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Christina Ko

“Wellness” is more than just a buzzword these days – it’s a term whose meaning has expanded from spa treatments and detox holidays, to preventive healthcare and longevity protocols, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and fertility, and energy healing and fortune-telling. In a landscape where consumers are spoiled for choice, what will be getting you excited this year?
Ancient wisdom, new format

Traditional Chinese medicine is getting not-so-traditional these days, as a globalised Hong Kong audience that is used to mum’s nourishing soups and avoiding cold beverages seeks ancient wisdom in new formats. Last November, The Langham, Hong Kong, introduced Trinity of Calm, a three-part wellness journey created by Beans Retreat that brought together a mindful tea sensory journey, journaling and a poolside outdoor sound bath while participants received womb-warming moxibustion treatments.
Balance Health is also reprising its successful Pathways to Inner Harmony Lantau retreat, a full-day programme boldly bringing together tai chi and Western-style holotropic breathwork, a five elements workshop, emptiness practice and art-making.
Meanwhile The Upper House is bringing a new residency to Pacific Place Apartments, this one spearheaded by Gigi Ngan of Chain’s Medicare Centre, one of Hong Kong’s most respected TCM centres. “We’re seeing a cultural shift,” says Ngan, who spoke at November’s TEDxTinHau Women showcase. “TCM is no longer seen as ‘alternative’ or old-fashioned. It’s becoming part of the mainstream wellness conversation – from fertility and hormonal balance to stress, sleep and long-term vitality. And when you put these ancient practices inside a modern environment, it shows that tradition and innovation don’t have to compete. They can sit side by side, like yin and yang, to create a fuller picture of well-being.”
Stages of women’s lives

The wellness market has often been geared towards women, but it’s further evolving to target women at different stages or categories of their lives. Entrepreneur and podcast host of Femtech at Work, Maaike Steinebach, says women’s health issues boil down to the three big ‘M’s: menstruation, maternity and menopause.
And while we’re used to wellness coming in the form of techniques and treatments, Steinebach shares that today’s women’s health movement is based on information, education and personal advocacy: “It’s miraculous what happens when women start to talk about menopause, and then go, ‘Oh, my God, I went through the same. I had no idea.’”
On wellness-themed WhatsApp community chat groups, women are sharing names of doctors, nutritionists and coaches that take a progressive, holistic approach to ageing, perimenopause and menopause: the likes of Beth Wright, a body transformation and menopause coach; Dr Laurena Law, a medical doctor who takes a holistic approach to women’s ageing; and Lisa Tarquini, founder of The Menopause Space, an advocacy and education platform.

Heanney Banks’ The Yana Method app is a breathwork-based community for busy mothers to find calm, and matrescence coach Tingi Ko helps corporate first-time mums transition between identities without guilt.
As Steinebach notes, the landscape is changing so quickly for women’s health, there is no choice but to arm yourself with the information, rather than trusting just any doctor. “Even one of the insurance providers in Hong Kong specifically covers a second opinion now. They are encouraging people to get a second opinion, because they want people to be informed about their health and well-being. And even if it’s Dr Google, educate yourself before you go to your doctor,” she says.
Inner work with “It” status
In-demand hypnotherapist Sonia Samtani noted a new audience category that is emerging: while it used to be taboo to talk about mental health or see a therapist, there are now customers who proactively seek new therapies and “It” practitioners as if they were hot new restaurants.
We saw evidence of this in the cool kids who packed into AsiaWorld-Expo on a Sunday night to see The Diary of a CEO’s Steven Bartlett talk about failure and motivation, continuing the trend of brand founders sharing personal stories on vulnerability as a form of marketing. And in the number of corporate high-flyers who have transitioned from CEO roles into coaching – for business, branding, spiritual growth and more.
Balance Health’s Judy Xu agrees: “There’s now also people who are into ‘edgy’ things – they are looking for new ways to [assist in their] self-growth. They are curious about who they are and how they can grow. They are interested in reiki, shamanism, hypnotherapy and readings.”
In 2026, expect more openness in the world overall, and for more esoteric and alternative modalities to become better accepted. Everyone who’s anyone will have a psychic healer on speed dial, and wellness dabblers will look to fill their toolkit too, as they graduate from receiving healing to learning self-healing through certification programmes (without necessarily hoping to become practitioners). Corporate leaders with neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) or breathwork certificates are fast becoming the norm – and they’ll be integrating them into corporate culture too.
Cold call

