Hi besties,
I'm writing this week's intro from the Banyan Tree, where Cameron (my husband) and I have escaped for a one-night staycation. With three small children, proper time together is hard to come by, so we've got quite good at booking these. (Although, if I'm honest, the promise of a Saturday lie-in is also a fairly major selling point!)
Dubai staycations are something I never appreciated until we lived here. You can be 20 minutes from home and feel like you've properly gone away. The Banyan Tree is one of our favourites because it works just as well with the kids as without them. (Although on this occasion, very happily without 😂)
Sticking with the theme, Cameron and I also went to Dr.stretch in Dubai Hills Mall this week. It's an hour of assisted stretching with people who really know their anatomy, and I always leave feeling like I've reached places no amount of stretching on my own, or even a yin class, quite manages.
And speaking of finding the good stuff: Abu Dhabi, we're coming for you 🤍.
We're officially starting to try, test and share more wellness spots in the capital, and after asking on Instagram this week for the places you'd only tell your best friend about, the list is already growing. Keep them coming. We want the studios, practitioners, treatments and hidden gems genuinely worth knowing about.
Fittingly, this week's Sunday Spotlight is in Abu Dhabi too. BRRN BARRE, already a favourite of ours in Dubai, opened there this summer, and one of our Abu Dhabi ambassadors headed along to the launch. Her full verdict is below.
And if that wasn't enough, this week's Wellness Wire is HUGE. Bryan Johnson's Blueprint is officially landing in the GCC, Oura filing for IPO, HYROX being snapped up by luxury money, Four Seasons launching a longevity voyage at sea (bucket list, firmly), and Apple quietly buying the tech to read your brain through your AirPods. Add Eight Sleep offering to tell us our biological age (no thank you 😂), brain-tracking wearables giving us serious Black Mirror vibes, and new research on exactly why exercise makes our brains feel better.. safet to say it's a packed, but rather excellent, one.
Plenty to get into. Enjoy the Drop.
With love (and hopefully a lie-in),
Katie x
📍 BRRN Barre, Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, things are heating up 🔥
BRRN Barre landed in the capital this summer and, if barre is your thing, you’ll want this one on your radar. One of our Abu Dhabi ambassadors was invited along to the launch to experience it firsthand - and safe to say, the burn is very real.
The concept takes everything we love about traditional barre - tiny pulses, isometric holds, controlled movements and that infamous muscle shake - and turns up the intensity with heat, cardio and more dynamic sequences.
Classes are designed to sculpt and strengthen while getting your heart rate up, using a mix of bodyweight and light resistance. Expect your glutes, thighs, core and arms to ALL know about it afterwards. It’s upbeat, sweaty and high-energy, without losing the precision that makes a really good barre class so effective.
And can we talk about the space? Sleek, polished and seriously aesthetic, with that boutique fitness feel that somehow makes getting yourself to class approximately 50% easier.
With barre and Pilates still firmly the ‘it’ workouts of the moment, BRRN feels very well timed. We love seeing more genuinely exciting wellness concepts popping up in the capital - and this is exactly why we’re starting to spend a lot more time exploring Abu Dhabi.
The Wellness Drop verdict 💧Hot, spicy and guaranteed to make you shake. If you love barre but want something with a little more fire, BRRN is absolutely one to add to your Abu Dhabi hit list. 🔥
This week’s wellness diary is looking rather good. We’ve got hormones and healthy desserts, cacao and kirtan, two very different reasons to head to ARTE MUSEUM on Saturday morning and a whole weekend of wellness shopping at Vera. Here’s what’s made our shortlist this week. 🤍
🧁 Hormones & Healthy Desserts: Adaye x Paus
Monday 14th September, 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Paus Club
PCOS education followed by a healthy dessert-making workshop? We’re listening. Dr Aarti Javeri-Mehta and Erika Hudacova will be talking cycle patterns, symptoms and the everyday habits that can make a difference, with plenty of opportunity to ask the questions you actually want answered. It’s also part of Adaye’s 90-day PCOS/PMOS Reset Challenge, so there’ll be lots more to discover while you’re there.
To register, sign up here
🔮 Crystal Ball Meditation
Thursday 17th September, 7:00 PM
Keyani Wellness Centre
Not fortune telling, before you ask. Nadia uses a crystal ball as a focal point for your gaze, breath and attention during this guided meditation. An interesting one if traditional meditation has never quite worked for you - and definitely something a little different for a Thursday evening.
