Longevity clinics and longevity medicine in real estate with Jorge Lima
Welcome to episode 82 of the Green Healthy Places podcast, in which we discuss the themes of well-being and sustainability in the built environment.
I'm your host, Matt Morley, and in this episode, we're in Lisbon, Portugal, talking to Jorge Lima, founder of the Longevity Med Summit that will take place in Lisbon in May 2025.
The second day of that event will be focused on wellness real estate and longevity clinics, looking at how the longevity trend is playing out in buildings and interiors.
I'll be talking there, that's how he and I connected. In our talk today, I'm going to ask about wellness real estate, but also to go a bit deeper into the longevity clinics trend, as well as medical spas.
We'll talk about the type of products and services they might typically offer, why venture capital investment is flooding into the sector right now, the differences between an individual clinic, a large format wellness resort, and an entire wellness residences concept, as well as how these businesses are contributing to the local tourism economy.
View on Zencastr
Green Healthy Places episode 082: talking longevity, healthspan and medi-spas with Jorge Lima
Intro to Human Longevity as a concept
So, Jorge, welcome to the show. I'm excited to learn more about the event. Where did your interest for this sector come from?
Jorge Lima
I came from a food industry and I think that we have to change and we're trying to focus on other kind of segment, pretty new segment. I had a vision because I always understand that the food and health these fields are a very good combination.
We chose the the field of the longevity and longevity clinics. I had a good vision about four or five years ago. And I introduced the first longevity medicine event after the pandemic.
As a matter of fact, we try to introduce before the pandemic period.
Lisbon has become an attractive hub for the longevity and wellness sectors for several reasons in my point of view.
Lisbon is a very good geographic location. It's like a a bridge between Europe, Africa, and the Americas. So I think that makes it central and accessible meeting place to for international events, including this one on longevity medicine and longevity clinics. The city of Lisbon presents a a good emphasis on well-being and with access to water as well as activities, healthy food, low stress lifestyle.
mattmorley
You don't have to convince me. I lived there in 2017 and really connected with the low stress levels and holistic approach to life there, the living conditions are optimal especially for someone of middle age looking for a more relaxed pace of life, or with a family. I'm 100% sure that place extended my life expectancy considerably!
Healthspan and longevity hotspots around the world
But you mentioned you mentioned geography. So you know as we're talking about this particular sector of longevity and healthspan and and this concept of living better for longer. Where are you seeing this most prevalent around the world? like Where is healthspan and longevity a hot topic?
Jorge Lima
So the clinics and healthy longevity medicine concepts are emerging globally. Their focus is on preventive healthcare, internal medicine and extending healthspan with innovative treatments and environmental factors.
It's a huge market and grows every every single year. In Europe the major player is Switzerland, with the ' healthy valley' between Geneva to Montreal, Lausanne. For example, Clinique La Prairie.
Also Germany is Lanserhof and the UK specifically is attracting venture capital investment, as well as Portugal and then in Spain you have SHA Clinic too of course.
You have also South-east Asia. The major players are, in my perspective, Thailand in medical clinics, and also Singapore where they are opening the world's first public health longevity clinic.
Up and coming are the Middle-East with Dubai and Saudi Arabia emerging fast too.
Of course, the biggest market of all for longevity clinics and longevity studies in general is the United States. The United States has seen a rise in longevity centers, many of which involved from statics clinics and into full service facilities offering advanced diagnostic tools like full-body MRI scans.
I think that reflecting a very good mix of healthcare care innovation, public health initiatives and so on.
Investment in longevity medicine and longevity clinic design
Are you seeing the investment coming into the industry more focused on the clinics, products, services and equipment, or is it more about the real estate angle or the businesses and brands? like
Jorge Lima
Well, it depends on the perspective, the whole industry of longevity medicine is seeing significant investment as it grows with venture capital firms, private investors are coming to the market.
For example, venture capital investments used to make their investments, not only in the brands, but on longevity clinics, and disease prevention experts, then there are the longevity clinics driving substantial investments too.
Key players in biotech and age-related diseases, science, technologies is a whole other area too of course, they are coming to the market, even investing on the health care programs and health care areas. So overall, the the global longevity sector is seeing hundreds of millions in investment.
So you have VCs investing in clinics or investing in new biotech knowledge startups, something like that.
