Editor’s Update [08/08/23, 4.05PM]: In an article originally published on November 6, 2019, we reported that Patrick Wee was the founder of HealthLand, according to materials given by their team at the time of writing. However, a representative has since reached out to us to clarify that Patrick Wee has never been associated with HealthLand in any founding capacity, and he is no longer associated with HealthLand in any capacity.
You’ve probably seen many HealthLand outlets around KL and Selangor, or maybe even in Penang, Johor, and Melaka.
The Executive Director behind them is Patrick Wee, who has helped open over 30 HealthLand outlets across Malaysia.
Now, instead of opening another HealthLand outlet, he’s spearheaded Future of Wellness (FoW) instead.
And we just had to know, why not another HealthLand?
More Than Massages
In an interview with Vulcan Post, Patrick told us that it was because massages, which are the main treatments at HealthLand, could only do so much. “We realised that many people in the city have many healthcare and wellness needs but are confused with the multitude of choices spread over Klang Valley, and don’t know which service provider to trust.”
Where HealthLand’s treatments are more focused on physical wellness, FoW’s variety of wellness service providers in one place aims to foster self-care, mental and physical health, and emotional wellbeing.
Patrick and the FoW team believe that wellness should be integrative and holistic, and the service providers that they’ve invited to set up at FoW have been curated based on that view.
“All our resident brands are homegrown in Malaysia, and they are all led by extraordinary leaders that have exceptional expertise and track record,” Patrick added.
“We also carried out customer surveys with our HealthLand customers to find out what they expect the most in a one-stop wellness centre.”
From Head To Toe
At FoW, you’ll find these 10 service providers:
- 1TCM for traditional Chinese medicine
- McKay Clinic for family healthcare and aesthetics
- Bondahaven for traditional maternal care and consultations
- buluu for premium waxing
- emma lizs for non-invasive anti-aging and facelift treatments
- Jari Jari Spa, which won the ASEAN Best Spa Standards Award
- Holistic Hair Care for scalp and hair treatments
- Craftiviti for therapeutic crafting workshops
- OhanaJo Studio for yoga classes and sound healing sessions
- Workwell, Malaysia’s first wellness themed coworking space
Yes, you read that right. A coworking space in a wellness hub. But why?
“The idea is to allow busy working people to work in a comfortable environment that gives them convenient access to wellness and healthcare literally within a skip in the same premises,” Patrick explained.
Customers who are waiting in between different appointments can do some work here. It’s also the place for doing wellness activities like a DIY essential oil workshop or an Ayurveda cooking demo.
FoW essentially functions as a one-stop hub for wellness by catering to different demographics with specific needs beyond an aching body that can be treated with a general massage.
For example, there are specialised treatments for expecting and post-natal mothers as well as alternative treatments such as acupuncture and magnetotherapy (an alternative medical practice using magnets to alleviate pain) offered within FoW’s premises.
When most people think of the word ‘healing’, it’s also usually to do with only the physical body. But at OhanaJo Studio, healing comes from within too, on a more spiritual level, with their sound healing therapy.
And before you think sound healing is some new hipster trend, sound has actually been used for healing and calming for thousands of years.
It’s a technique that uses various instruments like bowls, flutes, and drums to produce vibrations.
These vibrations help to relax the mind and body, and it is believed that they can also reduce pain and stimulate healing.
The Price Of Pampering
Since the service providers at FoW are also independent brands with their own outlets, you might be wondering: how do their prices compare, in and out of FoW?
6 months of unlimited yoga classes at OhanaJo Studio costs RM1,920, and in FoW, the same package deal also costs RM1,920*.
*Editor’s Update: The price figure has been updated to reflect accuracy at the time of writing.
On the other hand, a 60-minute Dusun Lotud Inan massage at Jari Jari Spa costs RM190, while the same price will get you 75 minutes of the same massage at FoW’s Jari Jari Spa, which could be seen as being better value for money.
Speaking of value, you can take advantage of its luxurious lounging area while waiting in between appointments, and have FoW’s own team to tend to you in the meantime too.
FoW’s team is trained not only in customer service, but also as wellness coaches through a partnership with UCSI University.
This takes their overall customer service to the next level as they’ll be able to better educate and guide FoW members along their wellness journey.
So, while you’re sitting around waiting for your next appointment, don’t feel shy to strike up a conversation with them.
Just Go With The Flow
To make it easy for both the service providers and members, FoW functions as a central booking and cashless payment gateway.
Patrick also said that members can soon book and pay for their services via a mobile app that they plan to launch before the end of the year.
The currency used at FoW is called Flow Credits, and one Flow Credit is equivalent to RM1. These credits are valid from 1 to 3 years, depending on the type of membership.
After you sign up as a general member, you have the choices of 3 Flow Credit Packages to purchase: Silver, Gold, or Platinum. (A Diamond package is still in the works.)
Here’s what you get for each package:
If you know of several other people who are interested in FoW’s services, you could team up and buy the Platinum package to get the most out of the additional privileges over its 2 years of validity.
FoW already appears full to the brim with services, but Patrick revealed that they’re currently in talks to include an organic grocer alongside other healthcare solution providers.
“And yes, we are also exploring a fitness centre, one that focuses more on calisthenics and relies less on equipment and weights. The latter to better manage the noise level in our wellness hubs and also we believe moving naturally is the best way to maintain our health.” Patrick concluded.
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As someone who doesn’t feel the need for many of these pampering services and can’t see the point of paying that much for them, I’m most likely not FoW’s target consumer.
If you’re someone who sees value in these services, however, you would probably be willing—and even happy—to pay for them.
Overall, I would say that FoW is definitely designed to cater to the higher end crowd, so they would have to market themselves to the right crowd as well.
- You can find out more about Future of Wellness here.