To book, call 058 587 0799
🎶 Cacao & Kirtan
Friday 18th September, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
SEVA
Cacao first, kirtan next - and absolutely no requirement to be able to sing. Guided by harmonium and vocals, with violin and guitar joining in, this is less about how you sound and more about the feeling of making music together. If you’ve always been curious about kirtan but felt slightly intimidated by it, this could be a lovely place to start.
For bookings and enquiries, click here
🌀 Immersive Sound Healing at ARTE MUSEUM
Saturday 19th September, 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
ARTE MUSEUM, Dubai Mall
A sound bath, but make it ARTE MUSEUM. This one takes sound healing into the museum’s immersive world of light and visuals, with museum access, HOCL goodies, refreshments and a photo booth included too. Definitely not your average Saturday morning sound bath. Use code SORRELLE30 for AED 30 off.
To book, click here
🧘♀️ AWAKE: Yoga Flow & Somatic Movement
Saturday 19th September, 8:30 AM – 9:45 AM
ARTE MUSEUM, Dubai Mall
If sound healing isn’t your thing, there’s another reason to head to ARTE MUSEUM on Saturday morning. AWAKE combines breath-led yoga with intuitive somatic movement while the visuals and sound shift around you. Yoga inside an immersive art exhibition? We’re intrigued.
To book, click here
🛍️ Vera Wellness Market
Saturday 19th – Sunday 20th September, 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Vera, Al Wasl Road, Jumeirah
Wellness, beauty, movement, creativity and plenty of local brands to discover, all under one roof for the weekend. Come for a browse, stay for an experience and inevitably leave with something you didn’t know you needed. We know how this goes.
For enquiries, DM @verawellness.ae
🎾 POWER & PLAY: Strength & Padel
Saturday 19th September, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
The Lob
Padel meets strength training for a Saturday afternoon that sounds right up our street. Girls Lift Girls, Adidas and The Lob are bringing women together for a padel lesson followed by a strenght workout, all on the same court. Perfect if you’ve been meaning to try padel but haven’t quite made it on to the court yet.
To book, click here
🍵 Tea Ceremony & 9D Full System Reset
Saturday 19th September, 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Samadhi Wellness
Tea ceremony followed by a 9D breathwork experience is definitely one of the more intriguing combinations we’ve come across this week. You’ll start by sharing tea and setting an intention before moving into an immersive breathwork journey using spatial sound, guided breathing and breath holds. If you’ve been curious about 9D breathwork, this could be an interesting one to try.
To book, click here
INDUSTRY TRENDS AND NEWS
🧠 The Behind-The-Ear Brain Tracker That's Giving Us Black Mirror Vibes
Atlas just opened preorders for its behind-the-ear brain-tracking wearable, designed to capture research-grade neural data during everyday life. Using motion-resilient EEG alongside movement, skin conductance and voice-vibration sensors, it tracks three live metrics: Presence, Stress and Energy Burn - building a personalised map of how you think, feel and perform, 24/7. The brain, it seems, is the next frontier of health tracking.
Our Take: We are absolutely, wholeheartedly, not ready for a device that reads our brain activity while we drive, eat and socialise. This is giving Black Mirror and we are a firm no. Fascinating technology. Absolutely not for us. 🙅♀️
Read More
💍 Oura Just Filed for IPO - and the Numbers Are Impressive
Oura's S-1 is officially public. The smart ring maker has filed for IPO, revealing $1.2B in revenue, 74% year-on-year growth and 5 million paid members. We've covered Oura's acquisition spree and platform ambitions extensively over the past year - and this filing confirms what the trajectory has been pointing to. The ring that started as a sleep tracker is now a health platform heading to the public markets.
Bottom Line: From sleep tracker to $1.2B health platform to IPO. Oura's glow-up has been something to watch. The real question now is what comes next - and whether the ambition matches the valuation the market gives it. 👀
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🏃♀️ We Called It - HYROX Is Officially in New Hands
We brought you the rumours a couple of months ago, and now it's confirmed. L Catterton has officially acquired Infront's majority stake in HYROX, with the brand reportedly valued at around $700M. The original founders return to the ownership group alongside L Catterton and WndrCo - the Jeffrey Katzenberg-led firm that's also backing other emerging fitness competition platforms. With 1.4M participants and 100+ events in the 2025/26 season, HYROX is becoming a genuine global sports platform - with Olympic ambitions on the horizon.
Punchline: We called it, besties. When luxury money started circling fitness formats, HYROX was always going to be the prize. What started as a niche hybrid race is now a $700M global platform. The glow-up is real. 🏃♀️
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😴 Eight Sleep Just Added a Biological Age Score - and We're Nervous
Eight Sleep - whose Pod we own and looove - has just launched a Biological Age feature in partnership with Bryan Johnson's $1M/year Immortals longevity programme. Using sleep data from the Pod alongside Apple Health and HealthEx integrations, it decodes physiological aging patterns and delivers a nightly biological age score. The app then coaches you to lower it.
