After decades of evolution through spas, wellness tourism, mental wellbeing and wellness real estate, the global wellness industry has now entered its next defining phase: longevity. According to Susie Ellis, Chair and CEO of the Global Wellness Institute, the world has reached a pivotal moment where longevity is being reframed not as a medical niche, but as “longevity through a wellness lens” — a convergence of science, prevention, lifestyle and environment.
For Saudi Arabia, this shift is not theoretical. The Kingdom is rapidly positioning itself as one of the world’s most ambitious platforms for next-generation wellness tourism, integrating preventative medicine, regenerative health, longevity science and transformational travel into destinations built entirely for this new market.
“Today, countries pay attention to wellness tourism because it has such a major economic impact on their GDP“, says Ellis. “Interestingly, post pandemic, it was one of the fastest ways for a country to re-ignite their tourism industry – welcoming travelers for their health and well-being.”
From spa to science: why longevity represents a new category of wellness
Earlier phases of the wellness economy were initially fragmented and poorly defined before research, standards and investment aligned to create what is now a multi-trillion-dollar global industry. The same pattern is now emerging around longevity. Unlike traditional wellness, longevity is not about short-term relaxation. It is built around biological age testing, metabolic optimisation, regenerative therapies, neurocognitive health, sleep science and long-term healthspan extension.
Crucially, this new phase does not replace wellness — it depends on it. Exercise, nutrition, sleep, stress reduction, community, purpose and connection with nature form the foundation upon which longevity science operates. It is precisely this integration that now defines the most advanced wellness destinations in the world.
At the recent 19th Global Wellness Summit in the UAE, the focus was squarely on longevity—with public and private sectors joining forces to innovate and implement groundbreaking technologies and services.
“Of particular interest and importance is that now we have many more medical professionals in our midst, and the medical arena is very much a part of the conversation, contributing significantly to the way forward,” noted Ellis.
She stated that she hoped the industry would gain some clarity about how the medical and wellness worlds might better work together. “I feel that the medical expertise coming into the wellness arena is a welcome addition, bringing science and evidence-based results. It seems like finding a way to work well together for the greater good is in everyone’s best interest,” she added.
The arrival of global longevity and wellness brands in the Kingdom
Saudi Arabia’s transformation into a global hub for next-generation wellness tourism is no longer theoretical. It is now taking physical form through the arrival of several of the world’s most respected longevity and wellness brands, particularly along the Red Sea coast.
Among the most significant arrivals is Clinique La Prairie, the Swiss pioneer of medical wellness and longevity founded in 1931. Long regarded as the global benchmark for scientific longevity programmes, the brand is preparing to open its first full-scale Middle Eastern resort at AMAALA in 2026. This will be the only destination in the region offering the complete Clinique La Prairie model: advanced diagnostics, personalised longevity programmes, regenerative medicine, neurocognitive optimisation, metabolic health, movement science and aesthetic medicine within a fully integrated luxury resort. Conceived as a health and longevity campus rather than a spa hotel, the AMAALA resort is designed specifically for extended stays focused on long-term healthspan rather than short-term indulgence.
Jayasom, for its part, brings a particularly distinctive and human-centred dimension to Saudi Arabia’s emerging wellness landscape through its deep focus on emotional health, behavioural change and preventive lifestyle medicine. Built on the philosophy of addressing root causes rather than surface symptoms, Jayasom’s programmes combine clinical assessment, personalised nutrition, functional movement, mindfulness, traditional therapies and stress management into tightly structured, results-driven journeys. What sets the brand apart is its emphasis on long-term habit transformation rather than short-term detox or escape, helping guests recalibrate sleep patterns, metabolism, emotional resilience and mental clarity in ways that endure well beyond their stay.
At AMAALA, Jayasom’s Saudi debut will translate this philosophy into a purpose-built environment where medical insight, holistic therapy and luxury hospitality operate as a single ecosystem. Its presence signals that the Kingdom’s longevity strategy is not solely anchored in high-tech biohacking and diagnostics, but also in the psychological, emotional and behavioural foundations that ultimately determine healthspan. In this sense, Jayasom adds critical balance to Saudi Arabia’s longevity proposition, ensuring that inner wellbeing evolves alongside medical innovation.
