What a Day of Absolute Wellness Looks Like at the Four Seasons’ Longevity Lounge

1 day ago

What a Day of Absolute Wellness Looks Like at the Four Seasons’ Longevity Lounge

Red lights, a day of relaxation, and a lengthy consultation—here’s everything that happened when I healthmaxxed at The Longevity Lounge at the Four Seasons.

Do you want to live forever? The idea of turning a century of life sounds wonderful in theory, but in practice, it’s probably not too great a deal. See, you could live to 100, but would you be living well? What’s the point of living longer if you’re bedridden and completely dependent on full-time care? This is the question that longevity medicine seeks to answer.

In a medical context, longevity refers to healthspan, as opposed to just lifespan—in short, how many years you live with good physical function, cognitive function, independence and quality of life. As Dr Iman Thalia, Medical Director of The Rosewood Clinic and The Longevity Lounge, puts it, “nobody wants to simply add ten years to the end of life if those ten years are dominated by frailty and chronic disease.”

Specialising in Functional Medicine, Anti-Aging, and Holistic Aesthetic Medicine, Dr Iman brings functional medicine to the Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur with her partner and husband Gregg Parker. Inspired by the simple idea that one should not have to wait until they are unwell to start paying attention to their health, The Longevity Lounge is a physician-led health optimisation space where diagnostics, functional and longevity medicine converge with recovery technologies and personalised interventions in an elevated, relaxed space. 

It’s a service that’s designed to serve everyone—not just ailing people looking for a cure. “We see people in their 30s who want to optimise performance or understand their future health risks, women navigating hormonal changes and perimenopause, executives dealing with chronic stress and poor recovery, athletes wanting to improve recovery, and people in their 50s, 60s and beyond who want to preserve strength, cognition and independence. You don’t necessarily need to be sick,” Dr Iman explains. “In fact, one of the central ideas of longevity medicine is: What can we do while you are still well? “The earlier we understand your risk factors and start building muscle, protecting metabolic health, sleeping well and addressing cardiovascular risk, the more opportunity we potentially have to influence your health trajectory.”

Needless to say, when The Longevity Lounge at Four Seasons invited me to experience The Curated Reset, a full day of longevity-boosting goodness complete with a consultation with Dr Iman, my interest was immediately piqued. Ahead, find my full account of my day, as well as everything I learned during my consultation.

Pre-visit: Tests and objectives

Before I even set foot on the premises, I was asked to fill in a few questionnaires and complete a few tests. The first was the longevity matrix questionnaire, which was essentially a way for the clinic to get some insight into my health history ahead of my visit. The other test was a brain cognition assessment, both of which were completed within 20 minutes.

It sounds a little daunting, but as Dr Iman puts it, it allowed the team to get a peek into my objectives for this visit. “Don’t simply come in thinking, I want to do everything. Ask yourself what you’re trying to achieve,” she advised. “Are you struggling with energy? Sleep? Recovery? Hormonal changes? Weight? Athletic performance? Or are you interested in understanding your long-term health risks?” I was looking to aid my sleep and explore some solutions for issues I’ve been having with my metabolic health, and doing this prep work allowed the team to tailor my therapies to their designed strategy.

9:30am: A fasted blood test and a spot of brekkie

We started off the session with a fasted blood test, which went as any other would. Then, I was immediately taken up to The Lounge at Four Seasons for a quick breakfast before my activities for the day began.

10:30am: A discovery consultation with Dr Iman Thalia

With a full belly, I entered my consultation with Dr Iman—and just as well, as the energy fuelled our two-hour consultation! Dr Iman was incredibly engaging to talk to, asking all the right questions to discern my key concerns and map out my health from start to finish. From poor sleep to hormone-induced weight gain, the consultation served to highlight myriad ways in which I could improve my health holistically. While I wasn’t keen on every option suggested, having it all laid out properly was very interesting. And, work aside, she was generally just a delight to chat to!

12:30pm: Photobiomodulation (Red Light) & Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy (PEMF)

Probably my favourite activity from the day, this quick, 30-minute red light therapy session was the perfect pick-me-up before lunch. I was given the option to choose between different programmes targeting different objectives, and I ultimately opted to maximise my relaxation for this session. 

