All your need-to-know health and wellness trends for 2023

We’re calling it: 2023 is the year wellness goes mainstream. Between TikTok’s viral videos offering solutions to problems you didn’t even know you had (vabbing, anyone?), a lingering COVID-19 hangover, and a demoralising political climate, mental, spiritual and physical health is finally getting the attention it deserves.

Cue the emergence of trends that promise to shake up the wellness industry, delivering an increasingly holistic approach to taking care of ourselves. Here, we’ve rounded up the top five that we predict will take off in 2023. Watch this space.

1. Acupuncture
Though it’s nothing new (the ancient practice began in China some 3,000 years ago), acupuncture – which sees ultra-fine needles inserted into pressure points across the body – is growing increasingly prominent in mainstream Western wellness, with evidence showing that the treatment can help to relieve migraines, chronic pain, and even symptoms of IBS. There are cosmetic benefits, too: Sarah Bradden’s holistic, skin-balancing treatment combines facial acupuncture with acupressure massage, reiki and oxygen therapy, and it’s available to book throughout the month of January at Soho Farmhouse’s Health Club.

2. Wellness travel
Holidays used to be a time to forget your fitness regime and drink your body weight in Piña Coladas. In 2023, ‘mindful movement’ is the order of the day, as keen travellers look to maximise self-care during their annual leave. Of course, it only makes sense that wellbeing-boosting travel is having a moment, as the wellness tourism industry hopes to bounce back from COVID-19 travel restrictions. Luckily, finding where to enjoy some much-needed R&R has never been easier: our Houses all over the world are prepped with everything you need for a well-deserved escape. And, relax…

3. Damp lifestyles
The halcyon days of daily happy hours may be over, or at least, they’re being enjoyed in greater moderation, according to Gen Z. Sober curiosity – otherwise known as living a ‘damp lifestyle’ – is more popular than ever, with #sobercurious clocking up almost 350 million views on TikTok. But before you put down that Picante for good, sober curiosity doesn’t necessarily mean giving up alcohol completely; instead, it means taking a closer look at your own relationship with alcohol, re-evaluating what, why and how often you drink in the process. If that involves totally cutting it out, more power to you; if it entails simply dabbling with an occasional night filled with delicious alcohol-free cocktails, why not try some of ours which are available on our menus worldwide.

4. Mushroom stacking
The ‘shroom boom’ is in full force. Coined by renowned mycologist Paul Stamets, who you might recognise from Netflix’s Fantastic Fungi, ‘mushroom stacking’ involves microdosing psilocybin (aka magic mushrooms), ‘stacked’ alongside cognition-enhancing lion’s mane mushrooms and vitamin B-derived niacin. The results promise to boost creativity, increase productivity and ease symptoms of anxiety and depression. Certainly, there’s evidence that microdosing mushrooms may be a useful tool in mental health management… but as psilocybin remains illegal in most parts of the world, perhaps take this as an excuse to enjoy seconds of 180 House’s 1970s-inspired Mushroom Vol Au Vent instead.

5. Sense-hacking 
The natural – and slightly less dystopic – evolution of Silicon Valley’s biohacking obsession, sense-hacking promises to enhance our mental and physical wellbeing by reconnecting us to our core senses. The power of the senses has been long documented (and the therapists in our Cowshed spas begin each treatment by encouraging members to inhale a relaxing blend of essential oils) – but this new iteration attempts to counter the woes of modern life, such as isolation, sleep deprivation and burnout through carefully chosen sensory stimuli. This could be as simple as a warm, scent-filled bath before bed to help lull slumber. Or, for the more daring, immersive sensory retreats – with extensive yoga practice, sound baths and even days-long silences – allow visitors to tune in to their senses on a deeper level. 

In need of some R&R? Use our Mind, Body & Soho offer to get 25% off your bedroom rate on a Soho House spa break