Cast your mind back a decade or so and the majority of gyms looked very different. Maybe you picture an open plan space, practical and sterile, sectioned into rows of treadmills, bikes and cross-trainers, various strength training machines, weights and benches guarded by pumped ‘gym bro’s’ pacing between sets. While you can still find spaces like this (and some even argue they are making a comeback), there has been a massive overhaul in fitness culture, science, technology, perception and expectation.
Being fit is now only one part of the wellness puzzle and people are seeking out holistic spaces that can take care of their physical, mental and spiritual needs. The industry, which McKinsey & Company reports is currently worth $2 trillion, is all about growth and expansion: private members clubs that offer personalised wellness programs and a tranquil space away from digital noise, design and décor that is both highly Instagrammable and experience enhancing, add-on services that focus on biomechanics and injury recovery, the latest equipment and niche modalities with trainers highly experienced in delivering results.
Here are three wellness spaces in Dubai reimagining what a gym can, and should be, to meet the expectations of today’s health-conscious clients:
Courtesy Of ARKHE CLUB
Opening on September 1st, ARKHE calls itself “a private members’ club for those who take health seriously.” How seriously? Well, if you expect your gym to offer performance training, recovery, longevity diagnostics and a space to relax in, then I’d say health optimisation is a high priority, and Arkhe might just be for you. “There’s a growing understanding that training is only one part of performance and long-term health,” says ARKHE founder Stewart Miller. “Members want flexibility, variety and guidance that adapts to their goals.”
Holistic vision
In an already saturated regional market where studios are continuously competing for space, any new launch has to offer something different. For ARKHE, that means offering a bit of everything: an expansive gym floor, group training, performance running (and a regular run club), HYROX and Pilates. But that’s only the training element. For recovery, they have a cold plunge, sauna, red light therapy beds and hyperbaric chamber, and through their partnership with ARKHE LONGEVITY-UK, members can access advanced diagnostics and health assessments.
Modern perks
“Our equipment is state of the art and customized in a way that members won’t have seen in gyms before, particularly in this region,” says Miller, “…and we have the UAE’s first PILAT3S studio.”
Flow state
ARKHE’s design – all natural materials and considered lighting – is intentionally more spa-like, less sterile gym environment. “Each zone has a clear purpose while remaining connected to the wider club, reinforcing the idea that health isn’t made up of isolated moments but of habits that work together,” says Miller.
@CLUBIST.AE
Opened at the end of last year, Clubist got everyone talking early on thanks to its slick Ibiza-style interior, buzzing café (with a resident weekend DJ), lagree room and signature tree (a social media hit), occupying prime space outside the changing areas. “People are no longer just looking for a place to work out,” says Marketing Director Charlie Evans, “they are looking for an environment that supports the way they want to live.”
Modern expectations
“Over the past few years, people have become much more intentional with how they spend their time,” observes Evans. “They want movement that has purpose, instructors they trust, spaces that feel inspiring and an atmosphere that makes them want to keep coming back.”
Flexibility for all
With membership rates currently priced at the higher end of spectrum, Clubist are positioning themselves as a premium workout spot. “Exclusivity for us is not about being intimidating or closed off,” Evans clarifies, “it is about protecting the quality of the experience.” And flexibility is key to that, so they tailor their class packages to work for both diehard regulars and those who drop in when motivation peaks.
Design details
Clubist chose forest green as their signture “…because it feels connected to growth, balance and renewal,” says Evans. And there’s certainly strong links to nature, with a main ‘tunnel’ that feels more like a rabbit warren running the length of the club, and smaller versions of the hero tree lining a wall of the lagree room. Each studio design is carefully curated: the infrared space is warm, focused and grounding for example, while the dark room features neon lighting and their own brand of HIIT. “We want Clubist to be a place people look forward to spending time in, not just somewhere they come to train.”
Courtesy of BANY FORREST
“Social wellness bathhouse,” is how the Slavic-inspired Banya Forrest describes itself, built around one of the oldest wellness rituals in the world: heat, cold, rest, repeat. “We call it contrast therapy,” says Marketing Manager Olga Pakhomova, “but honestly, it’s just what the human body has always needed.” What happens inside that cycle? Blood vessels open and close, the nervous system resets, and tension dissolves in ways that no massage table or meditation can replicate.
Forming habits
So, what exactly is a banya? Well, it’s a traditional Slavic steam bath which, in this case, is powered by a 20-ton stove. Bathers unwind in 60–80-degree heat and high humidity and then drop into a plunge pool at 6°C, which acts like an intense wake-up call for your nerve-endings. Food and conversation follows, then you go again. “The repetition is the point ,” says Pakhomova, “each round takes you deeper. The result is a place that doesn’t feel like a spa and doesn’t feel like a gym.”
Digital disconnection
“Offline has always been luxury, we just forgot that for a while,” says Pakhomova. “I think what has changed is that people are starting to feel the cost of permanent connectivity.” The banya literally takes away all temptation for a digital check-in (you try scrolling in that heat), and forces you to be fully present.
Sense of community
Whether you connect through the mists of sweltering steam or a post-bath herbal tea, there’s something about banya that encourages standard social performance to fall away. “Guests come as strangers and leave having had real conversations,” says Pakhomova. “That becomes a reason to come back; not just for the heat and cold, but for what happens between people inside it.”
Because ultimately, if the future of wellness doesn’t retain the personal touch – reception staff who say your name when you work through the door, an atmosphere that encourages confidence and individuality (whether you’re in matching Alo or an old band tee), and trainers who know instinctively when to push you (and when to hold back) – then it doesn’t matter how much hi-tech equipment or designer fittings a studio has, because it’s nothing without soul.
