The Rise of Biohacking in the Beauty Sphere

Earlier this fall, I landed in Ibiza after a day of dancing in my home city of Berlin. The purpose for the trip was not exactly what one might expect. Rather than continuing the party, I went straight from the airport to Six Senses Ibiza’s RoseBar clinic, a spa-like, medical-grade facility filled with all the latest energy-boosting and anti aging gadgets. As soon as I checked in, the team got to work. I was injected with an NAD+ shot, placed in a recliner and strapped into thigh-high compression boots, then walked to a cryotherapy chamber for three minutes of circulation-boosting, half-naked shivering. A day later I received a PRP facial—the viral “vampire facial” popularized by Kim Kardashian—and a full-body red light treatment.

The clinic stands apart from a classic spa in that all of its offerings are focused around longevity. The idea is to detect and then slow—or even, some claim, reverse—elements of aging by leveraging lifestyle, diet, and cutting-edge functional medicine. RoseBar, while perhaps the most holistic and luxurious of biohacking studios, is not alone. In the past years, what was once a niche movement dominated by Silicon Valley tech bros and futurists has made its way into the mainstream—albeit decidedly luxury—beauty sphere. A New Yorker feature from April 2024 suggests there are now hundreds of “longevity clinics” promising increased years of healthy living worldwide.

To give a sense of what this looks like, there’s Equinox’s $40,000-a-year longevity membership program, introduced last May and developed by Dr. Mark Hyman, founder and senior advisor for the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine and the man behind RoseBar. London’s high-end Third Space gym has installed cold plunge, red-light therapy, and cryotherapy chambers. Lucerne-based wellness-detox center Chenot introduced sleep rooms fit with bespoke “neuroacoustic deep relaxation” sound waves alongside hypoxia-hyperoxia and cryotherapy treatments. And early longevity adopter Dr. Yannis Alexandrides of 111 Harley Street and 111Skin notes a spike in holistic, health-focused treatment plans, with cryotherapy receiving increased interest in his own practice.

“People are looking towards improving themselves, optimizing their well-being holistically, including aging and preventing diseases,” he says. “They want to live their lives fully—being active and radiant as they mature. This signifies a shift in their mentality and ways of thinking. Surgery is one part of the equation; but most patients are looking for holistic solutions which include skincare and non-surgical treatments.”

Even Paris Hilton has become a vocal biohacking advocate of late, inviting friends Alex Cooper and Megan Thee Stallion into her Beverly Park home spa, which she has fit with a four-person hyperbaric chamber, OmniLux LED face masks, a three-person cryotherapy machine, a NeuEra Tight, and so much more. “I can’t live without my Cryobuilt Cryo chamber and my NeoScience red light bed,” Hilton tells W. “Both give me so much energy and have extraordinary benefits from doing once a day, every day.”

Dr. Hyman suggests a biohacking revolution may be on the way. “Through a surge in funding—from $500 million in 2013 to $6.2 billion in 2021—a rapid increase in longevity research has been possible, with over 401,000 studies published since 2014,” says the physician, who got the idea for RoseBar after hosting a seminar with “neuroshaman” Dr. Alberto Villoldo at the jaw-dropping northern Ibiza property close to its 2021 opening. “The island’s natural allure, lively atmosphere, and deep sense of connection seemed like the ideal environment to create something truly unique and transformative,” Dr. Hyman adds.

There’s something rather poetic (or perhaps dissociative) about founding a clinic razor-focused on extending healthy years in what for many is the epicenter of jet-set hedonism. In an era of ever-increasing global instability, billionaires building bunkers and dystopic commentaries around aging (see: The Substance or Skincare), the next greatest aspiration may really be health (or, at least, the physical markers of youth). The closer we get to self-destruction, the more we strive for a counterbalance of inner stability and control.

Hilton, for one, is all for the movement. “I’m at the highest point in my life where I feel like the healthiest version of myself,” she says, adding that while “there is more awareness for the younger generation in particular around products and their long-term benefits that comes from social media, I’m here for continuing to push the narrative of taking care of and embracing yourself regardless of age.”

Did my treatments and time in Ibiza have any noticeable impact? I will say that I immediately felt fresher and more energized, especially after my cryotherapy session. I could easily envision integrating infrared sauna moments, a clinical-grade red light mask, and regular cryotherapy into my routine. The results of the microneedling platelet facial were less clear, but specialists suggest a few sessions are needed.

In the end, the most impactful experience may simply have been my stay at the Six Senses, without a doubt one of the most serenely seductive hotels I’ve visited. The sand-hued, Jonathan Leitersdorf-designed suites resting against the cliffs and ocean-facing infinity pool laid the ground for a state of calm I rarely achieve without some degree of magic. Mix in a spa treatment, select RoseBar therapies (the Six Senses properties, including Six Senses Ibiza’s neighbor in Rome, now offer in-room biohacking treatments) plus a cocktail by the water and you have a recipe for nervous-system quelling rejuvenation.

At RoseBar, you can try IV therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, an infrared sauna, cryotherapy, “and advanced diagnostics to identify deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, and other biomarkers,” says Dr. Hyman. Still, every expert I spoke with agreed on one theme. “When it comes to longevity essentials, the fundamentals are key: focusing on lifestyle changes that are consistent and encompass diet, exercise, sleep, and stress management,” says the doctor. “The foundation of a longevity-focused diet includes anti-inflammatory and phytonutrient-rich foods. Regular physical movement, sufficient sleep, and effective stress management techniques are also crucial for promoting long-term health.”