WELLNESS FOR THE WEALTHY

High-end health and longevity amenities are must-haves in Dubai’s ultra-luxe properties

- Alison de Souza

The completed Six Senses Residences Dubai Marina (foreground) will be the tallest purely residential tower in the world.

(SELECT GROUP)

In the ultra-luxury property market, wellness is no longer a lifestyle add-on but a design imperative, reshaping how homes are conceived, marketed and sold.

And few places showcase this trend quite like Dubai, which has become the No. 1 destination in the global migration of high-net-worth individuals, or those with liquid investable wealth of US$1 million (S$1.3 million) or more (Singapore ranks sixth - see story on C2).

The change is most evident in the super-prime segment, a category that typically refers to homes priced above US$10 million, though in Dubai, such properties now average closer to US$15 million.

Here, developments are increasingly defined not by chandeliers and other traditional signifiers of wealth, but by healthand wellness-focused design.

Among the most prominent upcoming projects are the Six Senses and SHA developments, part of Dubai's fast-growing branded residences market. Both are integrating health and longevity clinics and medi-spas directly into residential towers and private islands.

Facilities once considered niche - hyperbaric oxygen chambers, cryotherapy suites and infrared saunas - are becoming standard requests among wealthy buyers.

And architects and designers are embedding wellness principles into the fabric of new homes with circadian-friendly lighting, mould-resistant and radiation-shielding walls, and advanced airand water-purification systems.

THE HIGH LIFE IN DUBAI

One of the most striking examples is the Six Senses Residences Dubai Marina, which comes from the Six Senses brand of luxury hotels and spas designed with a focus on sustainability and holistic health.