Aman Names Its First Maldives Resort — and Gives It a Wellness Island
Aman has named its first Maldives property Amanolu, a 52-key resort in Vaavu Atoll opening in 2028, built around a dedicated wellness island housing an Aman Spa and standalone Spa Houses. Sixteen branded residences each occupy their own private island, complete with 82-foot pools and personal boat berths — positioning Amanolu at the ultra-high-net-worth end of the market, distinct from the overwater-villa format that dominates the destination. For advisors, the two-year runway before opening is the commercial opportunity: client interest can be registered and residence-sale conversations started now, ahead of general inventory release. It also gives advisors a wellness-anchored alternative to pitch in a Maldives market where longevity and destination-spa infrastructure has lagged other luxury credentials. Expect allocation and preview-stay requests from Aman's trade team to build as 2028 approaches.
GWI: Spas Are Reclaiming Their Clinical Mandate
New Global Wellness Institute figures put spa-sector revenue at roughly $157 billion in 2024, up from $47 billion in 2007 — a 7.4% compound annual growth rate — inside a wellness economy GWI projects will reach $9.8 trillion by 2029. The analysis argues spas are shifting back toward the medical treatment models they held a century ago, with clinical positioning displacing pure leisure amenity as the sector's primary growth driver. The practical takeaway for advisors is pricing power: programs built around diagnostics, longevity protocols and medically supervised treatment — the SHA Wellness, Lanserhof and Clinique La Prairie tier — sit on a structurally expanding category rather than a niche add-on, and can now be sold and upsold against harder revenue data than in past cycles.
Bathhouse and Thermal Operators Plan a Multi-Site Build-Out
A GWI Hydrothermal Initiative survey of 43 bathhouse and thermal-wellness operators finds 65% expect to run multiple locations within three years, up from just 10 of 43 today. Mature operators — open five years or more — report average monthly revenue above $300,000, and most sites reach positive cash flow within a year. The signal for advisors is supply: a wave of new bookable thermal and hydrothermal inventory is coming that can be bundled into spa itineraries alongside established anchors. GWI's caveat is worth passing on to clients too — newer, fast-scaling operators may not yet match the treatment consistency and staffing depth of longer-established players, so vetting matters more than brand novelty when building these into a program.