This Week Broke the Internet (and Why That Matters for Your Wellbeing)

Hi besties 🤍

We’re approaching the end of January and we don’t know about you, but it’s already felt like an intense start to the year. The kind where the world seems loud, emotions are close to the surface, and everyone has an opinion about everything.

We’ll probably always remember this as the week Brooklyn Beckham broke the internet. Between the memes, the think pieces, and everyone suddenly becoming a family dynamics expert, it’s been a masterclass in just how fast the internet can turn real lives into entertainment.

But beneath the noise, it’s also been a quiet reminder of something more human. That we all deserve relationships where there is real emotional availability. Where we feel seen, chosen, and safe to be ourselves, not performing, not guessing, not chasing crumbs of connection.

And that is wellness, besties. Emotional safety, relational clarity, and being able to exhale in the presence of the people in our lives. Not just green juices and workouts, but the relationships we’re in, and how they make us feel in our bodies.

Feeling emotionally met, safe, and seen matters just as much as how we eat, move, or sleep. 

That’s real wellbeing. The quiet, grown-up kind.

But anyway….on to this week’s edition. We’ve curated a beautiful line-up of local wellness moments, from floating sound baths and candlelit yoga to sunrise Pilates by the sea and immersive movement under the Burj Khalifa. This week’s edit is all about creating space. Space to slow down, breathe, move gently, and reconnect as January winds down.

Alongside the events, this week’s Wellness Wire looks at what happens when fitness culture softens after the January rush, how wellness is showing up at city scale in Dubai and across the region, and where tech is genuinely supporting health rather than just tracking it. We’re also sharing hopeful new research, including a long-term reminder that it’s never too late to start moving.

Consider it a grounded, thoughtful read to carry you gently into February.

Let’s dive in….

With love (and a reminder that you’re allowed to choose what feels good),

Dior Spa Dubai
An Afternoon in Indulgence, Not Optimisation

Walking into the Dior Spa feels like stepping into a softer, more considered world. It’s beautifully feminine and artful, with little details everywhere that make you pause, including the quietly powerful “We should all be feminists” woven into the space. Elegant, intentional, and unmistakably Dior.

What stood out immediately was that it felt more luxury hotel than traditional spa. Private relaxation rooms, polished service, and, to my absolute delight, coffee being served. (Coffee in a spa is a big tick from me. Sometimes wellness is about balance, not abstinence)

The holistic spa menu is built entirely around Dior’s skincare universe, blending beauty and wellbeing through ritual. Treatments range from the antioxidant-rich L’Or de Vie Miracle facial, to Le Soin Premier Dior Prestige, and Midnight Therapy, designed to work in synergy with your natural chronobiological rhythm.

I tried the Kobo Dior facial, their most popular treatment. Inspired by the Japanese Kobido technique, it combines sculpting massage, rhythmic movements, acupressure, microstimulation technology, and cooling cryo stones. It’s technical, but never clinical. The emphasis is on flow, touch, and indulgence rather than “fixing”.

What I loved most was just how indulgent it felt. Beauty and facials today are so often about results. Lasers, needles, protocols, optimisation. This was something else entirely. A reminder that not every treatment needs to be about visible transformation. Sometimes it’s about being held, relaxed, and taken care of.

This was actually a birthday gift from a friend, and we went together, which made it even more special. I kept thinking what a wonderful present this was.. Not because it promised dramatic change, but because it offered time, care, and a genuinely lovely afternoon.

We finished with a couple of glasses of champagne at High Society, the rooftop bar at the Lana. The perfect end to a Dior girls’ day out.

If you’re looking for cutting-edge results alone, this may not be the spa that changes your skin overnight. But if you’re craving beauty as an experience, wellness as pleasure, and luxury that feels human rather than performative, Dior Spa delivers something quietly special.

Sometimes, that’s exactly what we need.

The Dior Spa at The Lana Hotel, Dorchester Collection - call 04 541 6888 to book.

This week’s edit is all about creating space - to move, breathe and reconnect. As we move through the final stretch of January, consider this your curated guide to wellness events across Dubai that support both slowing down and re-energising.

