Froyo, sleep divorce & a tapping device your therapist already knows about

Hi besties,

Big news from our end this week - The Connected Collective, Harriet's much-loved retreat brand (you might remember the beautiful escapes to Ibiza, Oman and beyond), is officially moving under The Wellness Drop umbrella, becoming The Wellness Drop Retreats. The Connected Collective built its name on ultra-luxury, transformational and holistic retreats, and while that spirit isn't going anywhere, we're excited to also introduce retreats closer to home too - think movement-focused getaways alongside our more traditional offerings, plus collaborations with some incredible wellness practitioners. Lots of different ways to come away with us, so watch this space and make sure you're following us over at The Wellness Drop Retreats.

First up under the new name is The Art of Being - our Joali Being Women's Wellness Retreat, taking place 22nd-25th October at the world's first wellbeing island, genuinely as bucket-list as it sounds. We've got just two rooms left (sharing or single), so if you'd like the details, simply reply to this email and we'll send everything over.

And fear not - all of the community wellness events that used to sit under The Connected Collective will be moving across too. Some exciting news dropping on that soon, so stay tuned, besties.

Now, onto this week's Wellness Wire - a genuinely good one. We've got a pillow that promises to end "sleep divorce" (truly, the most 2026 phrase we've ever heard), tapping devices trusted by thousands of EMDR therapists for calming your nervous system in under 60 seconds, plus a fresh round of product launches worth knowing about.

With love (already dreaming of Joali Being),

🍦 Oia, Greek Frozen Yoghurt, Springs Souk

Calling all fro-yo fans - a few weeks back, we covered the rise of functional frozen yoghurt in the Wellness Wire, and why Greek yoghurt is having such a moment (hello, protein - it’s basically dessert that’s actually doing you some good). So many of you wrote in to let us know it had landed in Dubai. There’s MYKA in Dubai Mall, but even more excitingly for us, a brand new Santorini-inspired Greek yoghurt spot, Oia, has opened much closer to home in Springs Souk. Naturally, we had to go and check it out.

It’s a gorgeous little café - friendly staff, genuinely authentic feel, and honestly, just great. There are four flavours to choose from: natural, mango, cocoa and velvet. We went for natural, piled high with toppings - think nuts, pistachios, crumble, fruit and drizzles. The kids, unsurprisingly, went straight for mango and chocolate, and it got the seal of approval from everyone at the table.

One of the best bits? You can take it away too. We grabbed some on the way to a friend’s for lunch, and it went down an absolute storm as dessert with kids and adults alike. Haven’t tried the coffee yet, but we hear that’s excellent too.

Our Thoughts: When we were in London, there was a queue around the block for one of these Greek yoghurt spots - so having this on our doorstep, no queuing required, feels like a genuine win. Us Brits love a queue, but we’re not mad about skipping this one. Big thumbs up - we’ll be regulars.

Oia Frozen Greek Yoghurt, First Floor - Springs Souk Mall

August might be in full summer mode still, but Dubai’s wellness calendar certainly isn’t slowing down. This week we’re running indoors, journalling over sound baths, talking about ageing over matcha and even playing padel with a Burj Khalifa view. Plenty of very good reasons to leave the AC (or, in some cases, stay firmly inside it).

🏃 Dubai Mallathon
Every day until mid-September, 6:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Across eight Dubai malls
Dubai has turned eight of its malls into indoor walking and running tracks for summer, and honestly, we’re very here for it. It’s completely free, with community runs and special events popping up along the way. A very Dubai solution to getting your steps in when it’s 40 degrees outside.
For more details, click here

🧊 The Full Reset
Daily until 23rd August, 7:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Samadhi Wellness, Jumeirah 3
If Samadhi has been sitting on your list, this is a very good excuse to finally try it. First-time visitors can experience a yoga class, pool access, sauna and ice bath for AED 77 as part of Dubai Summer Surprises. A lot of wellness for AED 77, if you ask us.
DM @samadhimywellness for more information

🎾 Padel & Dine
Until 31st August
Dusit Thani Dubai
Padel with a Burj Khalifa view followed by lunch? Get it in the group chat. AED 360 gets four of you a 90-minute court booking plus an AED 200 dining voucher for Jones The Grocer. A pretty good summer plan when you want to do something active and social.
DM @dusitthanidubai for more information

🏃‍♀️ Community Run
Thursday 20th August, 5:30 AM – 6:45 AM
Feels, Kite Beach
Yes, 5:30 AM is early. But running before Dubai wakes up, with good company and coffee nearby afterwards, definitely makes it more appealing. The Uncommon Club welcomes all levels, whether you’re chasing a PB or just fancy moving and meeting some new people.
To book, sign up here

🧘 Trance Healing Meditation
Thursday 20th August, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Keyani Wellness Centre
One for anyone curious to go a little deeper than their usual meditation. The session combines trance healing, higher consciousness and energy work for an experience that’s definitely a little more spiritual than your average Thursday evening. Go with an open mind.
Call 058 587 0799 to book

🎶 Slow Sessions: Sound + Journalling
Saturday 22nd August, 9:00 AM
PAUS Club
Sound healing followed by creative gratitude journalling feels like a pretty lovely Saturday morning combination. You’ll use words, stickers and images to reflect on the little things you’re grateful for — no perfectly curated journal (or artistic ability) required.
To book, sign up here

🌙 The Wind Down with ALO
Saturday 22nd August, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
HWH Studio Delano
Yin yoga and guided breathwork on a Saturday evening sounds like a very good antidote to a busy week. Expect an hour of slower movement and proper switch-off time, with some lovely ALO gifting to take home afterwards too.
To book, click here

