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Longevity, Healthspan and Medical Wellness Clinics
123 Plays19 days ago
In this episode I am in Lisbon, Portugal talking to Jorge Lima, Founder of the Longevity Medicine Summit that will next take place in Lisbon in May 2025. The second day of that event will be focused on wellness real estate and longevity clinics in particular, looking at how the healthspan trend is playing out in buildings and interiors. I’ll be giving a presentation there, that’s how Jorge and I originally connected.
Here we discuss the term wellness real estate, then we go a level deeper into longevity clinics and medical spas in particular, before discussing the type of products and services each might typically offer, why Venture Capital investment is flooding into the sector, the differences between an individual clinic, a larger format wellness resort and an entire wellness residences concept, as well as how such businesses can contribute to the local tourism economy.
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Transcript
Introduction to Episode 82
00:00:01
mattmorley
Welcome to episode 83 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 Giorgia 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. And 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.
00:00:47
mattmorley
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. So, Georgie, welcome to the show.
Transition from Food Industry to Wellness
00:01:10
Jorge Lima
Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you, Matt. Yes.
00:01:13
mattmorley
I'm excited to learn more about the event. I know you've got sort of nine months or so still to keep planning, but where did your interest for this sector come from? What made you establish the event and and why Portugal? Why Lisbon?
00:01:26
Jorge Lima
Okay. Well, as a matter of fact, I came from a food industry um um and I i filled that i I think that we have to change and we're trying to focus on other kind of segment, pretty new segment. And well, I suppose that I had a vision. I had a vision because I always understand that the food and health, are these fields are a very good combination.
00:02:02
Jorge Lima
we choose the field of the longevity, more link in what health I understand. So I think that I had a ah very good vision since I'm talking these visions about four or five years ago. And I introduced the the the first longevity medicine after the pandemic.
00:02:28
Jorge Lima
period. As a matter of fact, we'll try to introduce before the pandemic period. But I, okay, well, we move forward. And we launched the event event um after the pandemic. Well, about ah I think about Portugal or specifically Lisbon, I understand that they have become an attractive hub for the longevity and wellness sectors for several reasons in my point of view.
00:03:02
Jorge Lima
Well, as you know, Lisbon is a very, in terms of geographic locations, a very good position. It's like a a a bridge between Europe, Africa, and also in the Americas. So I think that makes it central and accessible meeting place for international events that many international events are coming to Lisbon as well.
00:03:30
Jorge Lima
So like the Logitech Match, the city offers an excellent connectivity with major international airports all over the world. The city of Lisbon presents a a good emphasis on well-being and with access to water.
00:03:48
Jorge Lima
activities, healthy food, low stress, lifestyle. So, it's it's pretty ne pretty ne it's a nice nice and makes it an ideal venue to explore the time not only to have to medicine. So, I choose Lisbon. I could choose other big city, but it's a refugee for a people coming.
00:04:15
Jorge Lima
from all over the world and it's a nice place.
Global Landscape of Longevity Clinics
00:04:18
Jorge Lima
ah Well, I'm sure it's a nice place.
00:04:22
mattmorley
You don't have to convince me. I live there in 2017. I have so much outdoor activity experience there.
00:04:29
mattmorley
was It's really incredible if you like the outdoors lifestyle.
00:04:33
mattmorley
But you mentioned you geography. So you as we're talking about this particular sector of longevity and you health span and and this concept of living better for longer.
00:04:47
mattmorley
Now, where is that? Where are you seeing around the world? Where is this a hot topic? like are the areas of the world where this is most prominent in the market right now?
00:04:57
mattmorley
Is it all about the west coast of the USA or is there anywhere else that's on your radar?
