Hi besties,
Katie here 👋🏻 and I’m officially back in Dubai after two very lovely weeks in Corfu. It was our first time on the island and I can HIGHLY recommend it - plus you can fly direct from Dubai, which when you’re travelling with three small children makes a huge difference 😂. If anyone is planning a trip and wants recommendations, just reply to this email - very happy to share.
Although apparently I wasn’t quite ready for normal life, because Harriet and I kicked off the week with a 24-hour biohacking staycation with two of our best friends. Obviously we packed half our Rejuv kit - red light, PEMF mat, vagus nerve stimulator, all the skincare - and basically spent 24 hours eating well, biohacking, laughing and actually sleeping. Turns out wholesome girls’ trips might be my favourite kind. You can see what we got up to here.
I’ve also been catching up on podcasts and particularly loved Dr Chesnut’s episode on EMPWR. He’s a plastic surgeon with a really interesting approach to aesthetics, and I loved hearing his thoughts on regenerative treatments and working with your own biology. He’s also a big advocate of PRF, which I was very pleased to hear given I recently tried it myself - you can see my experience here.
And now? I’m firmly in back-to-school, back-to-routine mode. Supplements are back out, Symprove is back every morning (my post-holiday stomach is very grateful), and I am VERY happy to be back in the gym. Two weeks of feta and rosé were wonderful, but I was ready 😂.
As for this week’s Drop, September is clearly wasting no time. There’s free HYROX, a sauna party, giant gongs and possibly the best Pilates gifting we’ve seen in a while. Harriet is sharing her experience of Pravilo for this week’s Sunday Spotlight - and over in The Wellness Wire, we’re looking at everything from dream-hacking wearables and the rise of family wellness clubs to why the next generation might actually be more sceptical of wellness hype than the rest of us.
Plus, some really interesting new research into psilocybin-assisted therapy for treatment-resistant depression.
Right, let’s get into it…
Love,
Katie x
Okay, wellness bestie, you've seen it on Instagram - someone strung up on a wooden frame, twisted and thrown around like they've wandered into Christian Grey's dungeon. Equal parts torture device and circus act, and naturally the internet cannot get enough of it.
That's Pravilo, an old Slavic body practice, and Pramas in Nad Al Sheba is where Dubai does it best.
You know how this goes by now - a trend blows up online, and we go try it so you don't have to wonder if it's worth your Sunday. This one absolutely was. It surprised me in ways I genuinely wasn't ready for.
The space
Let's start with the setting, because it deserves it. Pramas has no business looking the way it does - walk in and you'd swear you'd landed in Bali. Yes, the frames still have that torture-chamber silhouette, but they're set against huge windows looking out over open grass. There are sound healing rooms, meditation spaces, the whole thing built with real care. It's peaceful, it's beautiful, and it resets you before you've even started.
Inside the session
I worked with my instructor, Janara, and honestly, she won me over before we even got near the frame. She took real time to sit with me first - talking through what Pravilo is, why it works, what it does to the body. She also practices Gestalt therapy, and explained the overlap between the two: Pravilo isn't just stretching, it's teaching your body back into symmetry.
That care showed up in the smallest details, too. I'd turned up wearing bracelets that couldn't be taken off - the kind that screw closed - and she immediately said that meant no intense work while I had them on, because it could hurt my wrist and shock my nervous system. She knew I was there to film, knew it would end up in The Wellness Drop, and she still slowed everything down to keep me safe. That's the kind of practitioner you want your hands in.
My first session, we didn't even really get to the frame. We spent most of it talking, with Janara reading the symmetry of my body, then easing me through slow stretches to elongate it. No dramatic swinging, just quiet, careful groundwork. It felt less like a workout and more like being properly seen.
The second session is where it cracked open. We went deeper this time - around ten minutes suspended on each side. It looks gentle from the outside. It is not. Not painful exactly, but deeply uncomfortable in a way you can't hide from. A full lesson in surrender, in staying present when every instinct is telling you to brace.
Janara stayed tuned in the entire time, checking in, asking if I needed breaks, holding the space as much as she was holding my body. When I finally released after a few minutes of breathing, I just bawled like a baby, because my body obviously had so much to release.
More than an Instagram trend
The physical case for Pravilo is genuinely strong, especially if you carry spinal issues. Janara also talked me through how the increase in blood circulation can support insulin resistance and hormonal imbalance - real physiology underneath the viral visuals.
But the deeper value for me wasn't physical at all. It was handing over trust completely, being fully present in a body I don't always take time to inhabit. The session was booked for 90 minutes; Janara gave me closer to two hours, and I barely felt a minute of it pass.
Pravilo is one of the most surprising things I've tried in Dubai, and I'll absolutely be back.
The Wellness Drop verdict: Worth the hype, and worth the surrender.