Wellness Bestie Thoughts: We have an Eight Sleep. We have not turned this feature on. Between the small people who occasionally end up in our beds and the general chaos of life with young children, our sleep is... disrupted. Our biological age probably feels about 100. We are not ready to have that confirmed in an app. Maybe when the kids sleep through. 😂
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🌍 Valeo Health Brings Bryan Johnson's Blueprint to the GCC
Bryan Johnson's Blueprint - his data-driven longevity protocol built around science, nutrition, measurement and daily health practices - is coming to the GCC exclusively through Valeo Health. The partnership was just announced, with Blueprint set to be available across the region very soon. A big congratulations to the Valeo Health team on this - bringing one of the world's most talked-about longevity protocols to the region is no small thing, and we're proud to see a GCC-based health platform leading the way.
Our Take: Love him or find him a lot, Bryan Johnson is undeniably one of the most talked-about figures in health and longevity right now. Whatever your take on the man - and regular readers will know we've had some thoughts - Blueprint landing in the GCC is a big move for the region. Longevity is coming to our doorstep. And this is exactly why we're here - to make sure you have the context, the nuance and the right questions to ask before you sign up for anything. 👀
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🛥️ Four Seasons Just Launched a Longevity Voyage - and We Need to Be on It
Four Seasons Yachts has just debuted a personalised wellness programme aboard its inaugural ship, in collaboration with renowned longevity clinic Lanserhof. Guests can expect a fully integrated health and longevity experience at sea - diagnostics, personalised protocols, recovery and restoration, all with the Four Seasons level of service wrapped around it. Wellness travel just went to another level entirely.
Wellness Bestie thoughts: We've covered wellness cruises, wellness superyachts and wellness resorts - but Four Seasons partnering with one of Europe's most respected longevity clinics for a voyage at sea feels like the pinnacle of all of it. Bucket list. Firmly. 🛥️
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💍 The Hormone-Tracking Wearable You Wear as an Earring
Phira just launched what might be our favourite femtech product of the year - an earring-back wearable that captures thermal signals behind the ear to track women's health hormones including estrogen, LH and progesterone. Non-invasive, discreet and designed specifically around female biology, it's exactly the kind of innovation the women's health space has been waiting for.
Our Take: We've been following the hormone wearable space closely - we've already added Clair to our bucket list - but Phira doing it through an earring back is genuinely next level. No wrist strap, no ring, just something you're already wearing. Hormone tracking has never looked this good. 🩷
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🔮 TREND TO WATCH
🍎 Apple Is Coming for Your Brain and Muscles - Quietly
While everyone has been watching Oura file for IPO and Atlas launch brain-tracking earwear, Apple has been doing what Apple does best: quietly acquiring the technology that could change everything. A European filing just revealed that Apple acquired Sonera earlier this year - a company that built contactless sensors capable of measuring brain and muscle activity through the body's natural magnetic fields. No electrodes, no skin contact, no clunky hardware. Just sensors small enough to sit inside a watch or a pair of earbuds.
The use cases are genuinely exciting - controlling your devices with thought or muscle signals, real-time muscle health tracking, and accessibility breakthroughs for people who can't use traditional interfaces.
Our Take: We covered Apple falling behind in the health wearables race earlier this year - and this feels like the quiet counter move. While rivals raced to market, Apple bought the underlying technology. If this makes it into Apple Watch or AirPods, the game changes entirely. Classic Apple.
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🔬 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
💪 Why Exercise Makes You Feel Better - Scientists Just Found the Missing Link
We've known for a while that exercise helps with depression. What we haven't fully understood until now is exactly why. A new study published in Molecular Psychiatry has identified the biological pathway: when you exercise, your skeletal muscles produce a peptide hormone called apelin, which travels to the brain and enhances neuroplasticity in the hippocampus - helping the brain grow, adapt and reduce inflammation. Researchers are calling it the "muscle-brain axis." Exercise has already been shown to be 1.5x more effective than antidepressants for depression - and this discovery opens the door to biotech innovation, including potential "exercise pills" that could replicate these pathways for those who can't exercise.
Our Thoughts: Movement as medicine isn't a wellness cliché - it's biology. And now we know one of the key mechanisms behind it. If you ever needed a reason to get out for a walk when life feels heavy, here it is, written in a peer-reviewed journal. Your muscles are literally talking to your brain. Listen to them. 💪
Read The Study