It took a while for Hong Kong to get into the idea of cold immersion, but in the latter half of 2025, facilities began to mushroom, offering different formats geared around the common theme of recovery. Pure launched its Re:set facility, a glam and state-of-the-art centre with saunas, individual cold-plunge pods, compression boots and red-light therapy, no doubt the big beast of the industry. Acme Wellness went the luxury route, with private rooms outfitted with saunas and cold baths. Recovery Hub is a self-service suite bookable by the hour and shared with friends. Come ASAP opened at the end of last year on Stanley Street with an open-plan concept and five ice tubs for pairs.
Singapore upstart, The Ice Bath Club – which made a big icy splash in the Lion City by opening three clubs on its home turf in 18 months – hopes to replicate this speedy growth in Hong Kong, starting with an outpost in Kennedy Town that opened last October. A street-level concept with a coffee and smoothie shop, social sauna, magnesium bath and three ice baths, each club aims to offer a low-friction recovery option on a membership model that truly integrates with the community – most members go three times a week.

In a way, given the social aspect, it’s a modern take on onsen culture – for biohackers. “Two-thirds of the space is hot facilities, which are used more than the cold,” founder Andrew Collins says. “We could have called it the sauna club, but we called it The Ice Bath Club because the category is so new, and it was a positioning strategy.”
Next year, The Ice Bath Club will be expanding to different residential districts – Collins has his eye on a spot in Central.
In this new and shocking (at least temperature-wise) category, we expect to see more creative integration of icy plunges with other activities beyond the typical breathwork – whether it’s a coffee rave or a sound bath – as proprietors look to draw newbies to the cold.
Performative wellness

You may cringe at the concept, but the hottest wellness tickets in the past year were also highly Instagrammable – because if you didn’t post it, did the healing really happen?
After the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong launched its in-pool sound baths – with four practitioners from yoga studio Ikigai combining forces to send soothing musical vibrations to participants blissing out on floating beds – the city exploded with floating sound sessions as Rosewood Hong Kong, The Fullerton, The Arca and other residential and hospitality brands followed suit.
The breathwork pop-up at The Upper House by Manoj Dias, founder of the Open app, also garnered plenty of mentions on social – quite a feat considering breathwork and meditation sessions are not very photo-friendly, given the whole lying-down-with-your-eyes-closed thing. That didn’t stop hordes of attendees from snapping the practitioner giving his introduction, or simply putting up a photo of the hotel’s candlelit Sky Lounge. The hotel confirmed that it hopes to bring Dias back again this year.
In 2026, content creation and social credibility will be a priority for wellness studios, practitioners and hospitality brands, as they try to toe the line between performative and private – expect more creativity in concepts, as the wellness wheel continues to turn.


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Wellness

Wellness in 2026: from shaman rituals to Ikigai in-pool sound baths at the Four Seasons

Heanney Banks’ Yana Method offers practical tools for mothers in Hong Kong, including breathwork sessions and live group coaching. Photo: Handout

Langham Chuan Spa Tea Soundbath & Moxibustion Therapy. Photo: Handout

Maaike Steinebach, host of the podcast Femtech at Work, says women’s health issues boil down to the three ‘M’s of menstruation, maternity and menopause. Photo: Trunk Archive

Heanney Banks’ Yana Method is a breathwork-based community and app. Photo: Handout

Pure Fitness’ Re:set facility includes individual cold-plunge pods. Photo: Handout

The Ice Bath Club went big with its launch, opening three locations in its native Singapore in just 18 months. Photo: Handout

Ikigai x Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong Full Moon Floating Sound Bath. Photo: Handout

Why Canyon Ranch is opening a US$500 million resort in Texas focused on women’s wellness

