As Global Wellness Day shines a spotlight on the evolving definition of wellbeing, few hospitality leaders have had a front-row seat to the industry’s transformation quite like Kristina Snaith-Lense. As Head of Wellness at Swire Hotels and General Manager of the forthcoming Upper House Shenzhen, Snaith-Lense has helped shape some of the region’s most innovative wellness experiences, blending ancient healing traditions with cutting-edge fitness, longevity and lifestyle concepts.
This year marks a significant chapter for the brand’s wellness journey. House of Healing—The House Collective’s signature wellness retreat programme—returns for its third edition and, for the first time, expands across all three Houses: Hong Kong in May, Chengdu (13-14 June) and Shanghai (5-6 September). Coinciding with Global Wellness Day, the Chengdu edition introduces a range of new experiences, including the brand’s first-ever Hair & Scalp Spa by ZEVA, alongside Traditional Chinese Medicine treatments by Chain’s and other holistic therapies designed to foster deeper wellbeing and connection.
The expansion comes amid a wave of new wellness initiatives across the portfolio, including a global partnership with 111SKIN, the launch of dedicated Reformer Pilates and Gyrotonic studios, and a collaboration with Technogym in Shanghai focused on hybrid training and performance-led wellness. We speak with Snaith-Lense about the biggest wellbeing shifts shaping 2026, the growing demand for community-driven experiences, and how luxury hospitality is redefining what it means to live well.
What inspired House of Healing, and why do you think social wellness resonates so strongly right now?
We launched House of Healing with the vision of providing a safe, curated space where guests and the wider community can take a break from their everyday life within our beautiful spaces to reconnect with themselves for as much or as little time as they may have. It also offers the chance to explore new wellness trends and try them for the first time, seeing it as a sampling or taster session to test without full commitment.
Social wellness resonates so strongly today with our audience because they revel in “joining in” and sharing a collective experience, not necessarily wanting to try it alone. Wellness is no longer seen as an isolated, solo journey, but one that can go hand in hand with human connection. When you join a group workout, a running club or a shared ritual such as a tea ceremony or sound therapy, it becomes a precious moment of bonding through a shared experience with like-minded people who also prioritise their own wellbeing. These shared experiences also include stimulating and thought-provoking discussions over healthy lunches where we gain more knowledge on an array of hot health topics from gut health to posture, sleep, and more. House of Healing has been inspired by our community and for our community, supporting and expanding through connections across different ages and genders.
Image courtesy of Upper House
House of Healing is now expanding across Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai for the first time. How do wellness preferences differ across these cities, and have you adapted the programming to reflect local audiences?
House of Healing reflects the rhythm of each city by offering experiences that restore and connect guests to place. No two Houses are alike, and each destination brings its own character and local practices. Visiting experts, including May Nogoy, Stone & Star, and up!health, will also host sessions at Shanghai and Chengdu Houses.
At Upper House Hong Kong, we have introduced new residencies ranging from full‑body workouts by And Sculpt to posture and spinal assessment workshops led by up!health, as well as personalised TCM beauty acupuncture by the dynamic duo of Dr. Samantha and Dr. Gigi of CHAIN’s Medicare Centre.
Coinciding with Global Wellness Day, Upper House Chengdu’s House of Healing debuts its first‑ever traditional eastern Hair & Scalp Spa by ZEVA alongside group cycling and jogging for guests to enjoy the beauty of Chengdu’s nature. Guests can also look forward to TCM facial sculpting, chakra attunement, tea ceremony and more, celebrating what sparks joy for each of us, in line with the theme of this year’s Global Wellness Day. The two-day programme embraces the city’s slower lifestyle, offering deeply restorative experiences within the grounding landscape of Mi Xun Spa courtyard and stunning pool terrace.
Our final stop at Upper House Shanghai, which will be held prior to the inaugural Spa CHINA awards, captures the city’s vibrant energy, presenting a diverse lineup of TCM beauty acupuncture, new facial-led treatments by 111SKIN, and recently launched reformer pilates and Gyrotonic classes by iMovement, alongside exclusive Hybrid x Hyrox style training sessions in partnership with Technogym.
You’ve incorporated everything from sound healing and longevity-focused treatments to Traditional Chinese Medicine. How do you balance ancient practices with newer science-backed wellness trends?
