Why is everyone talking about longevity? A look at how biohacking became the latest travel trend

Travelling for health is far from a novel concept. Ancient civilisations dating back to the Sumerians would retreat to health complexes to relax and recover from various maladies. But today, being “well” means so much more than the absence of stress and ailments. The concept of wellness now means reaching extraordinary levels of physical fitness, mental acuity, and social and emotional fulfilment long into our later decades of life. And we’re able to attain it through cutting-edge biohacks (cryotherapy, brain photobiomodulation) once relegated to elite athletes and medical facilities.

Life expectancy has doubled over the last century, making 50 the new 30. People don’t just want to live longer; they want to thrive in those later years, and they’re taking a more proactive, preventative approach to health on all levels. Instead of going to the doctor when they get sick, people are visiting longevity clinics for diagnostic tests that reveal numbers beyond weight and blood pressure. Forewarned is forearmed and the latest technology can test for genetic polymorphism associated with everything from osteoporosis to cardiovascular risk. Medi-spas like SHA Wellness and Palazzo Fiuggi have been offering diagnostics for years, mainly to inform programmes focused on detox and weight loss.

Now, big players in the travel space are teaming up with the leading experts in the field of longevity to develop programmes rooted in data, science and technology that will help people not just reset, but also create a lifelong roadmap to optimise their bodies for peak physical and mental performance.

Below, we take a deeper look into what exactly longevity is, the latest biohacks, and round up the hotels, spas and retreats offering ways to achieve it.

What is longevity?

Longevity isn’t about living forever. It’s about living a longer and healthier life. The concept has two components: chronological lifespan (how long you live) and healthspan, which is simplistically defined as freedom from disease and disability. According to the World Health Organization, the increase in healthspan has not kept pace with the increase in life expectancy (essentially, we’re getting older, but our quality of life is declining).

Longevity has long been at the core of ancient healing practices such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, says Karina Stewart, co-founder of Kamalaya, a pioneering wellness retreat in Koh Samui, Thailand. But recent breakthroughs in the field of ageing and longevity are providing wellness practitioners complementary tools and treatments to impact health from the micro cellular mitochondria level to the macro social, relational and emotional level, she says.

Last year, the best-selling book Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity by Dr. Peter Attia and Netflix hit series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones helped people understand that changes in lifestyle habits can dictate whether you’re sedentary and in a nursing home at 75 or socialising on the pickleball court. Longevity involves planning, says Dr. Fernando Torres-Gil, director of the UCLA Center for Policy Research on Ageing. In our 20s, 30s, and 40s, we should be thinking about how we can proactively minimise chronic conditions and diseases through habits. The earlier you start embracing good lifestyle habits, the easier it will be to maintain them, he says.

While diet and exercise remain the most scientifically proven ways to achieve longevity, new therapies and devices – also known as biohacks – ranging from hyperbaric oxygen chambers to compression boots, are being adopted by spas and retreats to help optimise your health.

What is biohacking?

Biohacking is a way to fast-track wellness, explains Anna Bjurstam, who heads up the wellness programmes at Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas. “You’re using some type of intervention to optimise your goals, whether it’s athletic performance or better sleep,” she says. Biohacks like pulsed electromagnetic fields therapy may sound straight out of a sci-fi movie, but other interventions are as commonplace as taking vitamins, practising breathwork or meditation and using a self-massage tool.

AI combined with biohacking is allowing unprecedented control over wellbeing, says Dave Asprey, Upgrade Labs, a chain of U.S.-based biohacking facilities. “We’re able to gather tens of thousands of data points that tell you how your body and brain are performing and even your biological age,” he says. “We use that data to guide people on a personalised journey using biohacking technologies and AI-power exercise equipment that can improve everything from their VO 2 max to their muscle mass.”

For years, some of the most cutting-edge biohacks were written off as snake oil because they didn’t have research to backing the technology, says Tammy Pahel, VP of Spa & Wellness at Carillon Miami Wellness Resort. “We don’t even use the term,” she says. “We refer to them as touchless wellness experiences and all of the companies we work with have white papers behind their devices’ efficacy.”

Outlandish-sounding biohacks like cryotherapy and light therapy gained credibility when experts like Andrew Huberman, a neuroscience professor at Stanford University whose weekly podcast breaks down the science of longevity and performance optimisation, started touting their benefits. Bjurstam adds that new technology allows people to measure the effectiveness of different interventions on various aspects of their health ranging from heart rate variability to sleep performance when they get back home. “Wearables like the Oura ring or WHOOP may not be 100% accurate, but they provide an understanding of what we need to do to perform better,” she says.

The longevity field is still a bit of a “Wild West,” cautions Bjurstam. Many devices sold for home use aren’t intense enough to yield major benefits and most therapies need to be customised to an individual to be effective. Dr. Elizabeth Yurth of the Boulder Longevity Clinic in Colorado is wary of the sudden popularity of intravenous vitamin infusions at hotels and spas. “Some things you can’t get enough of, like magnesium and Vitamin C,” she says. “But you can overdo others, like NAD and glutathione. Those really need to be personalised.” If you’re going to jump on the biohacking bandwagon, you should be certain the facility you’re visiting is overseen by a medical doctor, cautions Pahel.

The latest biohacks to know about

Cryotherapy

The Dutchman Wim Hof, aka the Iceman, is largely responsible for popularising cold exposure, but the concept of cryotherapy, or cold therapy, has been around since the ancient Romans. Therapies range from ten-minute ice baths in water temperatures between 10°C to 15°C, to Whole Body Cryotherapy, which involves short exposure (typically two to three minutes) in temperatures as cold as -130°C (-266°F) in a chamber. The benefits: reduced inflammation, speedier muscle recovery, and a boost in metabolism and mood.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy

Administered in a chamber with air pressure 2 to 3 times as high as normal, enabling the lungs to gather more oxygen. The extra oxygen in the bloodstream helps fight bacteria and stimulates cell repair.