00:05:02
Jorge Lima
and and i The clinics and longevity medicine concepts are emerging globally. Focus on preventing health care and extending health spans grow innovative therapies and so on It's a huge market and grows Every every single year is growing of course you in in Europe major player is Switzerland as you know, have the Zurich City is hosting and fast and clinics like
00:05:37
Jorge Lima
many longevity clinics. We have also the healthy valley between Geneva to Montreal, Lausanne. But in Europe, specifically Europe, and I included Germany and the UK specifically, that specific country's regions also has increasing venture capital investment in longevity. So the biggest in terms of specific to be more specific is more UK, you have Germany, you have Switzerland, but mostly of the European countries are coming and we we increased ah each year many delegates from mostly from European having as well as ah ah from Portugal and Spain, of course,
00:06:29
Jorge Lima
They are increasing a lot are very interesting to invest more and more in longevity. You have also Southeast Asia. The major players are, in my perspective, are Thailand, more in medical spots, and Singapore. Singapore has a very nice case to open the world's first public health longevity clinic. East with Dubai and Saudi Arabia are becoming
00:07:00
Jorge Lima
new centers they are building so hard for becoming new centers for longevity clinics, and driving by high demand from affluent populations, seeking cutting edge health services. And of course, the biggest is the United States. The United States has seen a rise ah ah in longevity centers, many of which involved from statics clinics and into full service facilities offering advanced diagnostic tools like Fulbury Fulbury um MRI and specialized treatment. So ah the United States is the biggest but these regions are among the the most dynamic in the growing longevity market.
00:07:48
Jorge Lima
I think that reflecting a very good mix of healthcare innovation, public health initiatives and so on. So this is in my my my perspective, this the sector, the industries is increasing and have a very good demand, but this specific regions is our most important players from the worldwide.
00:08:11
mattmorley
And are you seeing with the investment coming into the industry, is that do you notice perhaps more focused on the products and services and the equipment, or is it more about the real estate angle or into the brands behind
Investment in Longevity Sector
00:08:26
mattmorley
the longevity? Do you have any data that's out there the type of investment that's going into this sector at the moment?
00:08:33
Jorge Lima
Yes, I see. Well, it depends on the perspective of each field because we have the whole industry of longevity medicine is seeing significant investment as it grows happily with venture capital firms, private investors are coming to the to market.
00:08:59
Jorge Lima
For example, ah venture capital investments, they used to make their investments, not only in the brands, but yeah they have been making a mix, like in focus on longevity, ah ah on clinics, and also individuals, and there's more and more working on the launching.
00:09:24
Jorge Lima
clinics, they are driving substational private investments from ah ah private investments and venture companies. But they are ah They are investing ah also also in in the very important players, key players as in biotech and age-related diseases, gyro, science, technologies. It's a mix. It depends of each one, but we also have a corporate and and public investments also.
00:09:57
Jorge Lima
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.
00:10:14
Jorge Lima
They combine, ah their their combination list on public, private VC funds and also driving research and commercial applications. So you have ah ah VCs investing in clinics or investing in new biotech knowledge ah ah companies and and as like startups, something like that. So they are, they depends of the specific interest of the field.
00:10:43
mattmorley
It might be worth us just defining this term then because we're using it.
Preventive Healthcare vs Aesthetic Treatments
00:10:48
mattmorley
You know, you're, you're in this world. I'm increasingly drawn into this world of longevity clinics and perhaps in my particular case, like how one might try and design these spaces or create
00:10:52
Jorge Lima
yeah
00:11:00
mattmorley
physical environments for longevity treatments but what exactly is from your perspective like what is a longevity clinic like typically what's happening there and how would it be different to say a medical spa or a medi spa which is maybe something that's more
00:11:13
Jorge Lima
Yeah. Yeah.
00:11:15
mattmorley
common that everybody's aware of the MediSpa, there's kind of 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? What's the difference between them?
00:11:31
Jorge Lima
This is a very important question. There is a lot of confusion in the market and this is a very important question in order to identify each profile.
00:11:43
Jorge Lima
The Elizabeth clinic and a medical spa both offer ah ah health related service, okay?
00:11:55
Jorge Lima
but differ significantly in focus, approach, and medical oversight. The focus of the longevity clinics, at least in our perspective, that's primarily, they are very focused on preventive health care and extending a person's health span.
00:12:22
Jorge Lima
So the true, ah they working more with the evidence-based medical interventions, okay? So they ah have a very qualified medical professionals in their staff. Their expertise is more the longevity science and then anti-aging medicine or geriatrics.
00:12:51
Jorge Lima
Something like that. These type of clinics invite size at at advanced technostics and magically supervised intervention. So this is the focus on the morph from the longevity clinic perspective.
00:13:10
Jorge Lima
When I say medical spa is a little different, is they are primarily is more focused on a a static and wellness treatments.
00:13:24
Jorge Lima
They aims more enhanced physical appearance and offer relaxation. They i i ah must include more summing some treatments around anti-aging treatments and focus on typically on short-term non-invasive cosmetic procedures level like that. So there Their medical services and stuff is often more limited compared to the longevity clinics. They are more spas, more medical spas. They also have doctors, of course, or nurses on site.