Women meditating with sound bowls at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. Photo: Handout

A spa service at Canyon Ranch, Lenox, Massachusetts. Photo: Handout

An indoor pool at Canyon Ranch, Lenox, Massachusetts. Photo: Handout

A meditation session at Canyon Ranch, Lenox, Massachusetts. Photo: Handout

A woman walking through a labyrinth of stones at Canyon Ranch, Tucson, Arizona. Photo: Handout

A desert hiking trail at Canyon Ranch, Tucson, Arizona. Photo: Handout

Fitness studios at Canyon Ranch, Tucson, Arizona. Photo: Handout

Spa services at Canyon Ranch, Tucson, Arizona. Photo: Handout

Lymphatic drainage: the gentle beauty trend transforming skincare routines

Lymphatic drainage massage gadgets, like this NuFace by Trinity, are all the rage recently. Photo: Handout

Face Sculptor roller by Skin Gym. Photo: Handout

Clarins Precious L’Outil 3-in-1 Facial Massage Tool. Photo: Handout

Lyma Laser. Photo: Handout

Yina Bian stone gua sha tool. Photo: Handout

EcoTools Jade Facial Roller. Photo: Handout

Wildling Aura Sweeper body brush. Photo: Handout

H&M Rollers. Photo: Handout

How brands are reimagining candles as an art form – from Loewe to Hong Kong’s BeCandle

Amen’s Chakra candle comes in carbon negative packaging made of mushrooms. Photo: Handout

Fornasetti Porcelain Silenzio Immaginazione scented candle from Lane Crawford. Photo: Handout

Fumaci Sole indoor candle from Lane Crawford. Photo: Handout

Amen Light Sculptures Brown Vetiver and Beige Santalwood. Photo: Handout

JD and Kate Industries Fancy Candle. Photo: Handout

BeCandle was founded by Xavier Tsang. Photo: BeCandle 

Amen Light Sculptures candles. Photo: Handout

JD and Kate Industries Fall of Rome scented candle. Photo: Handout

Rosewood Hong Kong’s sister property, Rosewood Beijing: culture and luxury in the Chinese capital

Rosewood Beijing is located in the city’s busy Chaoyang district. Photo: Handout

The lobby of Rosewood Beijing features a modern Chinese landscape painting at its centre. Photo: Handout

The soaring atrium in one of the common areas of the hotel. Photo: Handout

A bedroom at Rosewood Beijing overlooking the striking CCTV Headquarters. Photo: Handout

Red Bowl offers authentic Chinese hotpot. Photo: Handout

How independent luxury hotels are offering a more intimate, local feel

The Raas Jodhpur is an excellent example of an independent hotel: sat amid the hustle and bustle of the old town, it affords stunning views of a 15th-century fort. Photo: Handout

The low-key yet luxurious Palihouse offers a “home away from home” vibe in California’s West Hollywood. Photo: Handout

Adler Spa Resort Sicilia is located in Agrigento province on the southern coast of Sicily. Photo: Handout

Adler Spa Resort Dolomiti is nestled between the majestic peaks of Italy’s Dolomites. Photo: Alex Filz

The living area of the Mountbatten Suite, at Raas Rajmahal Palace in Jaipur. Photo: Handout

A luxury tented room at Raas Chhatrasagar in Rajasthan. Photo: Handout

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The Langham, Hong Kong, has a 3-part Trinity of Calm wellness journey, while The Upper House has a collab with TCM-based Chain’s Medicare Centre


The Langham, Hong Kong, has a 3-part Trinity of Calm wellness journey, while The Upper House has a collab with TCM-based Chain’s Medicare Centre.


Wellness in 2026: from shaman rituals to Ikigai in-pool sound baths at the Four Seasons

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Langham, Hong Kong, has a 3-part Trinity of Calm wellness journey, while The Upper House has a collab with TCM-based Chain’s Medicare Centre

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Ancient wisdom, new format

The Langham, Hong Kong, has a 3-part Trinity of Calm wellness journey, while The Upper House has a collab with TCM-based Chain’s Medicare Centre

Ancient wisdom, new format