From sleep tech to elite gyms, wellness becomes luxury’s core pillar

The luxury industry's latest status symbol isn’t worn on the wrist — it’s tracked by sensors measuring sleep quality, heart rate variability, and recovery metrics. As Oura reaches an $11 billion valuation and Eight Sleep secures $100 million in fresh funding, the wellness technology sector is demonstrating that premium consumers increasingly value internal optimization over external display. This shift extends beyond individual products into a broader recalibration of luxury’s relationship with well-being. Bain & Company’s 2025 luxury study found that “experiences and emotions have become the true engine of luxury growth,” while wellness tourism is projected to expand from $1 trillion in 2025 to over $2 trillion by 2034, according to multiple industry forecasts. The convergence suggests wellness has evolved from a lifestyle category into a core pillar of luxury infrastructure. When recovery becomes refinement Oura’s Series E funding round in October 2025 valued the Finnish company at $11 billion — more than double its $5 billion valuation in December 2024. The smart ring maker has sold 5.5 million units since 2015, including 3 million in the past year alone. Revenue was projected to reach $1 billion in 2025, up from $500 million in 2024. The brand’s appeal lies in discretion and data. Unlike smartwatches that signal technological adoption, Oura’s minimalist titanium design prioritizes what founder Tom Hale calls “fit, fashion, and accuracy.” The ring monitors sleep stages, body temperature, and heart rate variability, translating biometric data into actionable recovery insights through an AI-powered interface. Corporate adoption has accelerated this positioning. Oura, Eight Sleep, Garmin, and Apollo Neuro have entered wellness programs at companies including Google, Microsoft, and Deloitte. The U.S. Department of Defense has distributed tens of thousands of Oura Rings to service members for fatigue tracking, though this represents a small portion of global revenue. Eight Sleep exemplifies similar dynamics in the sleep optimization category. The company raised $100 million in August 2025, bringing total funding to over $260 million. Its Pod mattress cover uses AI to adjust temperature in response to sleep cycles, drawing on analysis of over 1 billion hours of sleep data. Since launching the Pod in 2019, revenue has grown tenfold, with cumulative sales surpassing $500 million. The technology integrates with broader health monitoring. Eight Sleep’s Health Check feature tracks cardiovascular and respiratory patterns with up to 99% accuracy without requiring wearables. The company is pursuing FDA approval for sleep apnea and menopause-related applications, positioning the bed as a preventive health device. This wellness technology segment operates on a hybrid model: premium hardware paired with recurring subscriptions. Oura charges $5.99 monthly for full access to health insights, while Eight Sleep requires membership for temperature optimization features. The subscription layer, accounting for roughly 20% of Oura’s revenue, creates sustained engagement beyond one-time purchases. Sports viewership and marathon economics The sports attention economy demonstrates wellness culture at scale. The 2025 U.S. Open tennis tournament averaged 1.1 million viewers across ESPN networks, up 39% from 2024 and the highest viewership since 2022, according to Sports Media Watch. The men’s final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner drew 3 million viewers on ABC — an 82% increase year-over-year and the most-watched U.S. Open men’s final in a decade. Tennis partnerships offer luxury brands a route into performance culture. Rolex continues its decades-long positioning around precision timing, while Nike and On sponsor athletes focused on recovery and longevity. Aryna Sabalenka’s collaboration with IM8 — a platform for performance optimization through science and technology — signals how wellness infrastructure integrates into professional athletics. Marathon culture extends this dynamic through participatory experiences. The TCS Sydney Marathon joined the Abbott World Marathon Majors in 2025 as the seventh and newest member, recording 33,000 finishers in its inaugural year as a Major. The event drew participants from over 100 countries and attracted 350,000 spectators. The marathon economy now encompasses hospitality, recovery programs, and post-race wellness retreats. Wellness tourism as a category is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate between 8% and 12% through 2034, according to multiple market forecasts, with North America leading in total spending even as Asia-Pacific generates the highest trip volumes. These events function as orchestrated ecosystems linking airlines, luxury hotels, sportswear brands, and wellness destinations. The experience extends beyond the race itself into multi-day itineraries centered on preparation, performance, and recovery, transforming endurance sports into curated lifestyle expressions. Where fitness becomes lifestyle The super-premium gym segment represents wellness infrastructure at maximum exclusivity. In New York, referral-only studios like Forma Pilates and The Class operate on membership models reaching several thousand dollars monthly, with waiting lists that function as social filters. Access becomes the value proposition as much as the programming itself. Brazil’s Les Cinq gym, located in São Paulo’s Jardins district, charges 3,500 Brazilian reais a month ($650) with no discounts. The facility emphasizes hospitality over fitness, featuring marble interiors, fragrance-curated spaces, and organic cuisine in a members’ lounge, alongside integrated programs for training, recovery, and nutrition under a unified design. A waiting list reinforces its positioning as a space to inhabit rather than a service to consume. This segment sits within the broader expansion of the fitness industry. U.S. gym membership reached a record 77 million in 2024, up from 72.9 million in 2023, representing 24.9% of the population, according to the Health & Fitness Association. Industry revenues were estimated at $45-$46 billion in 2025, with projections for continued mid-single-digit annual growth through 2030. The super-premium tier differentiates through scarcity and integration. Where mass-market gyms compete on price and convenience, high-end facilities emphasize privacy, personalized service, and wellness ecosystems that extend beyond workout equipment. Members aren’t purchasing access to machines but entry into communities organized around health optimization as a lifestyle practice. The convergence of recovery technology, sports participation, and premium fitness spaces suggests wellness has become luxury’s new architecture — less about objects acquired than systems sustained. For luxury brands, this shift demands moving from transactional product strategies toward ongoing engagement models centered on well-being as a continuous practice rather than an aspirational endpoint. Carlotta Rodben is a luxury innovation specialist and author of “Beyond Luxury: The Promise of Emotion.” She previously led innovation at Chanel and now advises luxury brands on strategy and transformation.

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From sleep tech to elite gyms, wellness becomes luxury’s core pillar