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Noha says clubs should feel ‘comfortable and happy’
When it comes to design and functionality, the lines between fitness and wellness concepts, between gyms and spas, are increasingly overlapping. Fitness trends are evolving very fast globally, and we at The Wellness are focused on integrating these trends within the hospitality industry,” says architect and interior designer Noha Khalil.
“Many investors are looking for new concepts that reach out to a bigger audience. To just have a gym or a spa separately is not aligned with guest expectations nowadays. At The Wellness, we thrive when working within that overlapped space as we can constantly push the boundaries of what a health club is and what it will be in the future.”
Based in Dubai and Hong Kong, The Wellness is a full-service wellness specialist that has been delivering design driven solutions in the Middle East, Asia and globally for 30 years.
With many completed wellness focused projects in its portfolio, Noha says the company is also focused on turning gyms into social workout spaces - whether within a five-star hotel facility or a standalone site.
“Fitness has to be so much more than just equipment. It’s not just for physical strength but wellness as lifestyle. It’s important to focus on the word wellness, as this will have different interpretations for different individuals. We’re keen to make sure the outcome will not only be better physical condition, but enhanced mental balance too.
“This requires a deep understanding of the users’ needs and the right elements to achieve the ultimate performance on all levels of wellbeing.
Comfort, health and happiness “Comfort, Health and Happiness are the key criteria used in our design direction. Comfort starts with going through the assessment process, in order for users to know themselves, their aims and to feel comfortable in the workout space.
“Health means serving the right nutrition plan to the guest to support and boost their immune system. It’s no secret that the major element of a healthy body is the food eaten alongside a fitness regime.
“If comfort and health are present, this will enable higher performance, ultimate focus, goals to be achieved and a robust rebuilding process. All this works to create a happy social workout space.”
“This is where The Wellness excels. Our social workout spaces are obviously not only about the equipment. Recovery in all its forms, whether active or passive, is essential to the experience.
“A well-designed changing facility including thermal experiences such as infrared sauna, steam room, and cold therapies are part of this recovery. Hot and cold therapies after exercise enhance blood circulation and help combat muscles strains. That’s just one of the many ways to effectively integrate wellness into fitness.”
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Event saunas, sunlight therapy
and health and happiness retreats
feature in our programming series
Interview: Marc Cohen
Dr Marc Cohen is launching an extreme
bathing retreat and writing children’s
books. He talks to Jane Kitchen
Promotional feature: Vital Tech
Infrared technology is growing in popularity, Vital Tech’s Alexandra Gavsevitch
and Serge Parienti explain how it works
Focus on: Equine therapy
What is equine therapy and how
can spas tap into horsepower?
Kathleen Whyman finds out
Wellness: Chill out
Is going sub-zero the next big thing?
Kath Hudson takes a closer look
at the benefits of cryotherapy
Promotional feature: The Wellness
Noha Khalil of The Wellness discusses how
gym and spa elements are increasingly
coming together through design to
deliver outstanding fitness concepts
Noha says clubs should feel ‘comfortable and happy’
When it comes to design and functionality, the lines between fitness and wellness concepts, between gyms and spas, are increasingly overlapping. Fitness trends are evolving very fast globally, and we at The Wellness are focused on integrating these trends within the hospitality industry,” says architect and interior designer Noha Khalil.
“Many investors are looking for new concepts that reach out to a bigger audience. To just have a gym or a spa separately is not aligned with guest expectations nowadays. At The Wellness, we thrive when working within that overlapped space as we can constantly push the boundaries of what a health club is and what it will be in the future.”
Based in Dubai and Hong Kong, The Wellness is a full-service wellness specialist that has been delivering design driven solutions in the Middle East, Asia and globally for 30 years.
With many completed wellness focused projects in its portfolio, Noha says the company is also focused on turning gyms into social workout spaces - whether within a five-star hotel facility or a standalone site.
“Fitness has to be so much more than just equipment. It’s not just for physical strength but wellness as lifestyle. It’s important to focus on the word wellness, as this will have different interpretations for different individuals. We’re keen to make sure the outcome will not only be better physical condition, but enhanced mental balance too.
“This requires a deep understanding of the users’ needs and the right elements to achieve the ultimate performance on all levels of wellbeing.
Comfort, health and happiness “Comfort, Health and Happiness are the key criteria used in our design direction. Comfort starts with going through the assessment process, in order for users to know themselves, their aims and to feel comfortable in the workout space.
“Health means serving the right nutrition plan to the guest to support and boost their immune system. It’s no secret that the major element of a healthy body is the food eaten alongside a fitness regime.
“If comfort and health are present, this will enable higher performance, ultimate focus, goals to be achieved and a robust rebuilding process. All this works to create a happy social workout space.”
“This is where The Wellness excels. Our social workout spaces are obviously not only about the equipment. Recovery in all its forms, whether active or passive, is essential to the experience.
“A well-designed changing facility including thermal experiences such as infrared sauna, steam room, and cold therapies are part of this recovery. Hot and cold therapies after exercise enhance blood circulation and help combat muscles strains. That’s just one of the many ways to effectively integrate wellness into fitness.”
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Event saunas, sunlight therapy
and health and happiness retreats
feature in our programming series
Interview: Marc Cohen
Dr Marc Cohen is launching an extreme
bathing retreat and writing children’s
books. He talks to Jane Kitchen
Promotional feature: Vital Tech
Infrared technology is growing in popularity, Vital Tech’s Alexandra Gavsevitch
and Serge Parienti explain how it works
Focus on: Equine therapy
What is equine therapy and how
can spas tap into horsepower?
Kathleen Whyman finds out
Wellness: Chill out
Is going sub-zero the next big thing?
Kath Hudson takes a closer look
at the benefits of cryotherapy
Promotional feature: The Wellness
Noha Khalil of The Wellness discusses how
gym and spa elements are increasingly
coming together through design to
deliver outstanding fitness concepts
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
LVMH-owned beauty house Guerlain will launch up to five spas with partners a year as part of
its plan to expand globally, according to the brand’s international spa and wellness director,
Diane Davody.
A new global study by Kevin Kelly and Peter Yesawich, called WELLSurvey 2.0, has revealed
more than half of consumers in the UK, US and Germany would not choose numerous high-
profile wellness resort brands for a future trip.
Luxury hospitality and wellness pioneer Jeremy McCarthy has launched Leisure Alchemy, a
digital platform that will provide professionals with strategic guidance on how to build
transformational leisure experiences that drive profit.