🍵 Matcha Mornings
Sunday 23rd August, 11:00 AM
PAUS Club
Matcha and an honest conversation about ageing well — and not just the latest anti-ageing treatment. This one looks at what it actually means to embrace getting older, beyond beauty standards and the constant pressure to stay young. A conversation we’d genuinely like to sit in on.
To book, sign up here

🎨 Paint & Swap
Sunday 23rd August, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Riina, Meadows Village
Such a fun concept. Every ten minutes your canvas gets passed to someone else around the table, so by the end you’ve created something together. No painting skills required — just a good excuse to get creative, meet some new people and do something completely different with your Sunday afternoon.
To book, click here

 INDUSTRY TRENDS AND NEWS

🤲 These Tapping Devices Are Trusted By 3,000+ EMDR Therapists, and Now Anyone Can Use Them
Wevana has launched wireless handheld Tabs that deliver alternating vibrations to both hands - a technique called bilateral stimulation, which sits at the heart of EMDR therapy, one of the most widely used approaches for processing stress and trauma. It works by easing the fight-or-flight response, and until now, the tools behind it were largely clunky, wired and clinic-only. Wevana's version is compact, Bluetooth-connected and pairs with a free app for customisable, guided sessions. It's priced at $249 and already trusted by more than 3,000 EMDR therapists.
Our Thoughts: What makes this one stand out is the clinical trust behind it - this isn't just another wellness gadget claiming to calm your nervous system, it's built on a therapeutic technique that thousands of EMDR practitioners already rely on daily. Worth a look if you're the type who's tried everything for stress and sleep and is still searching.
Read More

🛏️  This AI Pillow Wants to End Your "Sleep Divorce"
NoctIQ has launched a Smart Anti-Snore Pillow that uses AI sound detection to identify snoring in real time, then gently shifts head position using 12 sensors and 6 air chambers to reduce it - all via an ultra-quiet 10dB air pump. In validation studies, 94% of users saw less snoring, with an average 60% reduction. It's priced at $549.99 for the preorder bundle, HSA/FSA eligible, and comes with a 30-night trial.
Punchline: "Sleep divorce" is such a relatable (if not slightly sad) term for what a lot of couples are quietly doing already. lAnything that tackles the root cause rather than forcing one partner into earplugs or a spare room feels like a genuinely useful upgrade - this looks like a US-first launch for now, so just be prepared for international shipping and import costs if you're ordering from here.
Read More

📱 Fresha Just Launched an AI Receptionist for Salons and Spas
Fresha, the world's leading AI-powered booking platform for beauty and wellness, has launched Fresha Connect and AI Concierge - an always-on AI assistant that answers calls and messages, recommends treatments, manages bookings and handles reschedules, all using a business's live data (pricing, availability, client history). Each Concierge gets its own phone number and can be tailored in tone, style and even accent to match the brand. Early pilots reportedly showed better booking conversion and fewer no-shows, and it's now rolling out globally.
Our Thoughts: As a small business ourselves, we can absolutely see the appeal here - so much revenue quietly leaks out of missed calls and slow replies. It's a good reminder of how fast AI is embedding itself into the operational backbone of the wellness industry, not just the consumer-facing side.
Read More

🚪 A New Women-Only Wellness Club Just Opened in Knightsbridge, and It's Very Exclusive
Leréi, a private women-only members' club, has opened in London's Knightsbridge, designed for the area's high concentration of Ultra High Net Worth women. Membership is capped at 150, with monthly subscriptions starting at £1,000, and the club opened with over 60% of places already taken. Inside: a hydrothermal suite, longevity services including clinical genomic testing, EMSculpt and NAD+ therapies, a Japanese head spa, and classes spanning Lagree, aerial yoga and sound baths.
Zooming Out: There's clearly a real gap being filled here - culturally aligned, discreet, women-only wellness spaces are genuinely underserved. At £1,000+ a month for just 150 members, it’s certainly not “accesible” wellness - but it's an interesting case study in ultra-luxury positioning within wellness nonetheless.
Read More

🔮 TREND TO WATCH

💗 Intimate Wellness Goes Mainstream
plusOne has officially landed at Ulta Beauty in the US, putting intimate wellness - think products designed to support sexual health, comfort and pleasure - alongside the beauty and self-care brands shoppers already know and love. It might sound like a small retail move, but it signals something much bigger: sexual and intimate wellbeing is increasingly being treated as exactly that - wellbeing.
Our Thoughts: We're watching this one from afar for now, as the range isn't available here in the UAE, and given local cultural and regulatory context, it's unlikely we'll see anything quite like this on shelves closer to home anytime soon. Still, what caught our attention is the bigger shift happening globally around intimate wellness. From menopause and hormonal health to libido and sexual wellbeing, conversations that once happened behind closed doors are increasingly becoming part of mainstream wellness - and that's a conversation worth having, wherever you are. 
Read More

🔬 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

🧬 NAD+ Does A Lot More Than "Anti-Aging"
NAD+ is usually talked about as a longevity molecule, but new research digs into what's actually driving its decline. A KAUST study found that when cells sit in a more acidic environment - think inflammation, ageing tissue, or areas affected by disease - it drains their NAD+ levels, throws off their energy production, and makes them more stressed and unstable at a cellular level. In lab testing, giving cells a NAD+ precursor (a building block the body uses to make NAD+) topped levels back up and helped them cope better with that stress.
Our Thoughts: Worth noting this was cell-based lab research, not a human clinical trial, and it's authored by the study's own lead researcher - so it's more "here's what we found and why it matters" than independent verification. That said, it's a genuinely interesting reframe: instead of just asking "how do I boost NAD+," the more useful question might be "what's actually causing it to drain in the first place." Watch this space as more research follows.
Read the study