00:14:07
Jorge Lima
but their treatments are less intensive and not typically part of a broader preventive health strategy. So there are are medical spars the hospitality business as well, but this is the the definition that I understand between them. they are more focused on ah on enhancing appearance on grammatical relation, the medical spots. But there are something in few cases that we are making a fusion in order to provide more service for the for people as well.
00:14:48
Jorge Lima
Um, uh, so the longevity clinics is different. It's more, uh, provide more comprehensive medical framework, uh, targeting the agent's process at its root. Uh, while, while medical spots focus more on a static improvements with a wellness twist, something like that.
00:15:10
mattmorley
So it's largely about a difference in perspective. Maybe the MediSpa is more about looking and feeling good now in the short term and the Longevity Clinic, as the name suggests.
00:15:17
Jorge Lima
Yeah. Yes. Perfect. Yes, I agree.
00:15:21
mattmorley
You know, it's in the name, right? It's about being here for as long as possible and being healthy and
00:15:23
Jorge Lima
Yeah.
00:15:26
mattmorley
uh feeling good for as long as possible so it's a slightly different timeline to it and then in between you know i work with hotels and the hotels start to ask me for recovery rooms and biohacking spaces and you know ice baths and infrared saunas and so how are these
00:15:30
Jorge Lima
Yeah.
00:15:34
Jorge Lima
Yeah.
Incorporating Wellness in Hospitality
00:15:45
mattmorley
How are these components, how are these new concepts integrating into the world of hotels and resorts? Because 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 Yakuzi, a Finnish sauna, and maybe a relaxation bed.
00:16:07
Jorge Lima
Yes.
00:16:13
mattmorley
That's just no longer enough in a luxury spa, in a resort, a hotel context.
00:16:16
Jorge Lima
Yes.
00:16:20
mattmorley
You're falling behind if that's all a hotel spa is offering. So what are you seeing in the wellness resort and hotel space?
00:16:28
Jorge Lima
Well, it depends much more geographically where they are. because ah ah you are in the urban places or you are in the retreat places it's different there are very differences in order to making the best combinations so each one must be follow their visions and also ideas and trying to build their own concepts in terms of
00:17:01
Jorge Lima
focus on holistic wellness, relaxation or even rejuvenation. Each one must understand what focus must be very reliable to working on the on hospitality services.
00:17:21
Jorge Lima
The wellness resort markets, as I'm starting to explain, is very diversified. They offer many specialized concepts that cater to specific health, lifestyle, and wellness needs combinations.
00:17:43
Jorge Lima
There are a lot of cases, different cases, in terms of general wellness resorts, or longevity and anti-aging resorts, or being, for example, the talks on cleansing retreats. It depends on their approach. And of course they understand the target of their audience.
00:18:08
Jorge Lima
For example, you are in Malibu, California. Maybe you should offer a strict physical detox, combine it with Hyken and Phoenix and so on. If you are in Germany, maybe you can make and provide medical detox programs, combine it with medical diagnostics. It depends. I've seen that it depends on the geography of the place where you are.
00:18:37
Jorge Lima
or providing mental wellness or stress management resorts and so i on. So what I understand that the wellness resort market is highly diverse.
00:18:52
Jorge Lima
offering a ranging from logistic, holistic, and relaxation focus service to specialize it in high-tech interventions and targeting longevity or specific health goals. So um this is, for example, here nearby Lisbon, you also have new hotels and resorts introducing more services on sleeping and sleeping retreats in terms that they understand that the sleeping as a combination of the sleeping retreats is a very good case for them. So this is
00:19:30
Jorge Lima
Specifically, I will start with what kind of geographic we are and the target of the audience so we don't have to provide good service on the wellness ah resort business.
Longevity in Residential Communities
00:19:44
mattmorley
But also I guess, you know, if you're in a ah ah hotel, like a city hotel for one or two nights, only have so much time. When you're in a resort, you could be there for a week, possibly two weeks.
00:19:55
Jorge Lima
Yeah, yes.
00:19:56
mattmorley
So you have a bit more time to do a series of treatments.
00:19:58
Jorge Lima
I was trying to explain.
00:19:59
mattmorley
Yeah. And also, you know, to have to go a bit deeper into the philosophy behind the treatments to try a few different things. But of course, to really make an impact.