September is coming in strong. Free HYROX, Pilates with possibly the best gifting we’ve seen in a while, a sauna party, giant gongs and golden-hour sculpting 52 floors above DIFC. There’s a lot happening this week - here’s what’s made our shortlist. 🤍
🌬️ Shamanic Breathwork
Monday 31st August, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Tuesday 1st September, 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM & 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Keyani Wellness
One for anyone who likes their breathwork to go a little deeper. Connected breathing and chakra-attuned music are used to help you switch off from the outside noise and explore what might be going on underneath it all. Go with an open mind.
For bookings:
31st August: Click here
1st September AM: Click here
1st September PM: Click here
🏋️ ARKHE HYROX Training Club Opening Day
Tuesday 1st September, 6:30 AM & 6:30 PM
ARKHE, Dubai Marina
HYROX regulars and HYROX-curious, this one’s for you. ARKHE is opening its new Training Club with two complimentary sessions, plus the chance to nose around the performance gym and recovery spaces and meet the team. A very good excuse to see what all the HYROX fuss is about if you haven’t already.
To register, click here
🔔 Centered & Balanced: Gong Sound Healing
Tuesday 1st September, 7:15 PM – 8:30 PM
Bay View Tower, Dubai
Five gongs - including one of the largest in the world - definitely got our attention. Lie back, let the vibrations do their thing and give your brain 75 minutes where absolutely nothing is required of it. Sounds rather good to us.
To book, click here
☕ Lyne Studio Opening
Saturday 5th September
Oxford Gardens, Al Barsha
A brand-new wellness studio is opening its doors, so naturally we want a look around. Expect opening-weekend activities, prizes and free coffee. Pop in, have a nose around and be one of the first to try the new space.
To book, DM @lynedubai
Or find them on the MINDBODY app
🌿 The Art of Stillness
Saturday 5th September, 8:30 AM – 12:45 PM
Terra, Expo City Dubai
September is officially back-to-everything season, so four hours dedicated to doing the exact opposite sounds pretty appealing. Expect a morning of movement, mindfulness and creativity inside Terra, designed to help you slow the pace before real life gets properly going again.
To book, click here
🎁 HOS at Le Guepard: Pilates Session
Saturday 5th September, 9:00 AM
Alserkal Avenue
Possibly the most generous Pilates class we’ve seen in a while. Alongside your ladies-only mat session, your wrap top, ankle weights, hand weights, resistance band AND grip socks are all yours to take home. Plus there’s a drink afterwards. We’re just saying… the girl maths is looking pretty good here.
To book, click here
🔥 The Contrast Collective: LOAM x Rejuven8 Sauna Party
Saturday 5th September, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Rejuven8, Dubai Marina
Saturday night plans, wellness edition. Think sauna rounds, cold plunges, mushroom elixirs and a DJ, with phones put away so you actually have to talk to people. Socialising while alternating between extreme temperatures? Weirdly, we’re very into it.
To book, click here
🌇 Sculpt on the 52nd
Sunday 6th September, 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Horizon 52 + 1920, ICD Brookfield Place, DIFC
Golden-hour Pilates on the 52nd floor followed by canapés, dinner vibes and vinyl at the speakeasy next door. AED 250 includes a 45-minute microformer class, eight canapés and your evening at 1920. Very DIFC. Very Sunday. And actually a pretty brilliant way to finish the weekend.
To book, download the G8TS App
INDUSTRY TRENDS AND NEWS
⌚ The Fitbit Founders Just Built a Wearable for Your Ageing Parents
The co-founders of Fitbit are back - and this time they're solving a deeply personal problem. Luffu, their new company, just announced the Luffu Link: a screenless, jewellery-like wearable designed to help families coordinate care for ageing parents and vulnerable family members. It tracks location, activity, sleep and heart rate, supports voice logging for medications, meals and mood, and connects directly to trusted family members via cellular - no phone needed. An accompanying AI app organises the data, spots long-term patterns and surfaces what needs attention in real time. Available for preorder now at $250, launching in the US in early 2027. No international rollout dates confirmed yet - but one we'll be watching closely.
Our Take: As someone who recently lost a parent who needed full-time care towards the end of their life, this one hits. Technology can never replace human connection and presence - but something that helps families stay informed, coordinated and just a little less alone in that process? That matters more than I can say. Hoping this comes to markets outside the US soon. 🤍
Read More
🤍 The Neutrogena Story That Has Everyone Talking
Following the sudden and heartbreaking passing of Hayden Panettiere at 36, fans resurfaced claims she made in her memoir earlier this year - that Neutrogena terminated her long-standing contract after she spoke publicly about her postpartum depression in 2015, invoking a "morals clause." The backlash was swift, with calls for a boycott and Kenvue's stock dropping. When Neutrogena finally responded, acknowledging it "made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time" and pledging investment in postpartum care, the internet wasn't particularly moved - the response felt too slow, too corporate, and too late.
Our Take: This is a story about values. The brands that will win in this new world are the ones whose values are real - not crisis-managed, not reactive, not written in a statement after the fact. Consumers can feel the difference. And as this week has shown, they will not forget it.
