A Wealth Of Wellness: Is Dubai Really A Wellness Hotspot?

As the Global Wellness Summit comes to Dubai, Margaret Hussey looks at why the Emirate is leading the way in technology, nutrition and health.

Inside Dubai’s Global Wellness Summit

It’s apt that the theme of this year’s Global Wellness Summit in Dubai is Longevity Through A Wellness Lens. The Emirate is perfectly placed for this, as the state has seen a huge growth in and demand for wellness.

Robert Jeffers, Director of Wellness at Atlantis The Palm Dubai, is currently at the summit, which runs from November 18 to 21. He says: ‘Dubai has definitely evolved from a city of luxury towards a city of wellbeing. I think there is a real awareness that although we might be chasing success, without your health and vitality it doesn’t really mean much. 

‘Dubai attracts a lot of entrepreneurs and people that create new businesses. You are seeing a lot of innovation in this space and it’s a really exciting place to be and to be a part of that movement. It is happening globally but it just feels a little bit more amplified in Dubai.

‘Everyone is very excited to have that spotlight on the city during the summit. It’s bringing experts from around the world and it’s a chance to showcase what we are doing.’

Technology & The Future Of Wellness

The luxury hospitality group Jumeirah has been looking to AI, apps and state-of-the-art equipment in its wellness spaces. At its Marsa Al Arab resort, its Remedy Suite is wholly cutting-edge with a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, cryotherapy chamber, an infrared iDome and a chromotherapy offering thanks to an LED bed, which, at the time of writing, is believed to be the world’s first in a spa.

Sarah Dalton, Group Director of Wellbeing at Jumeirah, says: ‘Dubai is such a young country and so forward thinking when it comes to tech, AI and longevity. We launched the first LED bed globally in Marsa Al Arab, the only one in the world to have it and as of now the only location where you can experience it.

‘This bed contains the highest number of LED lights – 4680 – that you will find in technology of this kind.’

Chromotherapy works on the principle that different light colours have unique wavelengths that can affect a person’s physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. 

Sarah says: ‘The green light helps to rebalance the nervous system, for anxiety, depression. The yellow light is for guests more concerned with anti-ageing and skin rejuvenation, helping to work on collagen and elastin in the skin. The red light has an overall health benefit for skin and the nervous system.’

Red light therapy is said to help boost collagen and is great for arthritis and bone health. At the Madinat Jumeirah you can also try red light yoga therapy, where you practise on an LED mat. 

‘We are the first to launch it in the region,’ adds Sarah. ‘Again we are working with technology that is not invasive. It really helps guests as they are stretching and moving. The LED really helps to penetrate deeper into the muscle, to relax the body to a deeper level.’

Menopause Focus

As well as technology, Sarah says they are also focusing on oncology patients and women going through the menopause. They started collaborations with Swissline and Irish company Ground Wellbeing at the beginning of the year. 

She explains: ‘Ground Wellbeing goes beyond traditional massages and treatments, really focusing on times in a person’s life where we need additional support. For example when someone is going through cancer treatment we have a beautiful ritual called barróg, an Irish word which means hug. 

‘In today’s world we are also becoming more aware of perimenopause and menopause and the impact it has on women. We are starting to realise that we can’t have it all and we do need to work with our cycle and different stages of our life. 

‘We have an empowering offering, a beautifully curated ritual that helps with brain fog, fatigue, joint pain and hot flushes. When we combine that with something like the hyperbaric oxygen chamber to really target reoxygenating the body and brain to offset brain fog, it’s very powerful.’

And even though Swissline is known for its clean ingredient skincare, they also offer something very unique at Jumeirah. ‘We actually do a treatment inside the mouth, an intra-oral or buccal massage,’ says Sarah. ‘We hold so much tension inside our mouth and up into our jaws.  It’s very unusual when suddenly the therapist has their hands inside your mouth. But actually once you relax into it – and we tell guests beforehand what to expect – it is the most unbelievably relaxed experience.’

And not resting on their laurels, the technology continues in the gym with items like LED leg rollers, AI and apps.

‘At Marsa Al Arab we have the latest in biostrength equipment,’ says Sarah. ‘We work with Technogyms globally and they are at the forefront when it comes to technology. They have a range that works with AI, so when you sit into the machine, it can actually read your body through an app with information you have put in. It sets the machine to either give you a strength workout or a conditioning workout.’

Fitness Challenge

This month [November] Dubai also has its fitness challenge, where you are encouraged to do 30 minutes of exercise for 30 days, with a lot of free activities. 

‘It’s super positive to see,’ says Robert from Atlantis. ‘There is a lot of support from the government for initiatives like this in one of the most active cities in the world. If you are very into wellness at home, when you go on vacation you should be able to have a similar standard and hopefully it can also introduce you to something different.’

Keen to pay tribute to the region, both Jumeirah and Atlantis are working with traditional Arabian medicine combined with technology.  

Robert says: ‘At Atlantis we have trained all our therapists in reiki. They are really intentional with their touch and are aware of the clients’ energy. It subtly enhances the experience without being obvious. Given that Atlantis is a buzzing hotel and this exciting destination, the Awaken Spa really does become a sanctuary.’

Awaken’s Hypno Healing treatment is a combination of sound healing and breathwork combined with a massage. ‘We make it pampering because it is in a spa but it can also be transformative,’ says Robert. 

‘We’ve also got recovery boots in the gym, a cryochamber, an infrared sauna coming soon and a lot of technology on the beauty side, but equally there is a lot of healing and wisdom in the ancient practices. They have been tried and tested over a long time, so for us it’s trying to find that combination of both, where we are using technology but we are not forgetting where wellness came from.’

Sarah, from Jumeirah, agrees. ‘So many regions have a very well developed wellness offering. In India you have Ayurveda, in the Nordic countries you’ve got bathing. The Middle East and the Gulf region has some beautiful historical traditions around healing, but it hasn’t ever really been quantified into an experience until now. We really want to take that knowledge and incorporate it into experiences in a luxury space, so they get that flavour of the Gulf and the UAE, the healing that comes from this part of the world.’

Mindful nutrition is also having a moment in Dubai with places like Seva. Set up in 2014 it was the first plant-based, gluten, cane-sugar and GMO free cafe in the Middle East. Its menu includes tacos and lion’s mane shish tawook.

It also offers sound healing, meditation, Kundalini yoga and Cacao raves, where you can dance to your heart’s content without alcohol.

Alcohol-Free

Being a Middle Eastern state, there is a great selection of no-alcohol restaurants like Gerbou, where you can enjoy traditional Emirati cuisine with a modern twist. Or no-alcohol Nette, which offers food with umami and yuzu flavours as well as delicious smoothies. The group also prides itself on sustainability, working with local farmers and having no single-use plastic. 

While the incredibly inventive drinks at the no-alcohol serving Three Bros. restaurant includes Limetta Olio, a delicious non-alcoholic take on a Martini. The brother’s food is based on their Syrian heritage with dishes like Aubergine Royale and Come With Me To Aleppo, a wagyu beef kebab. 

This playfulness with healthy food and drink is something that Omkar Walve knows all about. 

He is the chef at Avatara Dubai, the first vegetarian Indian restaurant in the world to receive a Michelin star. Its 16 course tasting menu is a masterclass in presentation, flavour and theatre. Omkar, who won the Michelin Guide Dubai Young Chef Award, says: ‘We are taking everyday ingredients but giving them a story. We really wanted to show how easy it is to elevate vegetarian cuisine.’

For more information go to visitdubai.com 

Margaret’s return flight to Dubai was 1.9tons of CO2, co2.myclimate.org