ Sanctum: Celebrate the Frequency
Thursday 24th July, 8.00pm – 8.55pm
SIRO, One&Only Za’abeel
Sanctum co-founder Luuk is back in Dubai — and so is this unmatched 55-minute experience. Think movement meets meditation, sweat meets soul, and a whole lot of energy elevation.
🎟 Book here

Your weekly whip-smart scroll through what’s hot (and not) in the world of wellness.

🏛️ INDUSTRY TRENDS AND NEWS

🌍 UAE Travellers Are Choosing Calm Over Chaos This Summer
According to Musafir.com, 2025 travel from the UAE is looking a little slower, softer, and more soulful — and honestly? We love to see it. From “calmcations” (wellness retreats, spa escapes, nature > noise) to townsizing (think tiny villages over tourist traps), UAE residents are swapping hustle for hammam, and Bali smoothies for city stress. Less-obvious destinations like Salalah, Abha, and Georgia are trending, while staycations and workcations are on the rise too — with longer, more intentional trips becoming the move. Wellness and culture are top priorities, with value-for-money not far behind.
Our Thoughts: Rest is the new luxury. And UAE travellers are clearly craving meaning over mileage. As someone (Harriet) who opted for two weeks in the Dolomites surrounded by nature as our Summer holiday this year... I concur.
📖 Read More

🥾 Women Are Power Walking Their Way Into Rucking Season
Walking with weight — aka rucking — is officially on the rise, and women are leading the charge. Studies show weighted vests can help maintain metabolism and reduce weight regain, but beyond the science, it’s becoming a go-to functional fitness hack. Peloton, Equinox, and Orangetheory are jumping on board, and brands like GORUCK and Carry are finally designing vests made for women.
Our Take: Strength, bone density, metabolic boost… all while on your daily walk? Say less. adds rucking vest to basket
📖 Read More

🧬 Ultrahuman Launches “Blood Vision” in the US
Biomarker girlies, assemble. Ultrahuman’s latest launch is syncing your bloodwork, wearable data, and AI to create a “Personal Health OS” — basically, your body’s group chat just got an upgrade. It tracks over 100 markers tied to hormones, metabolism, and biological age, then links it all to your sleep, glucose, and recovery data via their smart ring and CGM. Add in coaching and AI-powered nudges and voilà — biohacking, but make it holistic.
Wellness Bestie Verdict: Real-time health insights that actually make sense? We’re listening. Just don’t forget: more data ≠ more peace. The magic is still in how you use it. No word yet on when it’s landing in the UAE, but we’re waiting eagerly - and as always, we’ll keep you posted.
📖 Read More

🩸 OhmBody Just Dropped the First Wearable for Menstrual Neurostimulation
Say goodbye to powering through your period. OhmBody’s new wearable uses low-frequency neurostimulation (via a tiny earpiece!) to target cramps, mood swings, fatigue, and even heavy bleeding — all without drugs or hormones. By stimulating the vagus and trigeminal nerves, it helps nudge your body out of fight-or-flight and into rest-and-digest mode, right when you need it most. Clinical trials show promising results: 88% of users felt more comfortable, blood loss dropped by up to 55%, and 71% felt more emotionally balanced. So yes, we’re intrigued.
Our Thoughts: Finally - period care that doesn’t involve a band aid solution or pretending you're fine. It’s not cheap ($719 for the starter kit), but the science is strong and the relief sounds real.
📖 Read More

🕊️ Miscarriage Bereavement Leave to Become a Legal Right in the UK
In a long overdue move, parents in the UK will soon have the legal right to at least one week of bereavement leave after a miscarriage before 24 weeks. Part of Labour’s workers’ rights reform, the policy gives couples space to grieve without having to pretend everything’s fine at work. While some employers already offered this, it’s the first time it’s being recognised as a universal right.
Bottom Line: This shift is a real win - giving families time to grieve as a right, not a perk. But looking global, there’s still a big gap between “just enough” and “full support.” Let’s hope the upcoming consultation lands on the generous side.
📖 Read More

🧪 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

🎽 Can Weighted Vests Help Keep the Weight Off?
(Yes, we’re back with the weighted vests!) Keeping weight off after dieting is famously tricky — but a new study suggests that wearing a weighted vest might help by tricking the body into thinking it’s heavier, which could support metabolism and reduce fat regain.  In this 8-week study, participants with obesity followed a calorie-restricted diet while wearing either a heavy (11 kg) or light (1 kg) vest. The heavier vest group saw less fat regain and smaller drops in metabolic rate, hinting that passive weight loading might help counter the body’s tendency to slow down post-diet. (They did have to wear the vest for 8 hours a day, though.)
Our Take: The science is intriguing, but let’s not all throw on weighted vests for a full workday just yet. The study was small, short, and didn’t explore long term sustainability or control for other lifestyle factors like movement or stress. Plus lets be honest, wearing an 11 kg vest all day isn’t exactly the easiest wellness habit to sustain. Still, it adds to the case for rucking, strength training, and other low-impact, load-bearing ways to keep your metabolism humming.
📖 Read the Study

🔮 TREND TO WATCH

🙏🏻 Nervous System Regulation Goes Mainstream
From burnout to buzzy brains, everyone’s feeling the toll of living in fight-or-flight. Our nervous systems are stuck in overdrive — and the wellness world is finally offering a manual override.
Enter: vagus nerve stimulation, breathwork, biofeedback, and somatics. From gadgets like Apollo Neuro and Komuso to practices like Othership and The Class, tools to reset our baseline are booming — with the neuro-wellness market set to hit $21B by 2030.
Wellness Bestie Verdict: Nervous system care is no longer niche - it’s the next BIG thing. And while you don’t need a high-tech gadget to regulate your system (your breath, sleep, and sunshine are still the OGs), we’re here for anything that helps us feel less like a walking push notification. In a world that keeps getting louder, an engineered state of balance might just become the new normal.
📖 Read More

📩 SHARE IT, SAVE IT, SEND IT

Loved this edition of The Wellness Drop?

💾 Save it — for when you’re one group chat away from burning out again and need a nervous system pep talk.
📲 Share it — with the friend who owns a weighted vest and a moon calendar (we love her).
📤 Send it — to someone who thinks vagus nerve is a skincare brand.