We believe that wellness is personal and can mean something entirely different to each person. Ranging from TCM to energy and sound healing, chiropractic care, and Gyrotonic movement, our programme brings together treatments grounded in Eastern beliefs alongside innovative science to make an array of wellbeing modalities accessible. By structuring these experiences into compact discovery sessions, we encourage guests to personalise their schedules attuned to their interests and discover what resonates with their own goals.
Wellness has evolved far beyond spa treatments in recent years. What do you see as the biggest shifts shaping luxury hospitality wellness in 2026?
The concept of the traditional hotel spa model has evolved from a wellness treatment menu and a quietly beautiful space to a more holistic programming addressing different health needs, where we care for the overall wellbeing of mind, body and soul.
Hotels are looking more closely at what guests truly want, and with technology advancing so quickly, we are seeing a shift towards science-backed solutions that deliver efficiency to fit modern lifestyles. Guests are asking for results-driven practices and personalisation that meet their individual needs within a more time-sensitive window they have allocated. It’s less about short-term relaxation and more about long-term goals, seeing real improvements and remaining accountable through tracking and wearables.
At the same time, we have seen the rise in social wellness in recent years with an emphasis on authenticity and connection. From high‑energy workouts such as Hyrox to running clubs and group health forums, it is truly about community, shared progress and having fun.
Looking ahead to Upper House Shenzhen, what opportunities do you see for redefining wellness hospitality in one of China’s fastest-evolving luxury markets?
Shenzhen is an extraordinary, vibrant city shaped by the culmination of technology, art, culture, food, nature and remarkable forward momentum. While many luxury hospitality brands are establishing themselves here, the city is also home to a wide range of local boutique studios, gyms, and day spas. This creates incredible potential for us to introduce distinctive wellness offerings, not to compete but to complement and add variety in the market.
As Head of Wellness of the group and the General Manager overseeing the opening of our new House in Shenzhen, our first new House in nearly a decade, it will be opening in mid-2027 within the stunning M80 development of Houhai in Nanshan. The vision for both our existing and new Houses is to marry pioneering, science-backed wellness offerings together with our bespoke, unscripted guest experience that defines Upper House. We look forward to sharing a new, large-scale wellbeing space designed by Andre Fu with a diverse and curated lineup of indoor and outdoor experiences for both the local community and our guests and residents.
As someone deeply immersed in the wellness world professionally, has your own personal definition of wellbeing changed over the years?
Wellness has been a heartfelt passion of mine since my teenage years, when I actively pursued movement as a dancer and aligned myself most naturally with spiritual practices. I have been extremely lucky growing up in an active family with great role models around me who always prioritise their health and wellbeing. Over the course of my journey, my understanding of wellbeing has expanded. I love being able to continually learn, experience and grow through a variety of new experiences and guidance from teachers and experts. Each experience and encounter that I have been fortunate to receive has helped support me professionally and personally by establishing greater mental resilience, alignment, and sense of purpose.
My career with Swire Hotels has given me the privilege of collaborating with exceptional leaders and visionaries in the wellness realm. They have immensely enriched my understanding of holistic wellbeing, showing me that true wellbeing thrives through both individual practices in different aspects of wellness and the supportive communities we build together. I feel enormously grateful to each person and their practice, which has helped shape our wellness community.
Are there any wellness rituals or habits you consistently return to in your everyday life, particularly while travelling frequently?
My daily wellness rhythm is habitual, and it must always include movement. I usually carve out an hour to go for a run, hike in nature, or swim to stay regulated and grounded. I also do strength training two to three times a week, with a combination of Strength Culture, H-Kore or And Sculpt in Hong Kong.
I have my supplement stack from morning to night—liposomal Quicksilver peptides and collagen from Bonasana for the morning; electrolytes and creatine are a daily fixture, with my favourites being PerfectAmino electrolytes and Thorne creatine powder; and Magnesium Glycinate before bed.
Red light also plays a big part in my evening routine with my Higherdose red light mask, cap, and infrared PEMF mat. Sauna is also one of my go-to staples. I love the heat and the sweat! I aim for a 30-minute session three to four times per week and usually end with a cold shower afterward.
I also lean into spiritual practices, such as doing regular cosmic readings and chakra energy rebalancing with Joyce at Stone & Star, our long-term wellness partner and a close friend of mine, to gain insights for navigating life. May’s sound sessions in her new studio are completely cleansing and recalibrating. For the past two decades, I have been regularly seeing my guru Pervin Clasper at her healing centre Shakti, a place that feels like a second home to me.