Human longevity, medical wellness and longevity clinics
It might be worth us just defining this term then because we're using it - longevity clinics. In my case, I'm interested in how to design these clinics for maximum health benefits, creating physical environments for longevity treatments and retreats, but what exactly is a longevity clinic and how would it be different to say a medical spa or a medi spa?
Preventive healthcare for extended healthspan
Jorge Lima
I think everybody's aware of the medispa concept by now they are popping up in cities everywhere, but longevity clinics maybe not so much yet. It feels like it's kind of the next iteration, the next version of the MediSpa, but how do they differ? There is a lot of and confusion in the market and this is a very important question in order to identify each profile.
The longevity clinic and a medical spa both offer health related services clearly but differ significantly in focus, approach, and medical oversight.
The focus of the longevity clinics, at least in our perspective, they are very focused on preventive health care and extending a person's health span.
So working more with evidence-based medical interventions, with very qualified medical professionals in their staff. Their expertise is more on longevity science and anti-aging medicine.
Medispas and medical spas
When I say medical spa is a little different, they are primarily focused on aesthetic and wellness treatments.
They aim more for enhanced physical appearance and offer more relaxation and anti-stress as well and focus on short-term non-invasive cosmetic procedures.
Their treatments are less intensive and not typically part of a broader preventive health strategy. So that's why we see medical spas more present in the hospitality sector as well, it is less complicated from an operational perspective to manage.
A longevity clinic provides a more comprehensive medical framework, targeting the aging process at its root while medical spas focus more on aesthetic improvements with a wellness angle.
Wellness resorts and anti-aging
So the MediSpa is more about looking and feeling good now in the short term, and the Longevity Clinic, as the name suggests is more of a long-term focus. It's about being here for as long as possible and being healthy and fit as late into life as possible.
When the hotels start to ask me for recovery rooms and biohacking spaces, ice baths and infrared saunas, how are these new concepts playing a role in this industry?
I know wellness resorts is also a relevant trend. Are they offering more medi-spa treatments? Are they adapting towards anti-aging? Because it does feel like the spa as we all knew it of a massage room, a jacuzzi, a Finnish sauna, and maybe a relaxation bed is now completed outdated, right?
The reinvention of hotel spas in wellness resorts
Jorge Lima
Well it depends a much more geographically where they are located - an urban vs a rural retreat experience is always going to be very different. One may focus on holistic wellness, relaxation or even rejuvenation.
The wellness resort markets is very diversified. They offer many specialized concepts that cater to specific health, lifestyle, and wellness needs combinations.
There are a lot of cases in terms of general wellness resorts, or longevity and anti-aging resorts.
Retreat concepts according to location
For example, you are in Malibu, California. Maybe you should offer a strict physical detox. If you are in Germany, maybe you provide medical detox programs, combine it with medical diagnostics. I've seen that it depends on the geography of the place where you are.
From a holistic approach to life expectancy, to advancing health goals of guests, to improving biological age and immune system defences, there are high tech interventions to improve life expectancy through longevity medicine now.
Here near Lisbon, you also have new hotels and resorts introducing services on sleeping with sleep retreats for example.
Short-term treatments at hotels, longer treatments at resorts
I guess, if you're in a city hotel for one or two nights, You only have so much time. When you're in a resort, you could be there for a week, possibly two weeks so that opens up more possibilities for addressing health goals in a meaningful way, right?
I prefer to be slightly cynical her, you're not going to extend someone's healthspan during a one-night stay or with one treatment.
You could do an anti-aging treatment and that might help them look better for the next three to six months with Botox or whatever, but it's not going to extend their healthspan.
Residential wellness communities
Improving longevity also requires an element of commitment over a longer period of time in my view, which is where the idea of a residential community that integrates elements of this philosophy right because if you are living in a development a residential real estate development that offers you longevity features or biohacking treatments, that suddenly becomes even more interesting from my perspective because that means you can really have a tangible impact on healthspan.
So what's happening in that residential real estate and interiors space? Are you seeing longevity taken on by some developers in the residential industry? And if so, are there any examples you could give as references?
