26-06-2025
Why Spas Are Trading Cucumber Water for Longevity Treatments
Stefan Safko is the CEO of a robotics start-up in his early forties. He has a successful professional life, a fulfilling personal one, and, by any traditional metric, is in the top percentile of health. He has no chronic diseases, exercises frequently, and has been a lifelong healthy eater. But like most driven and accomplished people, he'd like to level up.
While Safko isn't by any means looking to become the next Bryan Johnson, spending $2 million a year on anti-aging efforts, he is one of many in the tech and business spaces pursuing a longer, healthier life. 'I read books and seek out 'credible' individuals and materials online for guidance,' says Safko. 'There tends to be a lot of noise, especially with social media personalities becoming overnight authorities and fads that are more social media–driven versus science-backed.' Safko is clearly not interested in the traditionally 'woo woo' conception of 'wellness,' one that conjures up images of tambourine-shaking gurus more than evidence-based medical care. Fortunately for him, science-backed wellness has exploded in popularity in the last few years—and the ground zero for this development may be a bit surprising. Instead of a Beverly Hills or Silicon Valley doctor's office, these scientific treatments are currently found at spas.
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Heritage resorts like Pebble Beach now offer infrared light treatments and antigravity chairs alongside their traditional golf game–enhancing physical therapies. Established European names like Preidlhof and Sha Wellness offer medical-grade sleep clinics and electromagnetic pulse treatments. Velaa Private Island, an exclusive hotel in the famously tropical Maldives, has been heavily (and successfully) promoting its paradoxically arctic cryotherapeutic 'snow room.' Treatments like vitamin IVs, stem cell therapies, and myriad biometric tests aimed at creating individualized treatments are now par for the course at top resorts worldwide. Unlike traditional medi-spas, these programs position themselves as part of a more holistic approach to long-term wellbeing, one tailored not to treating existing complaints but to the broader pursuit of optimal living.
So how exactly did the former domain of couples' massages and cucumber water become the next frontier in medicine? According to Dr. Shah, it's where people are already used to spending their own money on wellness. While it may seem tricky for spas to balance being part medical lab, part aromatherapeutic oasis, spa director Pat Makozak of the Four Seasons Maui at Wailea hasn't had any issues. 'It's all the same goal,' she says. 'When guests call to book a massage, if they know we have IV treatments available, they'll just add that on. We already offered some technology with the spa treatments: we have an infrared light in every massage room, and a cryotherapy machine that we incorporate into facials.' Makozak brings up a good point. We already have beauty-focused treatments like Botox and cryotherapy in the spa space—why not use them for our actual health? Medi-spas having long integrated science into elective treatments is meant purely to enhance quality of life, so perhaps it's not so surprising the future of holistic medical wellness has taken root in the same soil.
While there's certainly nothing like chemo or surgery happening on any massage tables, doctors are primarily responsible for crafting these new spa menus. Some medical professionals see these endeavors as a step in the right direction for a much-needed expansion of our ideas of health and wellness; others see it as an unnecessary money grab. Monty Dunn, MD, a doctor of anesthesiology in San Francisco, is one of those skeptics. For example, Dr. Dunn points out that there is no evidence supporting the effectiveness of almost all vitamins and supplements, let alone the popular IV versions (which he characterizes as 'hydration therapy' at most). While stem cell therapy is trendy, Dr. Dunn is quick to remind that science has not yet discovered how to induce stem cells to differentiate into anything specific, meaning that injected stem cells likely do nothing at best, and could theoretically become cancer at worst. Yes, all the biometric and blood panel testing to identify disease propensities are nice, and will likely become increasingly popular in the private sector. However, Dr. Dunn explains that we don't actually know the markers for many common diseases, which renders the current screenings far from revolutionarily useful at this time.
According to Vishal Patel, MD, PhD, and chief medical officer at Sensei (the Larry Ellison–founded wellness retreat that exclusively offers science-backed treatments), well-educated wellbeing seekers like Safko are these institutions' primary audience. 'The intersection of health, wellness, and travel has grown exponentially in recent years,' observes Patel. This is likely a result of our current healthcare system, which Darshan Shah, MD—the founder of health optimization and longevity center Next Health, who provides medical offerings at the Four Seasons Maui spa—describes as 'disease care.' American healthcare is traditionally focused on treating pathologies; in other words, it addresses issues only after they've grown to become major problems. This system has left a hole in the market for those looking for medical-grade care focused on prevention and optimization as opposed to triage.
Dr. Dunn does agree that our healthcare system has overly emphasized quick problem solving, but believes it's the reason why the mortality-obsessed rich are quick to shell out for snake-oil placebos and hacks before making sustainable lifestyle changes. Jim Cahill, a mindset guide at Sensei and expert in contemplative neuroscience, has likewise identified the desire for quick fixes as a common mindset, but believes it can be worked with. 'There's nothing inherently wrong with seeking immediate results, and [Sensei's] wellness assessments can and do target immediate improvements in sleep, diet, stress management, and movement,' he says. 'But the evidence is just too clear: we can do much more by sustaining that wider perspective. Lifelong wellness requires that comprehensive approach, where temporary practices become sustained lifestyles.'
Ronjon Nag, a famed tech inventor and entrepreneur who currently heads an AI and Longevity VC firm while teaching the same at Stanford, unequivocally believes in science's ability to hack lifespan and wellness. In conversation with Robb Report, he expanded on the many companies he's invested in with pursuits ranging from mitochondrial rejuvenation to epigenetic reprogramming to even a vaccine to slow aging. Though clearly more optimistic than Dr. Dunn about the future of medical wellness, he agrees it will be the private sector moving things forward by pushing more patient-driven, test-centric approaches. Given Nag's background with developing tech and AI we now use every day, his predictions (and investments) are likely ones to watch for those interested in the field.
I asked Dr. Shah for his tips for those looking to get into such treatments, particularly when it comes to sorting out what is worth the cost and what may be simply expensive smoke and mirrors. Dr. Shah recommended only going to facilities where a licensed MD oversees the program, and consulting with your personal physician prior about the treatments you'd like to try. While many treatments may be technically safe and somewhat effective, a physician will be able to advise as to whether they are worth the often steep cost. It's also a good idea to ask yourself what you're looking to get out of the treatment: Are you looking for a quick fix, or are you ready to make the sustained lifestyle changes these programs often recommend?
For now, if you're looking to become more proactive about your health and longevity, the spa is the best place to find that full-body workup or biomarker-informed longevity session. Just don't expect insurance to cover it.
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