IV infusions are one the most popular longevity treatments at RoseBar, a longevity center at the Six Senses Ibiza resort. RoseBar at Six Senses Ibiza
- Longevity clinics appear to be growing in popularity among some rich people looking to live longer.
- Many of these clinics offer extensive diagnostic tests and personalized care plans.
There's more to life when you're ultra wealthy than yachts, mansions, sports cars, and flashy designer bags.
These days, cadres of well-heeled and health-obsessed clients are flocking to longevity clinics: centers that offer everything from genetic testing to cocktails of supplements to personalized treatment plans that purportedly help people live longer.
That's because the ultimate status symbol right now might just be a longer and healthier life.
"The best longevity advice is something only the rich have access to today," Matt Fellowes, an advisory council member at the Stanford Center on Longevity, and cofounder of health insights platform, BellSant, told Business Insider by email.
Consumer spending on wellness products and services has risen since the pandemic, contributing to a $5.6 trillion wellness market, according to the Global Wellness Institute. The unfortunate reality, however, is that many people could be wasting time and money on products or services that will never materially help them, Fellowes contends.
One of the few exceptions, he said, are high-end longevity clinics that offer science-based and highly personalized guidance — even though they're inaccessible to most people.
It's worth noting that the longevity space — even at its priciest tiers — is not totally regulated, and even top clinics can offer experimental treatments in addition to medically proven methods.
Still, these clinics might be an option for figuring out how to extend life by a couple of years. From Switzerland to Costa Rica — take a look at some of the world's most elite longevity clinics.
Hooke, a longevity center in London, operates with the mission that “early intervention can treat the vast majority of diseases.”
Hooke's mission is to treat chronic diseases via prevention by administering an advanced roster of diagnostic tests to clients. Hooke
To that end, Hooke has developed what it says is "the world's most advanced health screening" to create continually evolving and personalized longevity plans for its clients.
It offers around 20 assessments ranging from a four-part MRI to bone density tests to whole genomic sequencing and cognitive assessments.
"Using long-term data from individual medical, fitness, nutritional and cognitive assessments, our programmes build a comprehensive and holistic 'big picture' view of wellness risks and weaknesses — providing the basis for evolving lifestyle and medical recommendations," Kate Woolhouse, Hooke's CEO, wrote to Business Insider by email.
And Hooke offers three tiers of membership to clients. Its popular Healthspan Membership is close to $40,000 a year, and comes with Hooke's an extensive roster of diagnostic tests, bespoke nutrition plans, access to a scientific advisory board, proprietary supplements, and an Oura ring — and that's just a glimpse at what is included with membership.
Hooke's clients range in age from 23 to 70, with an average age of 50, but over the past year, the center has seen an increase of clientele in their 30s, Woolhouse said.
Clinique La Prairie sits in a small resort town on coast of Lake Geneva, and is known as one of the world’s premier longevity destinations.
Clinique La Prairie's seven-day premium revitalization package might give you sticker shock at more than $50,000. JEAN-PIERRE CLATOT
Clinique La Prairie has been around for more than 90 years, during which time it's built up a reputation among the wealthy as a destination for personalized treatments that can slow the aging process.
Its premium revitalization package — a seven-day, six-night experience recommended for those ages 35 and up — includes longevity consultations, sleep quality assessments, DNA tests, personalized nutrition guidance, and personal training sessions, according to the program brochure.
And that's just smattering of the full program, which also comes with luxury accommodations, limousine service, access to the clinic's steam room, pool, sauna, and zero-gravity floating bed — where patrons can "dry float" and listen to sounds for stress relief, according to its brochure.
The program "stimulates cell regeneration, fights the signs and causes of aging, and reinforces the immune system through a four-pillared approach of medicine, nutrition, wellbeing and movement," a spokesperson for Clinique La Prairie told Business Insider by email.
Prices for this one luxurious week (in a room with a balcony and view of Lake Geneva) start at $53,000.
At Six Senses, a luxury resort in Ibiza, clients can book one-day, three-day, or seven-day programs through its longevity center, RoseBar.
