Wellness technology once meant counting steps and keeping an eye on your heart rate. Now, it promises to help you sleep more soundly, manage stress and care for your skin, with devices that bring elements of the clinic, spa and fitness studio into the home. Alongside increasingly discreet trackers, a growing crop of gadgets is making light therapy, cooling treatments and guided relaxation part of the daily routine.
The challenge is knowing which ones deserve a place in it. Useful wellness tech should fit into your life, whether by helping you understand your sleep patterns or making it easier to check your sunscreen coverage. From a ring that tracks health around the clock to a mask that gives tired eyes a wake-up call, these six devices explore the possibilities of a more connected approach to personal care.
Solis Red Light Panel
In today’s crowded wellness market, red light is built into everything from yoga mats to headphones. But not all devices are created equal: wavelength and irradiance matter, particularly when claims go beyond the skin’s surface. For muscular tension and joint stiffness, look for near-infrared wavelengths of at least 810 nanometres. Solis meets that threshold, with power output increasing with panel size. The Surge 2 strikes a good balance for home use: at just under a metre tall, it covers plenty of skin in one session without overwhelming the room.
Device from Dh4,000; panels from Dh3,000
Oura 5
Ring, watch or band? The wearable tech debate continues, but for those who prefer something discreet, Oura runs circles around its rivals. Ring 5 is 40 per cent smaller than its predecessor, yet packs in the brand’s most advanced health sensors and insights. Beyond sleep and activity tracking, the ring and its app venture into preventive health, including blood pressure monitoring and GLP-1 insights. Made from lightweight, non-allergenic titanium and available in six shades, it’s designed for round-the-clock wear.
Ring from Dh1,600; subscription from Dh30 a month
Shark Cryoglow LED Mask
Yes, the LED mask has become part of the wellness influencer uniform, but there is merit behind its sci-fi aesthetic. Taking electrical know-how from household goods to the beauty world, Shark’s CryoGlow mask combines red, blue and deep infrared light therapy to smoothen and cleanse the complexion. Setting it apart from many rivals is targeted under-eye cooling, with pads designed to depuff and provide an instant tightening effect – and a welcome wake-me-up, too.
Dh1,500
Bork Smart Mirror
Dermatologists rarely tire of singing the praises of SPF, and with good reason: exposure to ultraviolet rays can cause premature ageing and skin diseases. But knowing when, where and how much sunscreen to apply isn’t always straightforward. Bork’s Smart Mirror aims to help, using a built-in digital beauty assistant to assess sunlight, UV index and humidity, while checking the viewer’s SPF coverage in real time. Compact enough to slip into a bag, it also makes it easier to check when to reapply on the go.
Dh1,740
Sensate
If wellness had to be distilled into one goal, calming the nervous system would achieve a podium finish. Sensate, a vagus nerve relaxation device, aims to fast-track the process using low-frequency sound waves and synchronised music to encourage relaxing alpha and theta brainwave states. Worn around the neck or placed on the chest while lying down, it offers guided sessions of between 10 and 30 minutes. Designed to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, it can be used during moments of stress or to support meditation.
From Dh1,760
Google Fitbit Air
Wellness tech has come full circle. The original Fitbit bands evolved into fitness-tracking watches, then transformed into bulkier Google Pixel Watch Faces. Now, the Google Fitbit Air strips things back again. Ditching the watch face, the Air is the brand’s smallest tracker yet, capturing metrics from heart rate variability to sleep stages without another screen competing for attention. Five minutes of charging provides a full day’s power, while syncing with the Google Pixel Watch allows for seamless switching. It is ideal for those who want a watch by day but something lighter for sleep.
From Dh475
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