Red light therapy at AEON Regenerative Wellness in Dubai
Longevity integrated into residences
Jorge Lima
Yes, the longevity or healthspan concept, they are increasing also in residential communities and as a matter of fact, some residential communities are integrating longevity and healthspan principles into their developments, even by focusing on health care, wellness amenities, and creating the right type of physical environments with biophilic design and wellness interiors for example that support a healthy lifestyle.
That's happening now, but that's also the future in my view! So many communities as residential and on the new developments should follow these specific topics in terms of provide good invest ah to the investors and also for residents with opportunities in these ways of communities that they are adopting ah this practice in the present and the future.
Blue Zones concept
So many, many of them have been followed here in Portugal, in Spain and in Europe in general, they are and looking for new inspirations, inspirations ah expressions like Blue Zones inspired communities that they based on the research from Blue Zones areas where the people live significantly longer lives.
These new concepts, the new developments there incorporate more communities like new lifestyle habits such as physical activity places, happiness, healthy diets and social engagement into their design.
Physical and mental health in longevity for living longer
So you have also a lot of examples in Florida, the United States and in Europe, even in Spain as well with other longevity focus amenities aimed at physical and mental health, for example in their villages who have active adult communities and health and wellness integrations.
Senior living communities with biohacking tech and social engagement
Also in order to engage with biohacking in high-tech communities, introducing more high-tech residential communities, advanced health monitoring technologies. So this is evident even in senior living in the wellness communities also are coming soon - another very good opportunity!
Residential communities are moving beyond the traditional model of simply providing homes. They are incorporating the latest knowledge about longevity and health span, their developments should be more focused on preventative health care, physical activity, and social engagement. So they are enhancing quality of life and promoting their longer lifespan.
Residential wellness communities
I think that's the future right there, my bet is on the residential wellness communities being a huge trend over the next decade.
I think it's interesting to see how perhaps the clinics that build a name, whether that's La Prairie in Switzerland any of the big players from the U.S., whether they can then start to move from out of the clinic world and into the residential community world.
Those names and operators are key to this game right and that's also who you're talking to when you when you the list of speakers, sponsors and attendees at the Longevity Med Summit event.
So who are the key players we need to know in this space?
Main brands in the longevity clinic operator sector
Jorge Lima
Well, if you go to Spain, you have a very important players like SHA Wellness Clinic is a very well-known clinic. They are located in, I suppose in Alicante and open a new clinic with residential component in Mexico now as well as the UAE.
They focus more in the preventive medicine, wellness, and longevity with a fusion of Eastern and Western medical practices. They have their own way in order to be more strong emphasis on the anti-aging, the talks, and the eight management programs, brain mental health programs too.
In the United States, you have a lot of clinics as well, and but you also have a very good partners and like Fountain Life, our event partner, specializing in providing high-tech data-driven health services on preventative medicine,
Longevity and healthspan in hotels and resorts like AMAN
In the hotel industry you have Aman Resorts, a worldwide brand of luxury wellness resorts. It's more traditional focus on luxury and hospitality. And they have a personal, when very well personalized in the wellness programs, stress management and so on.
Aviv Clinics is a very well known. They are in also in Israel, in Florida, in the United States. They have more and specialized in hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Moving longevity into the healthcare sector
We do not only want the luxury and consumer markets, our focus is also on the healthcare market as well and new hospitals and new clinics.
Operators such as Lanserhof in Germany are pioneering the integration of advanced medical diagnostics, wellness, and lifestyle optimization into their offerings, which could also have implications for healthcare eventually too with a combination of cutting-edge technology and a holistic health approach.
Longevity medicine in healthcare
But there's almost, you know, it'd be interesting to think that they could do some of the work in terms of ah developing treatments and integrating technologies. You mentioned stem cell replacement therapy, for example, that really you can only find in certain parts of Mexico, it seems.
And so it's starting at these luxury resorts, and at some point, presumably, it will start to trickle down, and even to the point of like public healthcare, which is suddenly where that opens up a whole new sector.
I mean, that's just the sort of democratization of some of these very advanced, almost elite treatments that eventually it has to go in that direction, right? So do you think that's sort of the trend for the next 10 years of where the industry needs to go?
The future of longevity needs to be democratized
Jorge Lima
I'm not saying in 10 years from now on, but I'm supposed that in the next five years, the healthcare care and even private hospitals will open new services in order to provide in more optimized holistic health services for their clients. So we are very engaged in this area in order to democratize it more and more.