Next-Level Wellness Tech at Fitness Hotel

Entering SIRO’s “recovery lab” feels more akin to stepping into a futuristic space station than a traditional spa.

The facility boasts cryogenic chambers, touchless vibroacoustic therapy beds, and an MRI-like infrared capsule, all exuding a clinical rather than calming atmosphere.

“The industry is evolving,” says Desmond Cawley, hotel manager at SIRO, One Za’abeel. Marketed as Dubai’s “first fitness hotel,” SIRO caters to professional athletes and their health-centric lifestyles.

Designed with input from AC Milan football club, Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty, and boxer Ramla Ali, the hotel is a beacon for fitness enthusiasts.

The hotel features a 2,000-square-foot gym equipped with state-of-the-art machines that track and analyze performance, smart scales, and body composition analysis tools.

An app allows guests to customize their stay, covering everything from nutrition to training.

Rooms are equipped with alarm clocks synced to guests’ circadian rhythms and anti-gravity rocking chairs.

Meanwhile, the recovery lab focuses on muscle recovery rather than relaxation.

“Cryotherapy, for example, is excellent for reducing inflammation and kickstarting your metabolism,” explains Cawley, noting that prior experience with ice baths is recommended before trying the cryo-chamber, which cools to a bracing minus 85°C (minus 121 Fahrenheit).

Another intriguing technology is the MLX i3Dome, which leverages “far infrared technology for muscle soreness,” says Cawley.

This type of light therapy has its roots in NASA’s experiments with red light therapy in the 1990s, initially aimed at promoting plant growth in space and aiding astronauts' wound healing.

Nowadays, it has expanded to various applications, including skincare.

The “dome” functions as a sauna, while a light therapy helmet provides a touchless facial, using red light for collagen production, green light for an antibacterial cleanse, and blue light for conditions like eczema, psoriasis, or acne.

These specialized treatments are typically found only in boutique clinics and not in most hotels, even high-end ones.

However, wellness has now become a global, multi-trillion-dollar industry, and brands like SIRO (part of Kerzner International) are embedding it into their core offerings.

SIRO's Dubai location is just the start, with SIRO, Boka Place in Montenegro set to open this year and three more locations in the pipeline.

“Everyone has unique physiology, wellness goals, and aspirations,” says Cawley.

“Our focus is on optimizing performance and minimizing recovery times, enabling individuals to get back to their passions, whether on the football field, tennis court, or gym.”

From Traditional Wellness to High-Tech Biohacking

The tech-driven wellness trend represents a significant shift from the previous decade's “Goopy” wellness era of yoga, crystals, and green juices, according to Beth McGroarty, research director at the Global Wellness Institute.

“This trend has been popularized by billionaire tech enthusiasts who invest heavily—sometimes up to $2 million a year—in regimes aimed at combating aging,” says McGroarty.

Known as “biohacking,” this trend includes longevity clinics and weight loss drugs like Ozempic, aimed at lowering biological age.

The pandemic has also fueled this trend, increasing the demand for “touchless” treatments and scientifically-backed health solutions.

However, high-tech doesn’t always equate to scientific rigor.

“Some aspects feel quasi-scientific,” McGroarty notes, highlighting nutrient-boost IV drips, which lack substantial evidence of efficacy outside a medical setting.

“I sometimes think there’s a bit of science-washing happening,” she adds.

SIRO is not alone in offering high-tech wellness solutions to athletic travelers.

Equinox launched its high-tech flagship hotel in New York City in 2019 and plans to open 33 more properties in the next decade.

Established medical-wellness retreats SHA Wellness and Clinique La Prairie are expanding beyond their European bases, with the latter opening an “urban longevity hub” at One&Only One Za’abeel, just above SIRO in Dubai.

At home, people may not be using cryogenic chambers nightly, but data-driven wellness is becoming the norm.

Modern smartwatches can gather medical-grade data on heart rate, sleep patterns, and blood oxygen levels.

These devices are only getting more sophisticated, with products like the Oura ring offering discreet health tracking in a jewelry-like form, says McGroarty.

With generative artificial intelligence becoming more accessible, McGroarty sees significant potential for advanced smart diagnostics but emphasizes the importance of ensuring these technologies are scientifically validated.

Hard Care vs. Radical Simplicity

Not everyone embraces the high-tech approach to wellness.

While "hard care" has been gaining traction in the wellness sphere, so has "soft care." In a move away from the past decade's ultra-optimized, highly commercialized wellness routines, McGroarty observes that more people, especially Gen-Z and Millennial women, are leaning towards "super lo-fi, low-key wellness."

This type of wellness emphasizes social experiences and emotional well-being with activities like "bed rotting" and "hot girl walks."

"People are exhausted from spending on wellness and crave radical simplicity," she explains.

Even at SIRO, which boasts cutting-edge technology, Cawley has noticed a growing interest in mindfulness activities like meditation.

"In the past, group exercise schedules were dominated by strength or cardiovascular conditioning classes.

Now, you see more mindfulness classes, such as yoga and sound healing," he observes.

Of course, SIRO offers a high-tech alternative to these practices with "vibroacoustic therapy," a futuristic version of a gong bath.

Guests lie on a massage table fitted with a waterbed, wear noise-canceling headphones, and listen to orchestrated sounds of waves paired with hypnotic synth music.

The waterbed vibrates in tune with the sound, purportedly relieving stress in the body.

SIRO claims this therapy is aimed at those dealing with sleep problems, stress, depression, or anxiety.

Using technology to help you disconnect might seem excessive, but at SIRO, integrating health data is seen as the future of wellness.

This approach provides guests with a data-driven, personalized wellness program.

"We aim to use technology as an enabler, not a distraction," says Cawley.

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