Given the current obsession with optimizing every aspect of our health, it was only a matter of time before the conversation seriously turned to sex. The World Health Organization notes that sexual health is closely linked to “physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being,” and longevity experts are putting sexual wellness—from emotions and pleasure to hormones and body mechanics—at the forefront of the quest for peak performance. SHA Wellness Clinic resorts and Six Senses hotels have launched retreats dedicated to sexual wellness. And networking events like Summit and Harvest are hosting sexual wellness sessions, perhaps knowing that the sexual wellness industry is set to reach a $100 million valuation. $92 billion by 2032This all sounds like more fun than an ice bath.
“Historically, sex has been reduced to something we TO DO. But it also has a big impact on how we think and feel,” says psychosexual therapist Kate Moyle, author of The science of sex and host of Sexual Wellness Sessions podcast. She urges us to remember that “what happens in our sex lives impacts other areas of our lives.” So it’s disappointing that Nearly 40% of people in the UK are sexually unsatisfied.
Sexual Wellness Retreats and Practitioners
Six senses Rome – sex education workshops with psychosexologist Dr Leni (from €335)
Six senses Ibiza – Power and Pleasure Retreat for women only (from €1,800 for four days, from September 29 to October 2)
Aïcha Paris Smith – the somatic sexologist (practice) offers short sessions or tailor-made retreats of up to five days
According to Dr. Sabine Donnai, founder of Viavi Health Optimization Clinic, sexual wellness is at the heart of all wellness: “It’s crazy to think that you can separate them. Our sexual wellness gives us a sense of our overall performance,” she explains. “When you’re stressed or you need mitochondrial support or whatever, the first thing that goes out the window is sex.”
SHA Wellness Clinic recently launched sexual wellness units at both its locations in Spain and Mexico, bringing together a range of gynecologists, urologists and hormone specialists to optimise each individual’s sexual health. Among the most intriguing therapies? Penile shockwave therapy – to promote blood flow for a stronger erection.
The Spanish branch is headed by psychologist Cinthya Molina. What does the Sexual Wellbeing Unit monitor? “There are so many things: hormones, intimacy, self-esteem and confidence, erection, pleasure,” she explains.
“We have made sexual wellness a central pillar of health for SHA because we believe it is an essential element to help clients become the best version of themselves,” continues Alejandro Bataller, vice president of SHA Wellness and parent group AB Living. Each client can choose a sexual supplement (for €2,000) and a sexual wellness consultation is included in the Well Aging program. The participation rate among clients, divided equally between men and women, and mostly over 40, is high.
Entrepreneur Lucy Elliott* came to SHA after receiving conflicting advice from several London doctors. “I had been diagnosed with conditions ranging from depression to ADHD.” Tests at SHA revealed she was suffering from “a hormonal imbalance that was causing brain fog, memory loss, erratic moods and a lack of enthusiasm in bed.” Three months later, things were much better sexually, “but I also noticed that I was much more alert at work.”
“Too often, women just tolerate fatigue or pain,” says Dr. Helen O’Neill, founder and CEO of virtual diagnostic clinic Hertility. She points out that persevering can have long-term consequences: estrogen is neuroprotective, and evidence suggests that estrogen therapy during the menopausal transition may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Aside from hormones, another physical aspect of sexual wellbeing is the pelvic floor, the hammock of muscles that stretches from the pubic bone to the tailbone, linked to continence but also orgasm. One of SHA’s most popular treatments is Emsella, a chair that emits electromagnetic waves to tighten the pelvic floor muscles, with over 10,000 contractions in 28 minutes. The device is also championed by registered psychiatrist and aesthetic specialist Dr Galyna Selezneva of the Dr Rita Rakus Clinic in Knightsbridge, who believes it’s as much about the muscles as it is about “self-esteem, self-confidence”.
Emsella isn’t just for women. Molina says, “I just saw a guy who had tried Viagra, everything, to try to get a stronger erection; he really just needed to improve blood flow.” After two sessions of Emsella, he came back and knocked on her door: “It worked.”
When it comes to emotional and relationship issues, Molina continues, men tend to come in with a direct, “How do I fix this?” attitude. Women are more likely to feel guilty (“What’s wrong with me?”) or pressured to have more sex. “Women don’t think we want pleasure. Joy that we can claim. Sometimes we don’t think we want pleasure.” deserve pleasure.” Often, her role is to encourage clients to articulate their issues – and then help them understand that change – “and yes, even orgasm is possible.”
“A lot of sexual issues are psychological: they’re related to anxiety or shame,” says Chloe Macintosh, the French co-founder of made.com, who has spent the last decade studying sex and sensuality. “People are stuck in their heads. We need to take the time to be present in our bodies and learn what we need and want.” Macintosh is very busy. In addition to founding the sexual wellness app Kama, she’s very active in the “personal development” field.
Last September, with movement specialist Nick Brewer, she launched the Embody Love retreats, with sessions to deepen sexual understanding and joy – from breath work, pelvic floor training and primal movement to workshops like 5 keys to optimal sex and intimacy.
Should we all sign up?
“We live in a culture of distraction, where sex has become a priority for many,” Moyle says. Taking care of your sexuality will pay off, she says.
The next time I talk to Molina, I see a huge bouquet of orange flowers on his desk from a client. “I gave her tools to have a conversation with her husband and tell him how she likes sex, what she needs and what she doesn’t want.” The results, the client tells Molina, have changed her life.
*Some names have been changed