Perhaps the clearest signal that Saudi Arabia’s wellness ambitions are already materialising is the presence of Six Senses, the brand that more than any other has bridged luxury hospitality with deep wellness philosophy. Six Senses has already opened Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea, its first operational resort in the Kingdom. Set deep within the desert rather than on the coast, the resort has rapidly redefined perceptions of Saudi Arabia as a destination for restorative, nature-led luxury. Its programmes focus on sleep science, longevity, detoxification, mindfulness, movement, biohacking and desert-based wellbeing experiences, attracting travellers seeking silence, space and measurable health benefits.
Six Senses is now preparing to expand its Saudi footprint with Six Senses AMAALA, scheduled to open in 2026. This coastal wellness retreat will extend the brand’s philosophy into the marine environment with dedicated longevity programmes, ocean-based therapy, recovery zones and one of the region’s most advanced spa complexes. Beyond the Red Sea, Six Senses is also linked to a future development in AlUla, where wellness, heritage and desert landscape will converge in one of Saudi Arabia’s most culturally significant regions.
Taken together, these arrivals mark a decisive shift. These are not conventional spa resorts designed for short holidays. They are platforms for preventative health, longevity science and behavioural transformation, built for guests who stay longer, invest more deeply and return as part of an ongoing personal health journey.
Why Saudi Arabia is structurally built for longevity tourism
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 framework provides conditions that few destinations globally can match. Entire regions are being designed around low-density living, nature immersion, controlled development and long-stay guest experiences. Unlike legacy markets that must retrofit ageing infrastructure, the Kingdom is building wellness and longevity ecosystems from inception.
Advanced medical regulation, state backing for life sciences, and sovereign investment in biotech and preventative healthcare allow Saudi Arabia to host longevity brands that require not just luxury settings, but full medical infrastructure, regulatory depth and long-term data-driven monitoring. This combination enables the rise of a new visitor category: the long-stay wellness resident undertaking quantified health transformation programmes rather than traditional spa breaks.
The medical–wellness convergence now accelerating in KSA
According to Susie Ellis, one of the most profound shifts reshaping global wellness is the convergence of medicine and lifestyle-led wellbeing. Longevity tourism depends on this integration. Guests increasingly expect medical oversight, diagnostics and outcome measurement alongside mindfulness, movement and nature.
Saudi Arabia is embedding this convergence directly into its tourism architecture. Future wellness destinations will not separate clinics from retreats. They will operate as unified health ecosystems where medical professionals, wellness practitioners, nutritionists, sleep specialists and behavioural coaches work together on long-term guest outcomes.
Longevity tourism introduces a powerful new economic layer within Saudi Arabia’s visitor economy. Longevity guests stay longer, spend more, require multidisciplinary services and generate sustained repeat visitation through long-term programmes. They support secondary ecosystems spanning diagnostics, nutrition science, fitness technology, regenerative medicine, genomics, beauty and digital health data.
Rather than simply filling hotel rooms, longevity tourism builds a parallel health-driven visitor economy aligned with prevention, quality of life and productivity.
Perhaps the most important implication of Saudi Arabia’s pivot toward longevity is philosophical. The Kingdom’s tourism model is evolving away from spectacle-driven consumption toward meaning-driven destination design: culture over hedonism, regeneration over volume, silence over stimulation, healthspan over age.
In this sense, Saudi Arabia is not adopting longevity as a trend. It is embedding longevity thinking into the architecture of future cities, medical systems and tourism ecosystems.
Longevity will not mature overnight. Previous waves of the wellness economy took years to stabilise into structured global markets. Yet the pace of change is accelerating, and the opportunity window is now open.
As institutions such as Clinique La Prairie, Jayasom and Six Senses reshape global expectations of what wellness now means, Saudi Arabia is positioning itself not as a follower, but as a platform where the future of longevity tourism will be built, tested and scaled.
Longevity, viewed through a wellness lens, is no longer a niche. It is becoming one of the most powerful forces reshaping global travel — and Saudi Arabia is placing itself firmly at its centre.
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Photo top of page: Patrick Schneider
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Read also: Wellness in Saudi Arabia: the inside line from GWI’s Susie Ellis