✨ SUP Under the Stars
Tuesday 27th January, 8:00 – 9:00 PM
Amara Spa & Pool, Park Hyatt Dubai
A candlelit SUP Yin and sound meditation experience designed to calm the nervous system and invite deep rest. Drift across the water with a gentle SUP Yin practice, followed by immersive sound healing, all held in the soft glow of candlelight. A serene evening to soften the body, quiet the mind and truly unwind.
Book via the link in bio @beyondwellnessdxb

🌊 Cacao Floating Sound Bath: A Restorative Water Experience
Wednesday 28th January, 7:30 – 9:00 PM
Nasab (near Al Barari)
A deeply nourishing evening combining ceremonial cacao with a floating sound bath. Supported by warm water and soothing sound vibrations, this experience is designed to help you soften, release tension and settle the nervous system midweek.
Book here

🧘‍♀️ ALO Floating Sound Meditation
Thursday 29th January, 7:30 – 8:30 PM
The Delano, Bluewaters
Float, listen and release. Drift effortlessly on water as crystal sound vibrations guide you into a state of deep calm. A sensory experience blending stillness, weightlessness and sound to restore balance and quiet the mind.
Book here

🕯 ALO Candlelight Yoga
Saturday 31st January, 6:30 – 7:30 PM
The Delano, Bluewaters
A slow, grounding Vinyasa flow practiced outdoors by candlelight. Designed to calm the nervous system and bring presence to your evening, this ladies-only session is complemented with curated ALO gifts.
Book here

🌅 Sunrise Pilates – NOA at First Light (Beach Edition)
Sunday 1st February, 6:30 AM
Mornbrew, Kite Beach
Join the fabulous Helen for a sunrise Pilates session by the sea. Designed to gently wake up the body, build strength and set the tone for the day ahead — with ocean air, good energy and a free goodie bag for all attendees.
To book DM @noawellness.ae

🎧 Seven Veils of Illusion
Sunday 1st February, from 7:30 PM
Armani Hotel x Sanctum
An immersive movement experience hosted on the Armani Hotel pool deck overlooking the Burj Khalifa. Led by Sanctum, this evening blends mindful movement, music and release to help reset the body, expand the mind and step into the new week with clarity and energy.
Book here

🌊 Floating Breathwork at Atlantis The Palm
Sunday 1st February, 8:00 – 9:30 PM
Atlantis The Palm
Immersiv launches The Deep Return - a guided floating breathwork experience designed to gently regulate the nervous system and reconnect you to calm and clarity. Supported by water, sound and breath, this accessible journey helps release tension and restore balance.
Book here

🔥 Pilates, But Make It a World Record
Sunday 1st February, 8:00 – 10:00 AM
The Gate, DIFC
Longevity Hub teams up with Lagree Fitness for an official world record attempt - set to become the largest Lagree class in history. For the first time in the UAE, 140 Microformers move simultaneously, led by Lagree founder Sebastian Lagree himself. Big energy, bold movement, and a serious moment for Dubai’s wellness scene.
Book here

 INDUSTRY TRENDS AND NEWS

🔥 As January Gym Motivation Drops Off, David Lloyd Clubs Tries Play
As gyms face the post-January drop-off, UK-based David Lloyd Clubs is trying a different approach. Its new “kidult” classes lean into play and nostalgia, built on the idea that exercise sticks better when it feels enjoyable, not punishing. The brand argues the issue isn’t willpower, but how movement feels in the moment, and research suggests many adults are already craving lighter, more playful ways to move. The campaign, fronted by Mark Wright, even includes a prototype exercise bike inspired by childhood pedal cars.
Our Take: We love the intention here and fully agree exercise doesn’t need to be so serious. That said, novelty wears off, and it’s hard to imagine most people wanting to ride plastic toy cars week in, week out. Play can open the door, but sustainable movement has to fit real life, not just look fun on day one.
Read More

🔥 ENVI Lodges Is Bringing High-Altitude Wellness to Saudi Arabia
ENVI Lodges is developing ENVI Al Shafa, a mountain wellness retreat opening in December 2026 near Taif. Set over 2,000 metres above sea level, it offers a rare cool-climate escape in the Kingdom, with multi-generational wellbeing at its core. Programming spans mindfulness sessions for children, longevity therapies for adults, and rejuvenation treatments for seniors. The ENVI Garden doubles as a meditation space and a chef’s garden, with herbs used across both the kitchen and wellness treatments. Creative spaces, including an entertainment hub and pottery workshop, are designed to help families.
Punchline: This feels like a thoughtful evolution of wellness travel in the region. Nature-led, inclusive, and genuinely multi-generational, ENVI Al Shafa signals a more grounded, human approach to Saudi wellness tourism.
Read More

🔥 Emaar Is Betting Big on Wellness-Led Living in Dubai
Emaar has unveiled The Heights Country Club & Wellness, a large-scale residential community designed around wellbeing, movement, and human connection. Located in Dubai South, just minutes from Expo City Dubai and Al Maktoum International Airport, the development positions itself as a slower, more intentional counterpoint to the city’s usual pace. Spanning 7.5 million square metres, with 25% dedicated to open green space, the masterplan centres around a Wellness Centre, yoga lakes, meditation gardens, water-led landscapes, and integrated movement trails designed for everyday rituals rather than occasional escape.
Bottom Line: This is wellness at city scale. Less bolt-on luxury, more lifestyle infrastructure. A clear signal of where Dubai’s next chapter of residential living is headed.
Read More

