Loneliness dogs, menopause tech & musical lollipops (CES, decoded)

Hi Wellness Besties,

This week, we’re rounding up some of the most interesting wellness inventions landing this year, straight from CES.

As you know, us over here at The Wellness Drop have always had a soft spot for wellness tech (although you know we’re going to keep nagging you to get the foundations right first). Not because we love gadgets for the sake of it, but because when it’s done well, technology can genuinely help people live better.

That said, not everything at CES passed the sniff test. There were a few… creative moments. Think vibrating knives, bone conduction musical lollipops and a few concepts that felt more Black Mirror than wellbeing. (Let’s not mention the AI soulmates shall we 🤔)

But beneath the noise, there were real standouts with their roots firmly in everyday support. Tools designed to ease allergy anxiety, reduce loneliness, help women better understand their bodies, and yes, even tackle wrinkles in a way that actually makes sense.

Make sure you scroll down to our Wellness Wire for a curated round-up of what truly caught our eye at CES. The clever, the considered, and the things we’d actually use (and desperately want to get our mits on.)

In other more local news, Dubai wellness continues to do what it does best. Pilates with horses. A globally respected holistic intimacy coach in town and a few more standout events..The Local Lowdown rounds up what’s genuinely worth stepping out for.

Let’s dive in shall we…

Clubist
📍Marina Quays

Every so often, a studio opens that genuinely shifts the wellness landscape in Dubai - and in our opinion, Clubist is the most exciting studio opening the city has seen in a long time.

What makes Clubist stand out straight away is how thoughtfully it’s been built. They’ve cherry-picked some of the best instructors in Dubai and brought them all under one roof - and you really feel that calibre in the classes. There’s a real community energy here, too. They’ve intentionally chosen not to partner with booking platforms like ClassPass, instead keeping everything managed in-house, which allows them to protect the experience and build something more considered and long-term. We really respect that approach.

The class offering is genuinely impressive. You’ve got barre and megaformer (two long-time favourites of ours), alongside Sequence, which feels like stepping into a cool LA studio, Engine for those who love a cardio hit, and well-programmed strength classes. They also offer infrared heated classes, adding another layer for those looking to support recovery, circulation, and a deeper sweat. It’s rare to find a studio with this much variety without it feeling chaotic, but Clubist pulls it off.

The facilities are just as strong. Spacious changing rooms with room to properly get ready for the day (a small but underrated luxury), Dyson hairdryers and Airwraps, and Aesop shower products - all the details that make the experience feel elevated rather than rushed.

Post-class, everything flows seamlessly into thirtyfour, the on-site restaurant. With indoor and outdoor seating, the vibe leans green, organic and calm - but still quietly sexy. It’s the kind of place you actually want to sit and linger, rather than dash off straight after class.

What we love most about Clubist is that it feels like more than a workout. It’s somewhere you can genuinely build into your routine - train, reset, eat, connect. No scrambling, no sensory overload. Just really good movement, really good energy, and a studio that feels like it’s here to stay.

We’ll absolutely be back. If you’re looking for a studio that feels elevated but welcoming, social but not overwhelming - Clubist deserves a top spot on your list.

This week’s edit is all about creating space - to move, breathe and reconnect. Mid-January can look different for everyone: some of us craving quiet and grounding, others needing movement and momentum. This is a curated mix of wellness events across Dubai designed to meet you wherever you’re at.

💙 Blue Monday Special
Monday 19th January, 7:30 PM
SIRO One Za’abeel
A grounding evening from Sanctum, designed to help you pause, reset and realign. Expect intentional movement and space to settle into the season. A calm, supportive way to move through Blue Monday.
Book here

☕ Wellness Morning at Marasi Bay
Wednesday 21st January, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
The Lana
A gentle, intimate morning experience easing you into the day through a thoughtfully guided wellness session, followed by breakfast. Calm, considered and beautifully set by the water. Hosted by HWH Studio.
Book here

