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The Allure of Wellness Communities

by Lambeth Hochwald

Innovative residential developments are popping up across the country as homeowners are buying into a healthier lifestyle.

While it was typical a generation ago for retirees to relocate to a golf community or select a town that promised perpetually good weather, the times are changing. Today’s empty nesters are seeking wellness-focused communities that check all the boxes, from innovations in smart home technology to resort- level spa amenities.

According to the Global Wellness Institute (GWI) data, this is one of the fastest-growing trends in real estate. In fact, while over 740 wellness residential projects were in the pipeline across 34 countries in 2018, GWI estimates that there are over 2,300 wellness residential projects globally as of 2021, including master-planned communities, urban districts, and resort/spa-based real estate developments.

“Several years ago, when I presented a lecture on real estate wellness at the Global Wellness Summit in Marrakech, I was the only developer there,” says Steve Nygren, who broke ground on Serenbe, a healthy lifestyle-community on the edge of metro Atlanta, in 2004. “Almost a decade later, we spent a day at the summit focused on this topic. We’ve come so far now that there’s an understanding that nature- connected biophilic design is a big priority for home buyers.”

Dinner at the Art Farm at Serenbe

Today, 1,200 people, including 300 school-age children, live in Serenbe, a destination set among acres of preserved forest and meadows that boasts several dozen restaurants, arts events, a full-service spa, and an inn for guests.

And, while some have called Serenbe a cult, Nygren is all for it.

“If happiness is a cult then fine,” he says with a laugh. “Very few people who live here came to buy real estate. They came for a conference, they came to see friends, they saw people waving to each other and being happy—and then they stayed.”

At The Residences at Rancho La Puerta, located adjacent to Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Mexico, experiences abound for homeowners who opt in. Access to an endless number of classes at the renowned spa and hikes on mountain trails (the views of Mount Kuchumaa are breathtaking), an organic farm, and immersion in a wellness village are just some of the perks driving residents to invest in this community.

For Chuck Heath, the developer of Ameyalli, a soon-to-be-open wellness community situated at the foothills of the Wasatch Mountain State Park just minutes from Park City, Utah, wellness real estate was a concept that intrigued him after he spent years doing research on the subject of this global trend.

He then had a “eureka moment” when he visited Slovenia. There, he was inspired to see older residents spending their days at the town’s geothermal waters, all with the goal of restoring their health. “I loved seeing all of these healthy 80-year-olds using the water for wellness and longevity,” he says. “I wanted to bring that concept back to Utah.”

He soon found an opportunity in this Utah acreage, which was once a spa in the 1940s and 1950s and was used in the 1800s as a healing spring. Next, he partnered with Deepak Chopra and, when it opens, Ameyalli will serve as the North American headquarters for the Chopra Foundation. This means there will be a precise mantra for the property, the first luxury wellness real estate community built around hot springs.

“We’ll follow Deepak’s seven pillars of health and practice,” he says. “Ameyalli will be a chance for people to say "I want to live somewhere I can be healthy.’ Our goal is to help people live healthier, longer lives.”

Ameyalli residences

“Ameyalli will be a chance for people to say ‘I want to live somewhere I can be healthy.’ Our goal is to help people live healthier, longer lives.”

— Chuck Heath, Ameyalli developer & managing partner

To do so, Heath and his team are developing 24 expansive garden residences that will inspire residents to revel in indoor/ outdoor living. The plan is also to create an 80-room boutique hotel and 50,000-square- foot wellbeing center with a 55-acre natural geological preserve, a biodiverse garden, and a subterranean mineral pool fed by an underground geothermal lake—all of which should be complete in two years.

For those who want ski-in ski-out access to the Deer Valley Resort with some very distinct additional perks, Velvaere, a wellness community, will serve that purpose—and then some when it opens next year.

Each of Velvaere’s 115 residences will have sanctuary spaces, whether that’s an infrared sauna, cold plunge, halo therapy, or cryotherapy chamber. Homeowners will also receive a wellbeing membership that grants them access to all of the on-site club offerings, including LightStim LED, biohacking nutrition programs, and more, says Dayson Johnson, a partner at Magleby Development, the development company behind Velvaere.

This trend of living in a place that envelops residents in a healthy lifestyle is only going to continue to explode.

“With an increasing demand for preventive care amongst those who desire a longer and healthier life, planned communities play a major factor in the health and longevity of residents, which is why cutting-edge healthcare technology in the homes and the community itself is imperative,” Johnson adds.

And it’s not just spa amenities that are prompting increasing interest.

“One technology innovation that has been popular is our recent partnership with Fountain Life,” Johnson says. “Through this partnership, our residents will have access to early health screenings and precision diagnostics as well as AI-integrated technologies.”

For those looking for a beachy home in the future, there’s no need to look further than The Well Bay Harbor Islands, Florida. Here, the offerings are bound to keep you feeling healthy—and young at heart.

“This trend of living in a place that envelops residents in a healthy lifestyle is only going to continue to explode.”

— Dayson Johnson, a partner at Magleby Development, the development company behind Velvaere

For example, The Well features more than 22,000 square feet of amenities, including an on-site garden where you can pick fresh basil and zucchini to add to your dinner. There’s workspace here, too, and Tom Brady recently secured 8,500 square feet of wellness-focused office space, which has driven even more interest in this mixed-use community, set to open in May 2025.

“We’re finding that our buyers want to invest in themselves,” says Susan Trevisa, director of sales, adding that there will be 60 classes a week in the club that a concierge will gladly schedule for you. “They’re at the point where they’d rather put their money towards a healthy lifestyle since their days of partying are few and far between.”

The 54 condominiums being built here feature nontoxic paint, air filtration systems, filtered carbonated water from each kitchen faucet, and infrared light panels in primary closets for use as infrared light therapy. Shower attachments in the primary bathroom shower can be adjusted for lymphatic drainage massage and any treatments residents request at the club are available in the privacy of their home, from IV treatments to acupuncture.

In addition, continuing education, in the form of wellness-focused lectures, like the ones offered at The Well in New York City, will keep residents engaged on important topics. That’s just some of what appealed to one of the first buyers, who live locally but recently became empty nesters, Trevisa says.

“She’s into Pilates and yoga; he cares about being near a boat launch,” she says. “But what they have in common is a feeling that they’ve gotten to the age where living in a healthy community should be a priority—this idea that we need to put ourselves first.”

In the end, there’s no doubt that we can expect to see even more of these programming-filled, amenities-rich wellness communities continue to pop up across the country.

“This feels like a universal need right now,” Trevisa says. “As people get older, we see more and more health issues surfacing and a lot of us are shifting to preventative care. We’ve found that a lot of people interested in what we have to offer like the term ‘you only live once’ so, since that’s the case, why not live in a place that prioritizes health.”

“We’ve found that a lot of people interested in what we have to offer like the term ‘you only live once’ so, since that’s the case, why not live in a place that prioritizes health.”

— Susan Trevisa, The Well director of sales

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