It was as if I was about to meet Brad Pitt. “I wonder what he’s like?” friends asked. “Find out what his secret is.” “Touch him slyly for me when he’s not looking!”
Curiously, the object of their lusting was neither a movie star nor a rock star. It was, rather, a doc star.
For those who believe that wellness retreats are the new nightclubs, Dr. Mark Hyman is the superstar DJ of the eternal-youth movement. A real-life Benjamin Button, the 63-year-old, who has purportedly reversed his biological age by 20 years, is a proponent of functional medicine—”the medicine of why, not what,” he says. This practice identifies underlying causes of disease and treats the whole person, rather than merely managing symptoms.
Not so long ago it was considered quackery but that mindset is shifting, aided by Hyman. He has more than 2.5 million followers on Instagram; his podcast, The Doctor’s Farmacy, has been downloaded more than 65 million times; he is the No 1 New York Times bestselling author of several books and he has looked after the Clintons. And I had the chance not only to sip his goat-whey-filled smoothie, but also (for the fangirls) to stroke his arm.
You too can get this close to Hyman—if you have a spare $16,000 to join his twice-yearly “intimate retreats” at the new RoseBar “longevity club” at Six Senses Ibiza, to which he has been appointed chief medical officer. RoseBar is a biohacker’s delight: a plaster-pink building specially lit so as not to upset the circadian rhythm (blue spectrum in the morning to increase wakefulness, orange hues in the afternoon to avoid stimulating the brain and affecting melatonin secretion).
A real-life Benjamin Button, the 63-year-old has purportedly reversed his biological age by 20 years.
Inside, spaces are filled with wellness tech: IV-infusion stations, a cryotherapy chamber, a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, a photobiomodulation station (which emits red light and near-infrared waves to stimulate mitochondria), an infrared sauna, an ice bath and more. It was dreamt up by the Israeli architect Jonathan Leitersdorf, who saw the potential of science that could reverse cell ageing after he invested in a kidney disease research company. “When Covid hit I realized we were at a place in history where science could deliver anti-ageing that we could combine with spiritual and emotional support,” he says.
The Young Forever retreat offers guests a chance to join Hyman’s pursuit of longevity, which he hopes will mean he lives to 120 while still “hiking a mountain, playing tennis and having sex.” My fellow retreaters all fancy a bit of this too. They’re a mixed bunch: Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, billionaires, wellness obsessives (“I’ve been to Chiva-Som 90 times”), those recovering from chronic disease and hardcore Hyman fans.
Our schedule is packed with movement, strength training, active relaxation, biohacking and nutrition (75 percent plants, 25 percent protein and good fats). The highlight is Hyman’s 90-minute daily seminar covering topics including hormesis (what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger), the importance of community and purpose for longevity (taking example from the world’s Blue Zones, where people live the longest), and anti-aging science (discussing topics such as exosomes, stem cells, mitochondrial optimization, phytohormesis and the use of AI with functional medicine).
After a week I feel fantastic, like Superwoman, thanks to delicious food, IV infusions, red-light therapy, sound healing and ozone therapy, in which 50-200ml of blood is removed, oxygenated with ozone (it turns from purple to red in front of my eyes) and intravenously returned to my body for a direct antipathogenic effect on viruses and bacteria. Hyman is a big fan of this therapy, crediting it with curing his Lyme disease and Covid infections almost overnight.
I also picked up tips for longevity microgains: “black rice is the blueberry of rice”; “do your homework and go for medical-grade supplements”; “treat sugar like a recreational drug: once in a while but not for breakfast, lunch and dinner”; “eat organ meat — lions eat the organs and leave the carcass to the vultures”; “go for smaller, wild fish — bigger fish are apex predators and have accumulated toxins.”
Hyman is mightily impressive and being at RoseBar makes you feel as if you have a seat at his top table. While you can learn a lot from his books, podcasts and Instagram, there’s nothing like being at the gig and feeling the bass throb in your chest.
Wanting to be fit and healthy for as long as possible is a no-brainer. But living the Hyman way in an attempt to reach the age of 120 is a whopping commitment. And I just wonder … if you were to tot up all the hours and grist that Hyman puts in at the front end of his life, would it end up equalling the extra life at the other end? If that’s the case, I would rather live for now—with a lovely frosting of Hyman’s hacks—than spend hours hooked up to IV drips, hedging for tomorrow.
Alice Brudenell-Bruce is an Editor at Large at AIR MAIL