🌸 Inner Bloom: The Art of Feminine Embodiment
Wednesday 21st January, 6:00 – 10:00 PM
Jumeirah 1, Dubai (private location)
An intimate evening exploring feminine embodiment, presence and self-expression led by Bibi Brzozka. Guided practices, reflection and connection designed to help you soften, open and reconnect - emotionally, physically and energetically.
Book here

🌅 Sunset Rooftop Immersion
Wednesday 21st January, 6:00 PM
Villa Sage, Dubai
An open-air rooftop experience by Sanctum, inviting you to move into the evening as the city softens around you. Expect intentional movement, shared presence and space for release and reconnection as the sun sets.
Book here

🧘‍♀️ Yin–Yang Morning Flow
Saturday 24th January, 9:00 AM
TODA, Souk Madinat Jumeirah
A grounding practice blending movement and stillness. Begin with a warming Yang flow before transitioning into a slower Yin sequence focused on deep stretching and nervous system regulation. Led by lululemon ambassador Amanda and suitable for all levels.
Book here

🐎 Pilates Next to Horses
Sunday 25th January, 10:00 AM
Crystalline Equine
A beautifully grounding Pilates session set beside horses in a tranquil outdoor environment. Expect gentle strengthening, lengthening and restoration, with the calming presence of the horses adding an extra layer of mindfulness and focus.
Book here

🛥 Sunset Yacht Pilates & Vision Boarding
Sunday 25th January, 3:00 – 6:00 PM
Location shared on booking
An elevated wellness afternoon on the water. Flow through a sunset Pilates session aboard a luxury yacht, followed by guided vision boarding and intention setting for the year ahead.
Book here

 INDUSTRY TRENDS AND NEWS

🔥 Tombot Takes On Loneliness in Older Age
Tombot’s lifelike robotic dog, Jennie, is designed for people who can’t care for a live pet, particularly older adults and those living with dementia, PTSD, or limited mobility. Powered by nine servo motors, Jennie can turn her head to meet your gaze, raise her eyebrows, wag her tail, and even bark when asked if she wants a treat. She responds to touch through built-in sensors, listens via a microphone array, and uses motion, light, and temperature sensors to understand her environment, including staying quiet at night. It’s a surprisingly sensitive design, created to offer companionship without the unpredictability, upkeep, or responsibility of a real animal. Importantly, Tombot positions Jennie not as a novelty, but as a therapeutic support grounded in the emotional benefits of animal companionship.
Bottom Line: NGL, this hits us right in the feels. Thoughtful, humane, and beautifully considered and while we still believe human connection will always come first, this is a powerful reminder that connection doesn’t always have to look traditional (or even human) to be meaningful. We absolutely love it.
Read More

🔥 Peri Is Bringing Perimenopause Out of the Shadows
Winner of the official Best Wellness Tech category at CES, Peri is a wearable we can genuinely see being really useful. Designed to stick discreetly to the torso, it tracks perimenopause symptoms including anxiety, hot flashes, menstrual changes, night sweats, and sleep disruption. The companion app offers personalised, AI-powered insights to help users understand patterns and make informed decisions, whether through lifestyle support or medical options like hormone therapy.
Bottom Line: We’re very here for this. Perimenopause deserves better tools, better data, and far more visibility. Peri feels like a genuinely empowering step forward and we hope international access follows quickly.
Read More

🔥 Allergen Alert Could Be a Game Changer for Food Anxiety
Winner of Best Startup at CES, Allergen Alert is a portable device we can genuinely see being incredibly useful. Designed to detect common food allergens including gluten, peanuts, dairy, shellfish, soy, and more, it works by placing a small food sample into a single-use test pouch and inserting it into the device. Results appear within two minutes via a built-in display and companion app. The device is expected to launch this autumn priced at $200, with a $25 monthly subscription for test pouches. It’s currently set to launch in the US first, with no confirmation yet on international availability, including the UAE.
Punchline: For anyone navigating allergies, especially parents managing children’s sensitivities, this could be a really supportive tool. If it rolls out internationally and works seamlessly here, it could remove a huge layer of daily stress. One we’re definitely watching.
Read More

