Global Wellness Summit predicts 10 wellness trends for 2025

The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) is predicting that ‘analogue wellness’, ‘augmented biology’ and ‘sauna reimagined’ will lead the way for the wellness industry in 2025.

In its annual Future of Wellness trends report, released on January 28, the GWS predicts what will make waves in wellness in the year ahead.

The Future of Wellness trends report is the longest-running, most detailed forecast of predicted shifts in the health, wellbeing and spa industries.

Predictions for 2025 include a great ‘logging off’ and seizing of pre-digital experiences alongside the rise of futuristic ‘augmented biology’ for superhuman optimisation.

European Spa brings you a summary of the 10 predicted wellness trends for 2025.

Trend #1 Analogue wellness

The GWS predicts that 2025 will be the year that more people intentionally log off from the online world and instead opt for ‘analog-ing on.’

Trailblazed by younger generations, there’s a growing obsession with retro tech and old-school analogue hobbies and experiences.

The report states: “The online world’s relentless manipulations, marketing and disinformation campaigns seem to have really gone too far.

“People are grasping how tech’s evilly brilliant AI and algorithms push us toward hate and dissolve the line between real and not real. If we had to bet on AI-driven or analogue wellness, longevity clinics or logging off, we’d take the latter.”

There will be a continued rise in structured, super-social classes and clubs revolving around every type of analogue experience, from old-school game playing to live music.

Savvy wellness operators will tap into this trend with digital detox cabins in nature – like Unplugged – and deep listening vinyl record nights in saunas as well as analogue arts programming such as painting, ceramics, calligraphy and writing workshops.

An example already in action is Soetmelksvlei, the new South African 17th-century farm turned wellness resort, where guests learn blacksmithing and wheat milling.

Trend #3 Augmented biology

The GWS report states that a fundamental redefining of the nature of human capability is underway.

“A new fusion of body and machine, that once seemed like the stuff of science fiction, is pushing the potential of people’s brains and bodies to superhuman levels.

“As advancements in health technology and genetic engineering unfold, a new paradigm is taking shape in which health is not merely sustained, but actively optimised and extended.”

Breakthroughs include performance-enhancing brain-computer interfaces and AI-integrated wearable health devices that are transitioning from simple trackers to active systems that respond to individual needs.

The future will see tailored interventions for hyper-optimisation going mainstream and the unlocking of untapped human potential becoming a reality.

“We’re on the cusp of a new era where we’re beginning to not only understand our biology more deeply, but also take active control in improving it,” says the report.

“We’re pushing the boundaries of what it means to be human — unlocking radically new possibilities for health, brain power, longevity and performance.”

Trend #5 The supplement paradox

Now representing a gigantic $178 billion market, supplements have grown to mean status as much as health.

The industry has been long plagued by lax regulations and accused of “science washing” but, in 2025, this market will move in new directions.

The GWS report predicts a rise in premium, hyper-personalised formulations and a focus on cellular longevity. Supplements look set to evolve into more precise tools of lifestyle optimisation.

Longevity science will continue to create supplements targeting key aging mechanisms like mitochondrial health and cellular repair. We’ll see more supplements addressing the unique physiological needs of women, and targeting hormonal health and fertility.

Celebrity endorsements are already the norm, and will only continue. David Beckham’s new IM8 brand, partnering with Prenetics and the University of Oxford, is studying the accelerated ageing that happens in space (aboard the International Space Station) to create unique, science-backed longevity supplements.

Trend #7 Longevity redefines work

As the number of young workers decreases worldwide, and we enter the age of longevity, the over-65 employee demographic is set to explode.

“An age bomb is coming and it will radically reconfigure the workspace – the fastest-growing workforce age group globally are now the over-75s.”

The report predicts seismic changes coming to work including how long people will work for and how they’ll adapt. “It will all come down to maintaining the health and wellness of older workers and creating work policies that address how our responsibilities, needs and goals change with age.”

The wellness industry will have a huge role to play here. Employers keen to get ahead in this trend could consider more flexibility over work locations and hours, part-time schedules and consulting roles offering more autonomy.

Companies like Siemens in Germany have created mentorship programmes, where older workers share their deep experience.

Reverse mentoring will also rise, where senior employees are mentored by younger ones, to create intergenerational communication and stay ahead of tech and trends.

Singapore is the shining example in policy for an ageing workforce. It has raised the re-employment age, provides wage offsets for companies hiring older workers, and offers skills development programmes for older employees.

Trend #9 The Middle East’s wellness ambitions

No single region is actively embracing wellbeing more than the Middle East, which is fast emerging as a global wellness leader, fuelled by national strategies and vast new developments.

As the oil-dependent countries seek new revenue streams, wellness is emerging as a prime sector.

Large-scale travel destinations like Red Sea Global’s AMAALA in Saudi Arabia highlight the region’s ambitious moves into wellness tourism.

AMAALA will include 30 world-class wellness destinations when complete, with the first eight opening this year.

Digital innovation is transforming healthcare in the Middle East, especially within the GCC countries, with major investments in artificial intelligence, robotics, genomic medicine and digital healthcare infrastructure.

The market for beauty products celebrating Middle Eastern heritage is growing, with products like Asteri Beauty’s vegan, “desert-proof” collection and MZN Bodycare’s line, inspired by the plants of Saudi Arabia.

Extremely ambitious investment in preventative healthcare, sports and wellness infrastructure are creating a new global hub for wellbeing.

Amway is the exclusive sponsor of the report.

The full Future Trends Report can be downloaded here.

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