Sauna Dekor Wellness Demand Report ” July 2026. Data: Google Keyword Planner (UAE) and DataForSEO AI search-volume (US), compiled by Sauna Dekor from 38 years of thermal-facility manufacturing.
Wellness demand is splitting in two. On classic Google search, attention still concentrates where people want to visit a spa. On AI assistants, a different, larger conversation is happening about how wellness actually works, what it costs, and how to build it. This report puts real numbers to both, using data most of the industry does not publish.
Headline finding: the wellness conversation has moved to AI
The single clearest signal in our data is the scale of AI search. “Red light therapy” is asked of AI assistants over 40,000 times a month in the US, versus a few dozen classic Google searches for the same term in the UAE. The questions people once typed into Google, and increasingly the ones they never typed at all, are now going to AI. For any wellness brand, being the source AI cites is becoming as important as ranking on Google. For context on the modality itself, see our guide to red light therapy.
What people ask AI about wellness (US, monthly)
Monthly AI search volume for wellness topics, the questions people put to AI assistants:
| Topic | AI searches / month (US) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| Red light therapy | 40,426 | Dominant, rising |
| Float tank / sensory deprivation | 2,810 | Strong |
| Sauna cost | 2,271 | High buyer intent |
| Hyperbaric oxygen therapy | 1,241 | Rising |
| Biohacking | 1,060 | Rising |
| Banya (Russian bathhouse) | 976 | Niche, steady |
| Thermal suite | 733 | B2B, rising |
| PEMF therapy | 456 | Emerging |
| Contrast therapy | 343 | Steady |
| Longevity center | 89 | B2B, emerging |
What the UAE searches for on Google
On classic Google search in the UAE, demand tells a different story, concentrated in visit and retail intent:
| Term (UAE) | Google searches / month | Intent |
|---|---|---|
| Swimming pool | 18,100 | Visit / build mix |
| Moroccan bath | 12,100 | Visit |
| Sauna | 4,400 | Visit / build |
| Jacuzzi | 3,600 | Visit / retail |
| Red light therapy | 2,400 (+81% YoY) | Retail / interest |
| Hammam | 1,600 | Visit |
| Ice bath / cold plunge | ~1,900 / 1,000 | Interest, rising |
| Infrared sauna / Steam room | 720 / 720 | Visit / build |
Three patterns worth knowing
1. The build-vs-visit gap. In the UAE, search volume concentrates in “visit” and “near me” intent, moroccan bath (12,100), swimming pool near me (12,100), while “design,” “cost” and “build” terms are near-zero. The people who build spas and wellness spaces don’t announce themselves in Google volume; they ask detailed questions, increasingly of AI. For that audience, see how we approach a full wellness centre.
2. Recovery and longevity are the growth cluster. The fastest-rising demand, on both Google and AI, sits around the “build a recovery space” idea: red light therapy (+81% YoY in the UAE, 40,000+/mo on AI), biohacking, longevity, contrast therapy and the thermal suite. Wellness is shifting from “visit a spa occasionally” to “build the tools into a routine.”
3. Authenticity is an underserved niche. Traditional bathing cultures still command real demand, moroccan bath 12,100/mo in the UAE, and the banya nearly 1,000/mo on AI, yet few builders deliver them authentically. Cultural depth is a differentiator, not a commodity.
What it means for operators and developers
For hotels, developers and wellness operators, two takeaways follow. First, the audience researching how to build and cost a spa is now largely on AI assistants, so publishing genuinely useful, detailed content is how you get discovered by the people who make the decisions. Second, the demand is moving toward recovery, longevity and authentic bathing, exactly the modalities that define a modern thermal suite and wellness facility.
Methodology
Google search volumes are from Google Keyword Planner for the United Arab Emirates, July 2026. AI search volumes are monthly figures from DataForSEO’s AI search-volume dataset for the United States, the largest AI-assistant market, July 2026. Figures are indicative and rounded. Compiled by Sauna Dekor Spa Solutions.
Sauna Dekor has manufactured saunas, hammams, thermal suites and complete wellness facilities since 1987, for clients including Hilton, Emirates and Ritz-Carlton. To discuss the data or a project, contact our team. Journalists and publishers are welcome to cite this report with a link to saunadekor.com.