🔥 Amazon Just Turbocharged Symptom-Googling
Amazon has rolled out Health AI, an AI-powered health assistant for members of One Medical. Built using large language models via Amazon’s Bedrock platform, the tool answers health questions and offers personalised guidance based on a user’s medical records, lab results, and medications. It can also help manage prescriptions and book appointments, with protocols in place to escalate users to a human provider when needed. Amazon is clear this isn’t a replacement for doctors and won’t diagnose or treat conditions. Still, it marks another big step in Big Tech’s push into healthcare, following similar launches from players like OpenAI and Anthropic.
Zooming Out: We get it. AI has real potential to improve access and efficiency in healthcare. But eek… this one does make us a bit uncomfortable. When deeply personal health data meets Big Tech, it raises questions worth sitting with. A brave new world, yes, but one we’re approaching with curiosity and caution in equal measure.
Read More

🔥 A Blood Test Could Spot Crohn’s Risk Years Before Symptoms
Researchers at Sinai Health have identified a blood marker that may flag Crohn’s disease risk years before symptoms appear, even in people who are otherwise healthy. The test looks at how the immune system responds to flagellin, a protein found on certain gut bacteria. Elevated antibody levels were found in some healthy first-degree relatives of people with Crohn’s, long before they developed the condition themselves. The findings come from the long-running GEM Project and add to growing evidence that early immune–gut interactions quietly shape disease risk well before diagnosis
Bottom Line: This is promising. Being able to identify risk in healthy people could change how we approach prevention and early support. Another reminder that gut health is rarely about sudden symptoms, it’s about what’s been building beneath the surface.
Read More

🔥 Ultrahuman Is Bringing Real Support to Migraine Care
Ultrahuman has partnered with Click Therapeutics to launch Migraine PowerPlug, a biomarker-led migraine management tool built on FDA-authorised digital therapeutic technology. Beyond tracking, users receive personalised goals for activity, sleep, hydration, and even caffeine intake, alongside short educational modules that break down evidence-based lifestyle changes for migraine management. By combining wearable data like sleep, HRV, stress, and movement with guided behavioural support, the tool aims to shift migraine care from reactive to day-to-day, practical, and preventative, particularly for women whose migraines are often tied to hormonal changes.
Outtake: It’s niche for wearables, but we like it. This is wellness tech doing something genuinely useful, and it’s definitely edging us closer to finally getting an Ultrahuman.
Read More

🔮 TREND TO WATCH

✨ Brainwaves Are the New Steps
Brain health is fast becoming the next major pillar of longevity. With cognitive decline on the rise and modern life accelerating mental fatigue, attention is shifting from tracking bodies to understanding brains. Direct-to-consumer neurotech is moving beyond diagnosis into continuous tracking and stimulation. Wearables now measure brain activity alongside sleep, oxygen, and stress, while clinics are expanding neuromodulation treatments like TMS beyond depression into burnout, brain fog, and mental resilience. Even brain-computer interfaces are edging closer to the mainstream, raising both excitement and important questions.
Outtake: With the sheer amount of stimulus in modern life and AI doing more of the thinking for us, this shift makes sense. The gadgets are cool, but they’re not the only answer. Learning a new language, playing bridge, social connection and challenge still matter. High-tech or low-tech, the goal is the same: keep the brain engaged..
Read More

🔬RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

🏃‍♀️ A Gentle Reminder That It’s Never Too Late to Start Moving
A remarkable 47-year study from Sweden has followed adults across nearly five decades to understand how fitness and strength change over time. The headline finding is simple: physical performance tends to begin declining from around age 35. Not suddenly, not dramatically, but gradually. Here’s the part that really matters. Adults who began exercising later in life still improved their physical capacity by 5–10%. That means stronger muscles, better endurance, and more resilience over time, even if movement wasn’t a big part of life earlier on. This isn’t about chasing peak fitness or regretting the years you didn’t prioritise exercise. It’s about recognising how adaptable the body remains. Movement doesn’t need to be intense or perfectly planned to make a difference. What counts is consistency and choosing forms of movement that fit real life.
Outtake: It’s never too late to start moving. Your body responds at any age, and even small, steady steps can support strength, energy, and wellbeing over the long term.
Read More

📩 SHARE IT, SAVE IT, SEND IT

💾 Save it - for when you need ideas for a really special girls’ gift.

📲 Share it - with your wellness bestie who loves a little luxury, a little depth, and a lot of intention.

📤 Send it - to a friend navigating a tricky relationship, or needing permission to choose herself.