Intravenous Therapy

A method of administering fluids and a cocktail of minerals and vitamins directly into a patient’s bloodstream intravenously to boost overall wellbeing.

Ozone Therapy

The process of increasing oxygen in the blood by administering an activated form of oxygen into the body typically by drawing from your blood, mixing it with medical-grade oxygen that is exposed to UV light, creating O3 bonds and reinjecting it into your bloodstream intravenously. Studies suggest this treatment can enhance energy and brain function, and strengthen the immune system.

Photobiomodulation

Pioneered by NASA, this application of specific wavelengths of red or near-infrared light (typically within a wavelength range of 600 to 1,200 nanometers) stimulates mitochondria (our cell’s battery packs) to promote collagen growth, decrease inflammation and even improve cognitive function.

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)

A regenerative treatment that uses injections of a concentration of a person’s own blood platelets to help repair damaged tissue and alleviate pain.

Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields Therapy (PEMF)

This biohack uses bursts of low-level electromagnetic radiation at around 5 to 30 Hertz (similar to the body’s natural bio-field) to trigger a biologic response that recharges cells when they start to lose energy from stress or fatigue. Studies show PEMF therapy can reduce pain and inflammation and improve sleep.

What is a longevity or biohacking retreat?

The goal of longevity retreats is to turn hacks into habits that people can embrace back at home. Some programmes are more strict than others and involve intermittent fasting along with a strict schedule of interventions that combine ancient wisdom (ie Ayurveda) with the latest biohacks. Others, like the programmes at Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, take a more laid back approach where you can cancel out that poolside cocktail with a hydrating IV drip or go hard on the ski slopes then recover with tools in the biohacking lounge. Some people’s goal may simply be to leave feeling better. But biohack results are rarely a one-and-done deal, which is why many people are starting to think of longevity retreats like an annual health check up akin to a doctor’s visit.

The best longevity retreats

Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, Miami

This all-suite beachfront resort has a 70,000-square-foot wellness facility equipped with one-of-a-kind equipment, like a bed that uses vibroacoustic, electromagnetic, and infrared technology to detoxify the cells, plus an outpost of the Biostation, the region’s leading anti-ageing clinic. Dr. Martin G. Bloom, medical director of the Biostation, oversees four-night retreats aimed at fostering longevity through diagnostic tests that assess 100-plus biomarkers like metabolism and thyroid function. Based on your results, a team of experts customises treatments and therapies such as bEnergized lipotropic injections to promote fat burning, time in a Somadome meditation pod for relaxation, and sessions in the BallancerPro compression therapy suit to detox the body through lymphatic drainage.

Website: carillonhotel.com

Kamalaya, Koh Samui, Thailand

Founded by a former yogi monk and a master of Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, this coastal wellness sanctuary is renowned for its Eastern therapies, such as shirodhara, which entails dripping oil on the forehead to help with balance the nervous system, and its team of in-house experts including naturopaths and osteopaths. The Longevity House, introduced in 2022, compliments that ancient wisdom by offering the latest, science-backed biohacks, such as ozone therapy and energy-enhancing IV drips. Kamalaya recently partnered with the researchers who study the Blue Zones—geographical pockets with longer life expectancies—to launch longevity retreats rooted in natural movement, cultivating community, plant-slant diets, and other Blue Zones Power of 9 lifestyle habits.

Website: healingholidays.com

Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, various locations

Functional medicine is the bedrock of the wellness programmes at the newest Six Senses properties. The brand’s resort in Crans-Montana, Switzerland partners with the regenerative experts at Summit Clinic and has a biohacking recovery lounge where guests can revive mountain-weary muscles with gadgets like compression boots and vibration platforms. Six Senses Ibiza works with biotech company RoseBar to offer guests full diagnostic testing and the spa menu has a section dedicated to biohacks such as red-light therapy masks that soften wrinkles and a specialised breathing mask that can amplify energy levels and athletic performance. Bjurstam says Six Senses London, set to debut later this year, will be a “Disneyland for biohackers” offering the most cutting-edge therapies.

Website: sixsenses.com

Lanserhof, various locations

Gut health is the cornerstone of Lanserhof Resorts, a collection of elite medical wellness retreats with locations in Lans, Austria, Sylt and Tegernsee Germany, and an outpost at London’s exclusive Arts Club. A highly restricted diet (think less than 500 calories per day) purifies the intestines to optimise regenerative therapies prescribed based on diagnostics ranging from liver-fat assessments and cartilage mapping to core strength and stability measured in a futuristic-looking Centaur machine. Prevention is the goal. For example, techy equipment like force plates can determine how much load is going into your joints to help you delay or avoid a knee replacement.

Website: lanserhof.com

Chenot Palace Weggis, Switzerland

The late Henri Chenot championed the benefits of lifestyle interventions to bolster health since the 1970s. The brand built a reputation around its signature detox programme, but Chenot’s flagship resort on the shores of Lake Lucerne is attracting a younger crowd with its prevention and ageing well programme. Guests in their 20s come for mRNA-based genetic testing at the resort’s molecular lab and are put through physical rigours like VO 2 max tests to gauge cardiovascular prowess and bioenergetic checkups that assess organ vitality. Many come back annually to try to maintain or improve those health benchmarks through hypoxic training in an altitude room, cryo sessions, and one-on-one personal training using cutting-edge equipment like anti-gravity treadmills.

Website: healingholidays.com