While traveling, I try my best to stick closely to this routine within the confines of the time I have, realising how movement is incredibly powerful in helping me stay grounded. I usually pack my ankle weights to combine with daily steps since time is generally more limited. I add a few more bits into the supplements with my AG1 shaker and travel packs to keep myself hydrated and my gut health intact. Bonasana makes these amazing mini immunity charge shots, which I also travel with and take daily when away. I also have a strong preference to stay at a place with access to a pool or gym and sauna facilities if possible. I will ask for an air purifier in the room, and remove all the alcohol/soft drinks from the minibar. I tend to head out to a local market on arrival to stock up on extra big bottles of water, whole fruits and lemon and honey. And I never leave home without my pocket crystals from Stone & Star… even for a run!
We’re seeing increasing interest in longevity, recovery and nervous system regulation. How do you see these areas shaping the next chapter of luxury wellness experiences?
These areas represent essential needs for modern travellers. We are very proud to partner with the pioneering Human Arc (formerly 10x Longevity) to offer evidence-based therapies that promote pro-ageing, longevity and recovery. This has quickly become one of our most sought-after wellness residencies for both our stay-in guests and our local community, given its effective results. At Upper House Hong Kong, we have also recently introduced in-room treatments to recalibrate the nervous system, targeting to minimise the anxiety of travelling, support sleep and reduce the impact of jet lag. The programming includes in-room chakra and crystal rebalancing by Stone & Star, guided meditation and sound healing by May Nogoy, as well as red light and PEMF therapy in partnership with Bon Charge technology.
With the growing interest in these areas, I expect restorative practices to play an even greater role across luxury hospitality. And for Upper House, future wellness will take a personalised, data-driven approach to treatments designed to target specific needs and deliver measurable results. We will continue to approach each location and its audience respectfully, introducing the best in local expertise coupled with visiting international residencies.
Younger luxury travellers are approaching wellness very differently from previous generations. What shifts are you noticing among Gen Z and millennial guests in particular?
We observed that our younger guests approach wellbeing with a distinct focus on flexibility and through a social lens focusing on community. They are well‑informed about functional health and actively seek biohacking solutions that fit seamlessly into their lifestyle. For maximum impact, evidence‑based treatments with visible, immediate results are especially popular among Gen Z and Millennial guests. These groups are not waiting until midlife to think about longevity, they are utilising the data available to them now to ingrain these lifestyle habits.
Younger guests also prioritise experiences that blend their personal wellness routines with their social lives, seeing wellness as a shared joy and source of inspiration. This shift towards social wellness highlights the value they place on collective goals. We are glad to see more of our audience engaging in these collective moments, which motivates us to curate a diverse range of group experiences, whether active or calm, across our wellness programmes.
A really great example we have seen in this is the growth in running clubs, pioneered in Hong Kong so successfully by Jason Lam and the Shelter crew. We are very fortunate to have partnered with Shelter since their early days, now co-hosting their weekly Girls Night—led by women and for women—every Monday evening from Upper House Hong Kong. Some of these amazing women (and men) I have met through these runs have become my close friends, including our captain himself!
Image courtesy of Upper House
What’s next for Upper House?
We are entering a new chapter as we expand our wellness community and activations across our existing Houses. We are also excited to map out new experiences planned for our new Houses in Shenzhen, Xi’an and Tokyo. Chengdu launches its first hair and scalp spa; Shanghai sees its own contrast therapy come to life and the debut of the group’s first reformer Pilates & Girotonic studio; Hong Kong continues to push the boundaries with forward-thinking programming. In June, we see StudioEs—a collaborative series bringing together Energy and Sound—come to life by Stone & Star and May Nogoy, showcasing the magic these two experts bring.
House of Healing will continue to grow and evolve at its core as a discovery programme designed to help guests embrace new wellness experiences, making it easier to explore practices they may not have encountered before or felt hesitant to try, whether individually or in group settings.
I’m particularly excited for the opening of our Shenzhen House mid-next year. Building on the success of our wellness programming in Hong Kong, Chengdu, and Shanghai, we will continue to collaborate with global wellness pioneers to introduce fresh practices, state‑of‑the‑art equipment, and the best in community-led programming across the Houses.
