From oxygen-optimized homes and hotel rooms to screen-free entertainment zones, real estate and hospitality execs share the wellness trends set to dominate the market in 2026
Wellness real estate is about to look (and even sound) very different in 2026, but not in the ways most people expect.
Amid the growing number of consumers booking Pilates classes and popping longevity-focused supplements, it tracks that they’re now expecting their homes to support their health-oriented priorities, too.
Of course, fitness remains a focal point — and even major players like connected-fitness giant Peloton are leaning in. But a new set of ideas is starting to influence how residential and mixed-use buildings are designed and what “living well” really means, and they point to a future that goes well beyond a fully-equipped, state-of-the-art gym.
Here’s what developers and property teams say are the wellness-forward features taking hold in their newest upscale projects.
Oxygen-Optimized Living
In Colorado, altitude has morphed from an environmental challenge into a wellness feature. Although living high in the clouds can deliver stunning views, it presents a physiological hurdle. The issue with living and sleeping at high altitude comes down to one thing: oxygen. As elevation increases, the air becomes thinner and contains less available oxygen, leading to lower blood oxygen saturation, a primary trigger for difficulty sleeping and persistent fatigue.
Still, the backdrop of rugged mountains and pine trees is hard to resist, and developers are finding new ways to make high-altitude living comfortable and wellness-focused.
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Telluride, a luxury residential project in the popular former mining town, sits 8,750 feet above sea level and is among the first of its kind in North America to install in-home oxygenation systems throughout every residence and hotel room, meant to counteract altitude effects and improve oxygen efficiency, sleep and recovery.
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Telluride (credit: Binyan Studios)
“We’re always looking for ways to more closely align our residential experience with how people actually want to live,” said Dev Motwani, Merrimac Ventures president and CEO, who is developing Four Seasons Resort and Residences Telluride alongside Fort Partners. “There’s growing interest in wellness-focused home design, especially in mountain destinations, and I think in-home oxygenation systems will become a key part of that trend.”
The project, which is slated to open in 2028, also features an indoor pool, a spa with multiple treatment rooms, a silent Relaxation Lounge, a Thermal Lounge with a steam room, bio-sauna, Jacuzzi, cold plunge and a wellness studio offering treatments designed to support recovery.
“Today’s luxury buyer cares about wellness, recovery and the ability to enjoy the mountain lifestyle without limits, and they expect that elevated standard from the Four Seasons,” Motwani said. “This is an amenity that feels both indulgent and incredibly practical — available in the hotel rooms and residences alike — and it’s setting a new benchmark for what it means to live well at high altitude.”
Movement Becomes Social
Pickleball’s hold on America hasn’t loosened, and now developers are building courts into residential properties to give buyers guaranteed access, circumventing waitlists and public-court chaos.
At The Windsor, pickleball sits alongside sound bathing and padel as part of a wellness strategy built around longevity and connection.
“Wellness today is as much about connection and mindfulness as it is about movement, and we’re seeing strong enthusiasm for programming that embodies these values,” Windsor marketing director Jane Smalley said.
The Windsor (credit: NQS Creative)
The private sport club and residential community in Vero Beach is gearing up to open new courts in spring 2026, while an upcoming Fitness and Wellness Centre (featuring dedicated studios for cardio, strength and flexibility training, along with sauna, steam and spa treatment rooms) is slated for completion in late 2027.
“From social sports like pickleball and padel that bring people of all ages together, to restorative experiences like sound bathing, we’re integrating wellness into every aspect of life at Windsor while evolving with our members’ focus on longevity and holistic living,” Smalley added.
A Course Correction on Screens
As phone-free classrooms take off and researchers raise new alarms about youth screen time, developers are responding with an unexpected amenity: analogue playrooms, where retro game setups like Pop-a-Shot, Ms. Pac-Man and billiards are replacing the default flat-screen lounge in some new buildings.
At Sutton Tower, a residential skyscraper in New York City’s Midtown East, and 96+Broadway, a condominium residency on the Upper West Side, such rooms are built to encourage real-world, screen-free engagement – a shift many parents welcome.
Sutton Tower Game Room (credit: REPN)
Notably, it’s a concept that harkens back to Global Wellness Institute (GWI) research director Beth McGroarty’s prediction that 2025 would kickstart the “great logging off,” or what she calls “analog wellness.”
Now, that idea is beginning to take shape even within residential development.
“At JVP Development, we create spaces that bring people together and make everyday life feel richer and more connected,” said Van Nguyen of JVP Development, developer of Sutton Tower and 96+Broadway. “At Sutton Tower and 96+Broadway, we wanted the amenity spaces to reflect how families and communities actually live today.”
96+Broadway (credit: Evan Joseph)
Sutton Tower features a game room that emphasizes shared play and in-person interaction, while 96+Broadway’s entertainment lounge reimagines the modern gathering space as a lively extension of home.
“Each property has its own personality, but both were created with the same goal: to foster a genuine sense of community and support a lifestyle rooted in balance, connection and well-being,” Nguyen said.
Sound Becomes a Wellness Essential
The tinkling of chimes, the atmospheric ring of glass bowls and the low thrum of gongs are no longer reserved for people in Birkenstocks.
Sound bath meditations (sessions where people gather to relax their bodies and minds through subtle vibrations) have become one of the hottest activities in wellness.
They’re also among the most consistent community drivers at mixed-use luxury condominium Brooklyn Point and the luxury residential skyscraper One Manhattan Square, where weekly sessions have developed their own devoted followings.
“At One Manhattan Square and Brooklyn Point, we activate our amenity spaces to help foster long-term communities with our residents, and the sound bath meditations have surely played a pivotal role in that,” said Bryan Grandison, director of lifestyle services at Extell Development, the company behind both properties.
Brooklyn Point (credit: Extell Development)
“We implemented sound bath meditations at both properties in 2021 to enhance our wellness offerings and programming, and the response has been incredible,” he added. “Both properties have a core group of attendees, many of whom have built friendships with each other as well as plan their schedules around our sessions. Some have even hired our practitioner privately to host their own sessions with friends and family within our amenity spaces.”
The success at both buildings has also led the group to implement sound bath meditations at its newly completed 50 West 66th Street on the Upper West Side, where sessions are now offered monthly.
“The resident response so far has also been fantastic,” Grandison said. “Overall, the sound bath meditations have been a great way for our residents to decompress at the end of the day, and so long as they continue to be popular among our residents, we will keep hosting them.”
