How Al is the latest elixir of youth on the treatment menu for the one per cent

A week's R&R in the Caribbean or the Maldives used to be the ultimate out-of-office brag for high-flyers.

- HAYLEY SPENCER INVESTIGATES

They'd return to work satisfied with more air miles, bronzed limbs and lowered shoulders. But these days, a fast fix won't cut it. The elite are increasingly seeking out four to seven-day retreats where bottomless cocktails and sun lounging are eschewed in favour of stringent, nutritionally maximised diets and being strapped into space-age machines for everything from skin analysis to biohacking treatments. For many one percenters, it's a case of: if you didn't shave years off your biological age, did you even go on holiday?

It comes at a time when the phrase health is wealth has become more literal than ever, with the wellness industry projected to be worth a whopping £7 trillion by 2029. And to meet the appetite for these trips, a slew of new high-end medical spas have thrown open their doors in 2025, from ZEM Wellness Clinic Altea, Spain, to Medi-Spa at Royal Mansour Tamuda Bay, Morocco, which join stalwarts such as SHA Wellness clinics, founded in 2008. Some charge upwards of a thousand euros a day for longevity programmes administered by world-class physicians, chefs and personal trainers — and now, it seems, AI.

While in the 2000s and 2010s, health spas focused on detoxes, weight loss or addressing a specific medical issue, now prevention and long-term goals are the priorities of these medical resorts, which blend science and holistic health with tech. And in our increasingly AI-powered world, it's no surprise that it's coming for wellness, and is being integrated into the diagnostics process at these retreats. SHA Wellness clinics are leading the charge, with what the brand calls a "revolutionary" new programme, Tailor-Made, powered by OpenAI.