Read More
😴 The Device That Wakes You Up Inside Your Dream
Here's a number that stopped us: woken during a dream, you remember it around 80% of the time. Woken just minutes later, that drops to 7%. Across a lifetime, dreaming adds up to roughly six years of experience - almost all of it gone by breakfast. Muse has just launched Dream Recall in beta - an EEG headband that reads brain activity directly and times your wake-up to a dream so it's still there when you open your eyes. Auto-Snooze holds you at the edge of sleep so you can drift back in, and a sound cue can travel with you into the dream itself. The science is compelling - dreaming about a task improves performance tenfold, the edge of sleep triples creative problem solving, and suppressing REM for even one night measurably worsens mood. Otto Loewi said his Nobel Prize-winning experiment arrived in a dream. Paul McCartney has said the same about Yesterday. Those survived for one reason: someone woke up close enough to write them down.
Bottom Line: We covered dream engineering as a trend earlier this year - and this feels like the consumer version arriving in real time. Fascinating stuff. We'd love to try it - unfortunately we get woken up by tiny people at 5am, so we'll revisit when the time is right. 😴
Read More
🔥 Tony Robbins Is Back in Dubai - and This Time It's a First for the GCC
Tony Robbins is returning to the Coca-Cola Arena on 24th April 2027 - but this one is different. BREAKTHROUGH, his flagship transformational experience, is coming to the GCC for the very first time, in a version created specifically for the Middle East. The four-hour immersive arena experience is built around leadership, business growth and personal performance - large-scale visuals, music, guided exercises, live coaching moments and storytelling designed to challenge how you make decisions, set standards and lead your life. Pre-sale is open now with Bronze tickets starting at AED 999.
Our Take: Tony Robbins is, let's be honest, a touch marmite - you either love him or you don't. But there's no denying the energy at his events is unlike anything else, and for those who are fans, this is a genuinely exciting first for the region. Do your research, make your own call, and if you're going - we'd love to hear what you think.
Tickets: coca-cola-arena.com
🏡 The Members Club That Gives Parents a Workout and Kids a World
OurHouse - the UK-based family-focused members club formerly known as Little Houses Group - just raised £100M from Blackstone to open three London sites in 2027, with 14,000+ families already on the waitlist. The concept is beautifully simple: childcare, workshops and indoor/outdoor play for the kids, while parents get access to gyms, pools, Pilates studios and coworking spaces - all under one roof. "Me time" and "we time" at the same address. It's part of a wider shift toward family-first social wellness clubs - NYC's The Beginning is reframing the country club around family life, while Purple Dragon and Cocoon are creating dedicated enrichment spaces for families to play, learn and connect.
Our Take: This makes particular sense in the UK, where the social care infrastructure has always been more stretched. But honestly? A space built entirely around quality family time - where parents can genuinely recharge while kids are enriched, all in one beautiful setting - feels like something Dubai would absolutely embrace. We cannot wait for something like this to land here.
Read More
🔮 TREND TO WATCH
💊 The Next Generation Is Pushing Back on Wellness Hype
Here's something that might surprise you: the generation growing up surrounded by biohacking and looksmaxxing culture is pushing back against it. 72% of Gen Z and Alpha are against GLP-1s, a majority reject grey-market peptides, nearly a quarter can't name a single wellness influencer they trust, and over 80% turn to doctors rather than social media for health information. But they're not exactly disengaged either..They're spending on healthy food, gym memberships, supplements and skincare. One in four young women sees skin as a sign of overall health. 62% are interested in red light therapy. Sleep is a top health metric, with 57% owning or considering a wearable. They're just doing wellness on their own terms - with more scepticism, more clinical grounding and less appetite for hype.
Our Take: On one hand, we love this. A generation pushing back against unregulated supplements and social media health hype is genuinely encouraging. On the other hand, we can't help but think: these are basically kids. Do they really need to be checking their HRV at 14? Let them stay up too late and eat cereal for dinner. The optimisation era can wait. 🌿
Read More
🔬 RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
🍄 Psilocybin Just Passed Its First NHS Trial - and the Results Are Striking
A landmark study published in Nature Medicine has delivered some of the most compelling evidence yet for psilocybin-assisted therapy in treating depression that hasn't responded to conventional treatment. The first randomised, placebo-controlled trial of its kind delivered within the NHS, it gave 60 adults with treatment-resistant depression - people who had lived with the condition for an average of 20 years - a single 25mg dose of synthetic psilocybin alongside structured psychological support. By week six, 50% of those in the psilocybin group met response criteria, and 40% achieved full remission. In the placebo group? Just 3%. No serious adverse events were recorded.
Punchline: This is a small feasibility trial and larger studies are needed - but the effect sizes are striking, and delivering this within a public healthcare setting matters enormously for what comes next. We covered Eli Lilly's $3.8B bet on psychedelic medicine earlier in this edition and this is the science behind why. One in three people with depression don't respond to conventional treatment. This research could be genuinely life-changing for them. We're eagerly watching how this plays out over the next few years.
Read the study