🔥 L’Oréal Swept the Beauty Buzz at CES
If CES crowned an unexpected beauty winner this year, it was L’Oréal. Between the flexible LED face mask, the LED-powered hair straightener, and the sheet-mask-inspired LED eye masks, they quietly dominated the conversation, and did it without shouting. What set their tech apart was restraint. Clinically backed red and near-infrared wavelengths, thoughtful design, and products that actually slot into existing routines rather than demanding a whole new one. The LED eye masks in particular hit a sweet spot: lightweight, wearable, targeted, and built for the part of the face most people actually want to treat. Less sci-fi armour, more skincare logic.
Bottom Line: L’Oréal didn’t just show up to CES, they set the bar for how beauty tech should look moving forward: science-led, wearable, and quietly confident. And yes, we’re not even pretending to be neutral here, we really want to get our hands on those eye masks.
Read More

🔥 Eynsham Baths x Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary Brings Thai Wisdom to the Cotswolds
A four-day resilience retreat is landing at Estelle Manor this June, blending British spa culture with Kamalaya’s deeply rooted therapeutic philosophy. The programme combines workshops, rituals, yoga, breathwork, sound healing, and access to Eynsham Baths’ thermal spa circuit, all designed to restore balance across mind and body. Guests receive two 90-minute treatments, a 50-minute osteopathy session, and nourishing meals co-created with Estelle Manor’s executive chef Richard Bias, guided by Kamalaya’s food-as-medicine approach. It’s a high-touch, intentionally curated experience, not wellness on autopilot.
Bottom Line: This sits firmly in the luxury bracket, but the value is in the depth, expertise, and intention behind the experience. When wellness is done at this level, you’re paying for substance, not spectacle.
Read More

🔥 GymNation Takes Fitness to New Heights
GymNation has launched the world’s highest gym class, held inside a hot air balloon floating 2,200 feet above Riyadh. Created with sports scientist Aderito Manuel, the experience taps into altitude training, pairing a ground warm-up with a 30-minute strength and conditioning session in the air, complete with skyline views. While undeniably headline-grabbing, the activation is rooted in physiology, with altitude training linked to improved oxygen delivery and higher calorie burn. It also lands neatly alongside GymNation’s rapid regional expansion and growing appetite across the GCC for fitness that feels memorable, not routine.
Zooming Out: This won’t replace your weekly workouts, but as experiential fitness goes, it’s smart, on-brand, and well aligned with where the industry is heading. Less gimmick, more statement.
Read More

🔮 TREND TO WATCH

✨ Mass Retail Is Chasing Mainstream Wellness
Wellness has officially gone big-box. Stateside, Target is expanding its wellness offering by 30%, spanning supplements, fitness, BFY (better for you) food and drink, beauty, and apparel. Supplements are now firmly mainstream, and beauty continues to merge seamlessly with wellness as retailers rethink how health shows up on shelves. Closer to home, the same shift is already happening. You can now find some of our local favourites like HealthNag and Humantra in Spinneys and Waitrose, with Loam landing in Choithrams.
Bigger Picture: Wellness is no longer niche or aspirational, it’s everyday. As health becomes part of the weekly shop, mass retailers are quietly becoming the infrastructure behind modern wellbeing.
Read More

🔬RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

🧬 Why Your Vitamin D Supplements Might Not Be Working
A randomised trial from Vanderbilt University Medical Center suggests magnesium may be the missing piece in the vitamin D puzzle. The study found magnesium helped raise vitamin D levels in those who were deficient, while lowering levels in people who already had too much, pointing to a regulating effect rather than a simple boost. This could help explain why vitamin D supplements don’t work consistently for everyone and why past research linking vitamin D to disease outcomes has been so mixed.
Bottom Line: More isn’t always better. This research is a useful reminder that nutrients don’t work in isolation, and that balance and context matter just as much as dosage.
Read The Study

📩 SHARE IT, SAVE IT, SEND IT

💾 Save it - for when you’re deciding what’s actually worth trying.

📲 Share it - to someone navigating wellness with curiosity and common sense.

📤 Send it - with your wellness bestie. Foundations first, always.