From Data Set to Day Spa: On the Wellness Tech Market

Wear It, Measure It, Improve It

The new wave of self-tracking is worn. Wearables such as WHOOP, Oura and Garmin have taken over the role of the breakfast table quesition: How am I feeling today? Those who wish can combine fitness data with nutrition, stress levels or menstrual cycles and receive recommendations – sometimes to move more, sometimes to rest.

WHOOP, for example, analyses sleep quality, heart rate variability and recovery levels, then provides concrete day-to-day advice through an AI-powered chat function, including how to manage strain after jet lag. Mattresses like those from Eight Sleep use sensors to adapt to circadian rhythms. Somnee goes further still: its sleep coach employs neuroadaptive audio signals to extend deep sleep phases and actively improve sleep quality. Therabody’s SmartGoggles combine vibration, visual feedback and warmth to regulate cortisol levels and sleep quality. The app adjusts programmes according to mood and sleep data – a portable power-nap coach.

Smart rings such as Oura, Ultrahuman and RingConn add yet another layer, linking vital data into a digital health ecosystem that is always ready to advise.

Forever Young?

NAD+, neuro-fitness, microbiome analysis, hormonal balance – what once sounded like specialist jargon is mainstream in 2025. Providers like Wild.AI focus on preventative tracking deep at the cellular level: hormones, nerves and ageing processes. According to Euromonitor, healthy ageing is among the fastest-growing wellness segments, particularly among people under 35.

AI as Wellness Coach

This marks a paradigm shift: AI is becoming the new authority in care – personal, permanent and preventative. In McKinsey’s surveys, more than three quarters of respondents cite biometric wearables as a key future trend. Between 20 and 30 per cent of young Americans expect AI to become a fixed part of their health routines. It is already replacing coaching and supplementing medical care.

From Me Time to We Time – the Rise of Social Wellness Clubs

As digital self-optimisation increasingly shapes daily life, a countertrend is forming in cities like New York and Los Angeles: social wellness clubs. Spaces such as Remedy Place, Othership and The Well combine biohacking practices – ice baths, breathwork, IV drips and sauna – with community, music and design. Wellness becomes a social experience, turning me time into we time and offering an answer to the isolation of a digital world.

Wellness Fatigue – Tracking or Zen?

The democratisation of diagnostics also brings criticism. Inclusivity remains an issue – many AI systems are trained on lighter skin tones, leaving marginalised groups unrepresented. Privacy concerns are growing too: when skin images, pulse data and stress levels are linked with e-commerce platforms, self-care becomes commodified. And the more metrics collected, the more doubt arises.

Studies show that users experience wellness fatigue – overwhelmed by constant alerts, scores and routines. A counter-movement is emerging: less tracking, more intuition. Apps such as Moonbird (breathing) or Breethe (meditation) favour intuitive prompts over numbers. Studies show that users experience wellness fatigue – overwhelmed by constant alerts, scores and routines. A counter-movement is emerging: less tracking, more intuition. Apps such as Moonbird (breathing) or Breethe (meditation) favour intuitive prompts over numbers. 

An Ambivalent Future

The great promise of wellness tech is that it makes us more informed, more conscious and more proactive. The challenge is that it changes the way we relate to ourselves. How much optimisation makes for a good life? How much measurement can the self withstand? And when does self-care become a self-tracking trap? The future of wellness remains exciting – and ambivalent. 

A selection of wellness innovators at IFA

• Bodyfriend: combines AI, robotics and digital healthcare to create advanced healthcare robots and massage solutions, aiming to extend healthy lifespans and bring personalized wellness into homes.
• Hypershell: intelligent exoskeletons that adapt to your movements in real time, enhancing human strength and endurance to help you explore the outdoors farther and easier.
• iRest: massage appliances combining R&D, manufacturing, and marketing to deliver innovative health technology solutions.
• Ring Conn: smart ring that tracks health and fitness metrics, offering users continuous insights in a discreet and convenient form.
• SunLED: creates clinically tested near-infrared lighting solutions to bring the health benefits of sunlight indoors, boosting mood and energy wherever you work.
• Ultrahuman: wearables that track metabolism, sleep, and movement to optimize daily performance and long-term health.
• wearM.ai: develops wearable sensors that track muscle and joint data to boost sports performance and prevent injuries.
• WHOOP: tracks recovery, sleep, and strain to help people train smarter and feel their best.
• And many more!

WHOOP is increasingly seen as an AI coach. How do you differ from classic tracking?

 We don’t just collect data, we translate it into personalised everyday recommendations. In 2023 we developed WHOOP Coach with OpenAI – covering topics such as healthspan and advanced sleep coaching. This shows members how their behaviour influences WHOOP Age, Pace of Ageing or Sleep Performance. For us, AI isn’t an add-on but is seamlessly integrated into the entire user experience.

Self-tracking is often described as a driver of data-based wellness. Do you agree?

 Yes. It makes wellbeing measurable and actionable. For example, someone with 76 % sleep performance can increase recovery by up to 11 points. Cutting back on alcohol or late meals has a direct positive effect. Feelings become knowledge.

Will we rely more on data than intuition in the future?

 Data doesn’t replace intuition – it sharpens it. Our goal is to make the bigger picture of health visible and to show how small decisions play out over time. AI can help people act more wisely. From our perspective, that’s real progress.