When it comes to living well, we’re all hoping to maintain a higher quality of life for a longer period of time. Wellness is no longer a temporary pursuit only sought out on luxury vacations. Instead, we hope to find it 365 days a year. That’s why it’s no surprise that, according to GWI’s 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor, the world wellness economy is worth $6.8 trillion and is forecast to reach $9.8 trillion by 2029.

Pursuing health is part of our everyday life, and a new generation of residential developments redefine luxury living by embedding holistic wellness, longevity, and community directly into the foundation of where people live. Wellness islands embody this mentality.

New wellness islands include medical-grade services, restorative design that builds social connection, high-end amenities of fitness and spa culture, and sustainability. To create these residential developments, often isolated in warm weather locations, developers are combining the getaway feel of a high-end hotel with the amenities of luxury real estate and placing these sprawling estates in tropical areas. 

Here is a look at three upcoming wellness islands that will change the real estate game going forward. 

Fahid Island: The World’s First Residential Wellness Island

At the forefront of wellness islands is Fahid Island, from the United Arab Emirates-based developer, Aldar. The company recently unveiled a master plan to turn Fahid Island into the world’s first Fitwel-certified wellness island at a development cost of $10.8 billion. Measuring 2.7 square miles in Abu Dhabi, it has almost 7 miles of coastline and will be a wellness sanctuary, offering visitors and residents easy access to the water. 

With 30% of the land on the island dedicated to natural spaces, the property will include lush vegetation, gardens, and green trails. The space will include the landscaped Berm Park and will create a visual and acoustic buffer from the surroundings. A wellness and fitness corridor with running tracks, three cycling routes, water stations, fitness nodes, and shaded rest areas creates an invigorating environment that promotes healthy living. 

In the creation of Fahid Island, we see the transition from wellness as something that’s simply a temporary visit for luxury tourism to full-time living.

“While consumers have long engaged in ‘health tourism,’ we’re seeing home buyers become even more motivated by holistic wellbeing in all areas of life, suggesting ‘health house buying’ and ‘health relocation’ could become a wider trend over the next few years,” Jonathan Emery, CEO of Aldar Development, told Spa Business.

The plan has been so successful so far, Aldar is already planning The Wilds, a new wellness-focused community coming to Dubai, designed to immerse residents in nature while promoting sustainability and wellbeing.

Olara Residences Spearheads South Florida’s Luxury Wellness Boom

In the United States, Florida’s coastline is the epicenter of the wellness island boom. With plenty of coastline to take advantage of, developers are eager to create residential islands that embrace a wellness-forward mentality with the same wellness features you’ll find abroad in the Middle East. That’s why Florida is where you’ll eventually find the Olara Residences, a two-tower, 26-story waterfront condominium development offering over 80,000 square feet of amenities. 

The project will take wellness a step further by giving residents exclusive membership access to Sollis Health services to attend to private, elevated urgent and emergency care needs. Residents can enjoy expansive fitness and spa facilities, a private marina, and multiple on-site dining concepts, including a forthcoming José Andrés Group restaurant that focuses on redefining wellness through both lifestyle and longevity. With planned features including an Olympic-size pool, open-air yoga deck, vitality pools, spa, co-working lounges, and a private residential marina, a healthy lifestyle is at every resident’s fingertips. 

The Future of Florida: The WELL Coconut Grove

Florida is already capitalizing on the wellness front with THE WELL Bay Harbor Islands. That is why they’re taking hold with their next development, THE WELL Coconut Grove, which will bring 194 wellness-centered residences to one of Miami’s most historic neighborhoods. 

 Designed by Arquitectonica with interiors by Meyer Davis, the project blends nature-inspired architecture, in-home wellness dens, a rooftop wellness oasis, and personalized health services — creating a deeply immersive ecosystem for holistic living. Every resident gets a dedicated team of experts across the entire wellness spectrum, including clinically trained physicians, lifestyle coaches, nutritionists, personal trainers, movement specialists, and consultants who all share the same desire to support residents on their journey to the mind, body, and spirit they’ve always wanted.

Set to be completed in 2028, there’s a 40,000-square-foot rooftop wellness oasis, a bath house with thermal experiences, crystal cave relaxation lounges, hyperbaric chambers, and a plant-filled conservatory.

“This development is for people who don’t just want a beautiful home,” Terra CEO Frank Martin told the Miami Herald. “They want a meaningful lifestyle.”

The fusion of wellness and luxury is the next wave of real estate that will change the world. The three previously mentioned developments aren’t finished yet. However, their development is just the tip of an iceberg that will usher in a new world of residential living that focuses on living well. Unlike typical housing, these properties provide exceptional medical care, a boon to an aging population looking to invest in real estate. 

From Fahid Island to the Olara Residences to THE WELL, the properties currently under construction are just a taste of a growing phenomenon. As their construction gets further underway, real estate insiders and developers should embrace the movement before it’s too late.