Wellness homes gaining currency

The pandemic has totally re-oriented our focus towards a healthier lifestyle and in the process, further stoked the already existing demand for “wellness homes” around the world, including in India. For the present home-seeker, features conducive to good health and hygiene take precedence over materialistic add-ons or just frills and vanity elements.



So the trajectory of search for a new home in today’s world scarred by Covid has changed dramatically. Buyers are more concerned about their families’ health and well-being rather than superfluous amenities.

This altered customer approach has spawned the concept of new-age homes with high well-being quotients and the “wellness housing community” that resides in habitats with a whole range of wellness features like water and air purification facilities, adequate ventilation and natural light, meditation spaces and yoga courts, walking trails and herb gardens, chlorine-free gyms and swimming pools, reflexology-based pathways and a whole cocktail of such elements that evokes positivity and gives one a therapeutic sense. A strong connect with Nature is an abiding theme here.

Today’s customer is looking at homes as a safeguard against disease and infection, a first line of defence, by choosing a scientifically designed healthy habitat, from conceptualization to architectural and design details to use of materials to execution – the entire process geared towards healthy living.

Also, the pandemic has drastically shrunk accessible public spaces, thus raising the value and criticality of private spaces enormously. A wellness home is a great investment in this context since in today’s scenario of heightened health awareness, it has a huge incremental value. The wellness homes segment which was valued at around $130 billion in 2017, is expected to become a $200-billion market by the end of this year, according to recent research.

What are some of the popular features in a wellness home?



Wellness homes are designed to make us feel happier and healthier by taking into account the impact of built environment on its occupants, which has a huge role in our cognitive functioning. Some of the sustainable resources and amenities that adorn a wellness home include:

# Excellent ventilation and natural light filtering through

# Top-of-the-line water and air purification facilities

# Installed technology to repel dust, allergens and pests

# Reflexology-based pathways

# Balconies and sun decks

# Dispensers for aromatherapy

# Illumination mimicking the natural circadian rhythm of the human body

# Posture-supporting flooring

# Use of non-toxic, locally sourced building materials

# Availability of more green walkable areas

# Plastic-free environment, composting and recycling

# Yoga studios, fitness classes, meditation rooms

# Use of roller shutters

What are the unique advantages of wellness homes over standard units?



# Better work-life balance

# Improved overall health

# Sense of well-being

# Quality sleep cycle

# Sense of heightened safety and security

# More privacy and peace of mind

All these elements combined, translate into a better quality of life in today’s break-neck world with so many pollutants and harmful pathogens in the ambient atmosphere. Such utilities can help us organize our lives better and live healthier. The concept of healthy homes is not entirely new though. It has only gathered momentum during the pandemic and in response to all the distortion Covid has dumped on us, changing forever the way we look at health and well-being.

The demand for such units can only go up, with increased awareness not just of wellness but climate change and the havoc it wreaks. Wellness homes, besides offering an active lifestyle, also increases social interaction. So wellness real estate as a movement is here to stay and scale dizzy heights, also spreading to Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, since home-seekers are now prepared to shell out that extra amount for a lifestyle built around sustainability, fitness and well-being.