Part of the appeal of RoseBar's most popular longevity treatments, like intravenous infusions, is the instant gratification factor. RoseBar at Six Senses Ibiza
The seven-day program — which is around $4,700 per person, excluding accommodations and meals — includes advanced diagnostic tests, comprehensive wellness screenings, spa treatments, yoga classes, energy medicine sessions, and biohacking therapies, according to its website.
Some of the most popular treatments include intravenous infusions like "Ozone Therapy," which is said to increase oxygen levels in the body and helps enhance cellular function, Dr. Tamsin Lewis, RoseBar's medical advisor, told Insider by email.
"The direct delivery of certain nutrients via the bloodstream serves to have an instant impact on vitality whilst forming part of a broader approach to living well for longer," Lewis said. One of the immediate benefits from Ozone Therapy is a visible change in blood color due to increased oxygen levels, and in the long-term, the treatment can help support immune function, Lewis said.
And Lewis has seen an uptick in clients seeking out longevity treatments in recent years in the "pursuit of wellness as a new luxury," she said.
The Well is a chain of wellness centers with locations in New York, Miami, Cabo, and Costa Rica.
The Well at Hacienda AltaGracia in Costa Rica offers clients a four-day longevity retreat program that starts at close to $3,000 per person. The Well
The Well's longevity-focused offerings include customized IV drips, infrared sauna sessions, cold plunges, and health coaching sessions.
And the centers have drawn entrepreneurs including Spanx founder Sara Blakely and Classpass founder Payal Kadakia alongside actresses like Reese Witherspoon and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The Well's location at Hacienda AltaGracia in Costa Rica is located next to one of the world's five Blue Zones, regions where people live some of the longest and happiest lives.
And The Well's four-day retreat program at Hacienda AltaGracia — which is around $3,000 per person — includes a series of longevity-boosting practices, including various types of bodywork and well-being consultations, according to a spokesperson for The Well.
Guests at Hacienda AltaGracia can also book immersive experiences in the nearby Blue Zone on the Nicoya Peninsula.
The growing interest these types of exclusive longevity treatments has dovetailed with spike in wellness tourism, a trend that's picked up among wealthy travelers in the past few years, as some of them forgo all-night clubs and beach parties in favor of spirituality retreats and resorts that prioritize personal care.
The so-called wellness tourism industry is expected to grow at almost 17% annually, and reach $1.4 trillion by 2027, according to projections from the Global Wellness Institute.
"While travel overall has started leveling out since the post-COVID boom, all the trends point to continued growth for demand in wellness travel, Megan Mulholland, The Well's vice president of Brand & Marketing, told Business Insider by email.
Lanserhof Lans, located in the Eastern Alps, is not a longevity clinic for the faint of heart.
Lanserhof Lans' programs include several medical examinations as part of the center's aim to help patients achieve "thorough regeneration of the intestines to revitalise the vital forces." ALEXANDER HAIDEN for the Lanserhof
The central focus of Lanserhof's methods — which was launched in 1984 — is "the thorough regeneration of the intestines to revitalise the vital forces," according to its website. And it relies on what it calls detoxification, purification and deacidification programs that draw upon holistic medicine, psychology, and modern medicine to achieve this revitalization.
"The first days here are not easy with the diet — guests can sleep all day or have headaches," Dr. Katharina Sandtner, Lanserhof's medical director told Forbes. "A few days later, energy comes back and this good energy stays with you for a very long time. It's incredible."
But the "good energy" comes at a cost. The center's most basic offering, the one week "Cure Classic" program, starts at a little above $3,000 per person, excluding accommodations. The program includes numerous medical examinations, a body composition test, urine analysis, therapeutic massages, detox treatments, hydrotherapy treatments, alongside medical lectures and group exercise and relaxation therapies, according to Lanserhof Lans program brochure.
And the center's offerings are as extensive as a two-week, long-COVID package, that's aimed at guests who are struggling with the late effects of COVID. The more than $5,200 package includes seven different medical examinations, respiratory therapies, foot reflexology, and altitude training sessions, along with group relaxation and exercise sessions in order to achieve "physical, mental and spiritual regeneration right down to the core," according to the brochure.
"Minus the hunger headaches, the experience is healing in every sense of the word," one patient wrote of the Long-COVID treatment program in Allure. Lanserhof Lans didn't respond to a request for comment from BI.