00:20:10
mattmorley
And, you know, I have to be really honest with my clients. i know, you're not going to extend someone's health ban during a one-night stay. you You could do an anti-aging treatment and that might you literally help them look better for the next three to six months in Botox or whatever it is, ah it's not going to extend their health span, not so much extend their life.
00:20:17
Jorge Lima
Of course. Yes. Yeah.
00:20:26
Jorge Lima
Yeah.
00:20:27
mattmorley
That's a very different thing, but extend
00:20:29
Jorge Lima
Yeah.
00:20:29
mattmorley
ah for that you need to work at it and keep going and you need a longer duration which kind of leads us into 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 some
00:20:32
Jorge Lima
Yes.
00:20:35
Jorge Lima
Yeah.
00:20:50
Jorge Lima
Yeah.
00:20:51
mattmorley
longevity features or biohacking features, that suddenly becomes even more interesting from my perspective because that means you can really have a full impact health span.
00:21:02
mattmorley
So what's happening in that space? Are you seeing longevity being taken on by some developers in the residential space? And if so, are there any examples you could give as references?
00:21:12
Jorge Lima
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. The longevity or health span concept, they are increasing also in the the residential communities.
00:21:26
Jorge Lima
a matter of fact, some residential communities are integrating longevity and health span principles. into their developments, even by focus on brevity in health care, wellness, amenities, and creating a very nice environments.
00:21:43
Jorge Lima
that support a healthy, loved life. That's the future. That's the present, but that's the future. So many communities as residential and on on the new developments should follow these specific topics in terms of provide good 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. So many, many of them have been followed even here in Portugal, in Spain and in Europe,
00:22:30
Jorge Lima
in general, they are looking for new inspirations, inspirations Blue Zones inspired communities that based on the research from Blue Zones areas you know of course you where the people live significantly longer lives.
00:22:56
Jorge Lima
These new concepts, the new developments there incorporate more communities like ah ah new lifestyle habits such as physical activity places, places first in order to interchange and share about health diets and social engagement into their design.
00:23:20
Jorge Lima
ah ah the new projects, the new developments are more engagement on the social engagement as well. So you have also a lot of examples in Florida, the United States and in Europe, even in Spain as well. And you also have other longevity focus amenities. Well,
00:23:46
Jorge Lima
focus on health span by providing specific wellness ah ah amenities aimed at physical and mental health, for example, in their villages who have active adult communities and health and wellness integrations. So Also, ah Also, ah people on from ah in urban, in the cities, new developments, and in order to engage more biohacking in high-tech communities, in in introducing more high-tech residential communities for incorporated advanced health monitoring technologies. So this the senior living in the wellness communities also are
00:24:32
Jorge Lima
are coming, is increasing a very good opportunity. So the residential communities are moving ah ah beyond the traditional model of simply providing homes. They are increasing more, incorporating the latest knowledge about longevity and health span.
00:24:55
Jorge Lima
their developments should be more focused on preventative health care, as I said, physical activity, and again, social engagement. So they are enhancing quality of life and promoting their longer lifespan. So this is that our revisionist.
00:25:20
mattmorley
I think that's the future right there. I think my bet is on the residential wellness communities being a huge trend over the next decade.
00:25:30
mattmorley
And I think it's interesting to see how perhaps the clinics that build a name, whether that's La Prairie in Switzerland or
00:25:31
Jorge Lima
Yes.
00:25:40
mattmorley
any of the big players from the U.S. you know whether they can then start to move from out of the clinic world and into the residential community world but you know those names those operators are key to this game right and that's also who you're uh partly talking to when you when you look at the the list of speakers and sponsors and attendees at the longevity summit event itself right the operators so that's just
00:25:51
Jorge Lima
Yeah.
00:26:06
mattmorley
the big three or four, like who are the key players we need to know in this space? Because I know there's one big name in Spain, but then I'm sure you've got some big ones in the US as well. So like what are the brands that people should know about?
00:26:18
Jorge Lima
Well, it's difficult to me to to tell you only for, a a it's a lot, but okay, if you go to Spain, you have a very important players like Shaw Wellness Clinic is a very well-known clinic. They are located in, I suppose in Alcat and open a new clinic in the,
00:26:45
Jorge Lima
my if you are in Mexico, they have, they are different. They thought they have a focus more in the preventive medicine, wellness, and, of course, on and longevity. But as I told you before, they offer 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, so as well as ah ah they are providing a very good brain mental health programs, new mental mental programs.
