Health Update: Health Update: Zulal Wellness Resort review: I swapped my phone for a wellness plan – and the results surprised me – What Experts Say– What Experts Say.
When I boarded my flight from London to Doha, I had no intention of becoming the sort of person who schedules breathwork.
As a journalist, my relationship with my phone borders on co-dependency: emails at 30,000 feet, WhatsApps before wheels lift, headlines consumed before breakfast. So the idea of voluntarily surrendering my device, well, contained to my room – and submitting instead to a personalised wellness plan – felt faintly radical.
Yet, that is precisely what awaited me at Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som, one of the Gulf’s most talked-about retreats, which was also home to the German football team during the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
First impressions
Set on a serene stretch of coastline north of Doha, the resort promises something more structured than a spa break and more glamorous than a clinic: a doctor-led reset designed to recalibrate everything from sleep patterns to stress levels.
I arrived sceptical, armed with irony and a tightly packed schedule. I left four days later with lower blood pressure, a noticeably quieter mind, and the uncomfortable realisation that I hadn’t realised quite how tired I’d become.
The consultation
After an hour-long consultation designed to map out my personal wellness plan, it became clear this was no ordinary spa intake. Instead of simply asking which treatments I fancied, the practitioner wanted to know whether I was trying to lose weight, running on empty, sleeping badly or quietly carrying the familiar signs of burnout. We talked through daily routines, stress levels and eating habits with the kind of detail usually reserved for a GP appointment rather than a luxury retreat.
© ZulalA carefully planned daily routine
Over the following days, my carefully designed schedule unfolded. Mornings often began quietly, with guided meditation or pranayama breathing sessions that required a level of stillness I rarely allow myself at home. From there, the programme moved steadily between activity and restoration, with sessions including a surprisingly demanding super-stretch class, gentle cycling along the coast, and even an abs express class that reminded me muscles I had long ignored were still very much present.
Treatments designed to restore
For treatments, I had a full-body massage and a deeply relaxing head massage worked on knots accumulated from years at a desk, as well as a floating meditation session – part sensory experience, part enforced pause. There were also moments of creativity, including an afternoon spent shaping clay pottery or dot painting.
Some sessions leaned into the resort’s more holistic philosophy. Through TAIM – a traditional Arabic and Islamic medicine assessment – I was told I was an “earth” type, apparently grounded and steady but prone to holding tension.
Elsewhere, the approach felt more clinical: a nutrition consultation examined everyday habits in practical detail, a postural assessment highlighted the subtle damage inflicted by laptop life, and a VISIA facial imaging analysis produced a startlingly forensic portrait of my skin beneath the surface.
A room designed for switching off
My room – a Serenity Deluxe Island King – was designed with privacy in mind. It opened onto a compact terrace with its own plunge pool and a ladder leading straight into the lagoon, which made it easy to slip into the water first thing in the morning or cool off after a session. The décor was simple and understated, mixing modern furniture with a few Arabian-inspired details. Neutral colours and uncluttered surfaces gave the space a calm feel rather than anything overly decorative.
© Glown PhotographyGuests are provided with a set of Zulal pyjamas to wear around the resort, which quickly became the default uniform between treatments and classes. Comfortable and lightweight, they reinforced the sense that this was somewhere you were expected to slow down rather than dress up. Even the minibar followed the same approach. Instead of fizzy drinks or snacks, it was stocked with dried fruit, juices and herbal teas – in keeping with the broader focus on health and routine.
© Glown photographyHealthy diet
One of the first things I noticed was the portion sizes. Meals were deliberately modest – enough to satisfy but never excessive – and designed around the resort’s nutritional principles: largely gluten-free, dairy-free and with no refined sugar. It sounded restrictive on paper, but in practice, the food was delicious, and I rarely found myself hungry between meals.
© ZulalAt Al Sidr, the main restaurant, breakfast, lunch and dinner are centred on fresh vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains, with portions calibrated to suit individual goals such as weight management or digestive health. Without heavy sauces or processed ingredients, the meals left me feeling noticeably lighter. It was a contrast to the usual pattern of rushed lunches and late dinners back in London.
Aizoon followed a similar approach, offering Arabic and international dishes adapted to the same guidelines. By the beach at Malbu, dinners were built around grilled fish, fresh salads and fruit-based mocktails instead of alcohol. The emphasis was on straightforward, seasonal ingredients rather than elaborate cooking.
After a few days, the smaller plates and absence of refined sugar began to feel normal. Rather than leaving the table overly full, meals felt measured and purposeful.
Rooms start at £576, to book, visit chivasom.com, booking.com or Loveholidays.com.