- Wellness real estate is the fastest-growing wellness sector in the world, reaching $876 billion in 2025 and forecast to hit $1.8 trillion by 2030.
- On Maui it has stopped being a preference and become a requirement. At the upper end of my market, essentially every buyer now asks about it.
- The list has changed. Buyers used to ask about a gym. Now they ask about cold plunge, sauna, steam, treatment rooms and recovery space.
- Privacy is part of the amenity. A spa you cannot use unobserved is not a spa.
- It is starting to decide deals. At the top of the market, buyers who want this are rarely willing to compromise on it.
What is wellness real estate?
Wellness real estate means homes designed and built to actively support the health of the people living in them, rather than simply to shelter them. In practice that covers air and water quality, natural light, materials, movement and sleep, and dedicated space for recovery.
It is no longer a niche. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness real estate market reached $876 billion in 2025, up from $151 billion in 2017, and is forecast to reach $1.8 trillion by 2030. It has grown at an average of 23.6% a year since 2019, roughly double the next-fastest wellness sector.
That is the global backdrop. What I can tell you is what it looks like on the ground here.
What has actually changed on Maui
I have been selling on this island for seventeen years, and the shift in the last few has been unmistakable.
A decade ago, a buyer at the top of the market asked about the view, the beach access and the finish level. Wellness, if it came up at all, meant whether there was room for a gym. Today, at the higher price points, the conversation opens somewhere else entirely. Buyers ask what the recovery space looks like. They ask whether there is somewhere to take a cold plunge that is not overlooked. They ask about the sauna before they ask about the kitchen.
I do not think this is a trend that arrived here from somewhere else. Hawaii has always been a place people come to reset. What has changed is that buyers now expect the house itself to participate in that, rather than leaving it to the resort down the road.
What longevity-focused buyers are actually asking for
When I map what buyers request now against what they requested five years ago, the list has both grown and become more specific.
| Then | Now |
|---|---|
| A gym or workout room | A movement space plus a dedicated recovery room |
| A hot tub | Cold plunge, sauna and steam, often all three |
| A pool | A lap or resistance pool for daily training |
| A spare bedroom | A treatment or massage room with plumbing roughed in |
| Good views | Light, air quality, and quiet as design goals |
| Privacy from neighbours | Privacy specifically around the wellness spaces |
That last row is the one people underestimate. A cold plunge on an exposed lanai overlooked by the next property does not get used. The amenity only works if the buyer can use it without thinking about who can see them, and on a sloped South Maui lot that is a genuine design constraint rather than an afterthought.
Why Maui suits this better than most markets
Some of this is climate. An indoor-outdoor life is available here roughly year round, which means recovery space does not have to be locked inside a basement the way it does in a cold-winter market. An outdoor shower, a plunge under open sky and a covered treatment space all work here in a way they simply do not elsewhere.
Some of it is land. In Makena in particular, the parcels are large enough to put meaningful distance between the wellness spaces and everything else, including neighbours. That is harder to achieve in a dense resort condominium, however beautiful the finishes are.
And some of it is why people are here at all. Buyers are not usually relocating to Maui to work harder. They come with an explicit intention to live differently, and a house built around that intention is closer to what they actually came for.
Does wellness design hold its value?
This is the right question to ask, and I would be careful of anyone who answers it with a precise percentage.
What I can say from watching this market is directional. Estates built with genuine wellness infrastructure, meaning proper plumbing and ventilation for a spa rather than equipment parked in a spare room, tend to attract a deeper pool of qualified buyers at the top end and tend to move with less friction. The buyers who want this are not usually willing to compromise on it, because retrofitting is expensive and disruptive.
The corollary matters too. A cold plunge dropped onto a terrace adds very little. What holds value is design that was resolved at the outset: drainage, ventilation, structural loading, privacy sightlines and access. That is a build decision, not a purchase decision, which is why it is worth identifying early whether a property has it or realistically could.
What to look for when you are viewing
- Is there plumbing and drainage already serving the wellness spaces? Retrofitting a wet room is the expensive part.
- How is it ventilated? Sauna, steam and plunge generate moisture. Poor ventilation becomes a maintenance problem quickly.
- Can you actually use it privately? Stand in the space and look around. Who can see you?
- Does the water supply support it? On Maui this is not rhetorical. See my guide to water, county meters and private wells, because fixture limits can constrain what you are allowed to install.
- Is there a path to add what is missing? Sometimes the answer is straightforward. Sometimes the lot or the structure rules it out.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a wellness home?
There is no certification most buyers care about. In practice it means a home where health was a design input rather than an afterthought: dedicated recovery space, considered light and air, quality water, and privacy around the spaces meant for restoration.
Which wellness amenities do Maui buyers ask for most?
Cold plunge, sauna and steam lead the list, followed by a treatment or massage room, a lap or resistance pool, and a dedicated movement space. Privacy around all of it is assumed rather than requested.
Is wellness real estate actually growing, or is it marketing?
It is growing. The Global Wellness Institute puts the sector at $876 billion in 2025 with a forecast of $1.8 trillion by 2030, and average annual growth since 2019 of 23.6%, making it the fastest-growing wellness sector.
Can I add a sauna and cold plunge to a home that does not have them?
Often yes, but the cost sits in the infrastructure rather than the equipment. Drainage, ventilation, structural support and privacy usually determine whether a retrofit is simple or substantial. Establish that before you buy, not after.
Do wellness features affect resale on Maui?
Well-executed ones broaden your buyer pool at the top of the market, where this is increasingly a requirement rather than a bonus. Superficial additions do much less. The distinction is whether the infrastructure was designed in or bolted on.
Related guides
- Spa, Sauna and Cold Plunge: The Wellness Amenities Maui Buyers Now Expect
- Designing for Longevity: Wellness Architecture in Maui Homes
- Off-Market and Private Exclusive Homes on Maui
- Buying Luxury Real Estate on Maui: The Complete Mainland Buyer’s Guide
Chelsea Dimin is the #1 Compass agent in Hawaii by volume and ranked #13 statewide (WSJ/RealTrends), with more than $300 million in sales and 17 years living and working on Maui. The first woman to sell a $32M+ property on the island, she specializes in luxury homes across Wailea, Mākena, and South Maui. License #RB-22400.
This article reflects general market observation on Maui and is not construction, design, medical or investment advice. Wellness features and their value vary by property, lot and build quality. Confirm what any specific home can support with a licensed contractor and the County of Maui before relying on it.