00:27:33
Jorge Lima
The United States, you have a lot of clinics as well, but you also have a very good partners and providers on this field, like Fountain Life, our partner that ah ah have been specializing in providing high-tech data-driven health services on preventative medicine, and they are very,
00:28:00
Jorge Lima
are doing good work on also with the new developments in the specific hesitational area. You know, well, you have Clinique Laperie. Their is in Montré in Switzerland. They are very well known as luxury in the scientifically-backed longevity treatments. So So ah La Perrie, the focus is on more revitalization programs. I suppose that includes stem cells therapy, medical checkups, and also personalized longevity treatments. They have a notable services.
00:28:50
Jorge Lima
UN also have the guys from Amman Resorts. yeah yeah They are worldwide in global 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.
00:29:17
Jorge Lima
But Aviv Clinics is a a very well known. They are also in Israel, in Florida, in the United States. They specialized in hyperbaric oxygen therapy, six sensors. But I want to tell you that more and more people from health care is coming from these markets in order to I think that these kind of markets not only we only want the luxury market we will focus on the health care market as well and new hospitals and new clinics and we'll are coming to this market in order to provide good services as well good top services for this
00:30:04
Jorge Lima
I mean that consumer markets as well. So, but you have in a lot of clinics, good clinics, as you have in Germany, in Austria, they provide the notable not services like a medical detox program, weight management or balancing and so on. So, these operators are There are really, in terms of pioneering, the integration of advanced medical diagnostics, wellness, and lifestyle optimization into their offerings. Also, ah the the catering to individuals seeking to improve their health span and have a very good combination of of ah cutting-edge technology and
00:30:53
Jorge Lima
with the holistic health approach. So this this the targets of both have been affluent and well as conscious markets. And so I suppose, um I'm sorry, I'm confident that will come more and more new players, of course.
00:31:10
mattmorley
So a lot of those names you've mentioned, you know, anyone who's tried to book into an Aman or to book at a Shah or to book into the Clinique Laperie in Switzerland, those are high price points.
00:31:24
mattmorley
That is not a cheap place to go stay.
00:31:24
Jorge Lima
Yes.
00:31:26
Jorge Lima
Oh, yes.
00:31:27
mattmorley
But there's almost, you know, it'd be interesting to think that they could do some of the work in terms of 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.
00:31:41
mattmorley
If you're in the U.S., you can't get treated in the U.S. for it yet, I don't think.
00:31:44
Jorge Lima
yeah
00:31:45
mattmorley
But it is coming, right?
00:31:46
mattmorley
And so it's starting at these these of luxury resorts, and at some point, presumably, it will start to trickle down, and even to the point of public healthcare, which is suddenly where that opens up a whole new sector.
00:31:54
Jorge Lima
Yeah Yes Yes Yes, yes is a really important important and important trend that I suppose that
00:31:56
mattmorley
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?
00:32:19
Jorge Lima
I'm not saying in 10 years from now on, but I'm supposed that in the next to five years, the healthcare and even the private private ah sector of private hospitals will open new hubs for new services in order to provide more and more optimize all the holistic health services for their clients. So the democratizing is the in a good process. Next year we will introduce new topics on the health care. It's like
00:33:00
Jorge Lima
ah ah in order to promoting this change, new changing on the traditional healthcare care to the new longevity healthcare. So we are very engaged in this area in order to democratize it more and more.
00:33:16
Jorge Lima
the longevity space into the new, new horizons. So this is our working, ah no we don't forget our the traditional but that as well as the topic clinics but we need to democratize in order to increase more and more the health span and lifespan of the people engage to have more and more access to new programs and healthy programs yes thank you thank you thank you it wasn't
00:33:47
mattmorley
could literally talk about this all day. It is my favorite topic at the moment. I love it. It's really a fascinating subject. We will have the chance to talk more next May in Lisbon.
00:33:58
mattmorley
Thank you so much for your time. If people are interested, and and what's the best way? Your website, you're active on social media, LinkedIn.
00:34:08
Jorge Lima
Yes, and we'll introduce the new one the social on x and the extra gram in the film that in the next couple of weeks weeks Thank you, thank you so
00:34:16
mattmorley
okay so um so
00:34:20
Jorge Lima
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.
00:34:22
Jorge Lima
Bye