You’re supposed to be as naked as possible to maximise exposure to the lamps, and naked I was. In a nutshell, it was the best power nap I’ve ever had—warm (at a toasty 60ºC), invigorating, and very, very red. The best part was waking up and feeling energised instead of groggy! That said, if you’re planning on trying the treatment out, prepare to have it all hang out!

1pm: Lunch with Dr Iman and Gregg Parker

Right after the consultation, I was sat down for another meal at Curate, this time sat opposite Dr Iman and her co-founder and husband, Gregg Parker‚ which gave me the unique opportunity to pick their brain about their services.

Ageing isn’t driven by one single pathway, and so The Longevity Lounge essentially combines multiple therapies and diagnostics to create a bespoke plan for every patient geared at optimising their health. “Some of our most popular experiences include mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy, red-light therapy combined with PEMF, infrared sauna and cold therapy,” Dr Iman shares. “We also offer physician-guided programmes incorporating nutritional optimisation, supplements and intravenous therapies such as NAD+ where appropriate. But the real benefit of The Longevity Lounge isn’t one machine or treatment—it’s the ability to bring all of those pieces together into an individual health strategy.”

“Anybody can try a sauna or a red-light session,” she continues. “The more interesting question is: what does your body actually need, and what are we trying to improve? That is where the medical assessment and longitudinal tracking become very important.”

3pm: Rotan Manau Herbal Tungku Massage at The Four Seasons Spa

What better way is there to rest and digest than with a massage? This locally-inspired massage uses a Malaysian rattan massage tool and time-tested techniques to relieve muscle tension, boost blood circulation, and improve skin firmness. Full disclosure: I fully knocked out during the treatment, so I cannot speak much on the experience, but I will say that when I came to, my body felt delightfully limber!

4pm: 30-Minute Infrared Sauna + 3-Minute Cold Plunge (Contrast Therapy)

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be blanched like a bunch of leafy greens, and I found out in my last session of the day: a 30-minute stint in the infrared sauna, followed by a three-minute cold plunge. I absolutely adored my time in the sauna—as someone who loves our tropical climate, sitting in 80-degree heat as infrared light blazed down on me made for the perfect conditions for a nap. 

It was the cold plunge that intimidated me, really. Much like a reptile or a domesticated cat, the cold does not agree with me at all. So, when the 10-degree bath was prepped for my entrance, it took a little while to muster up the courage to take the plunge. Thankfully, Esha, my Longevity Ambassador, was there to walk me through my breathing, and I somehow made it through the entire three minutes without giving up!

Post-visit: A follow-up consultation with Dr Iman

Of course, while my day at the spa clinic was over, there was still the matter of my blood test. The results came in a couple of weeks after my initial appointment, so I went back in for my follow-up. Here, I learned that, thankfully, I was pretty healthy overall (yay!), but a few factors were flagged by Dr Iman that she found concerning.

Namely, my hormones being a little out of whack, my ferritin (iron) levels reportedly being on the lower side, and my cholesterol levels being off the charts (yikes!). While I was technically in the healthy range for all of this, the point of the consultation wasn’t to point out that I was sick—it was to optimise my health in the long run and correct any bogeys before they wreaked havoc on my body. So, off I went with recommendations for supplements to take, advice to double down on strength training and to maximise my protein and fibre intake, and a strict urge to sleep more and sleep better. 

The verdict

Ultimately, I went into the Curated Reset with no expectations, and left pleasantly surprised at how rejuvenated and calm I felt. And after my follow-up consultation, I was now equipped with the knowledge I needed to do better by my body.

And that’s kind of the core of it all—longevity cannot be “solved” in just one afternoon. It’s a collection of decisions made consistently over decades, all of which (hopefully) culminate in more time to spend with your loved ones without the burden of chronic disease.

So, now I’m strength training three times a week, moving my body every day, cutting back on overindulgence where I can, and filling in the blanks with supplements in the hopes that my body continues to age gracefully as I enter my late twenties, early thirties and beyond. 

Granted, a service like this isn’t cheap, and there’s a fine line between treating an issue and overtreating with longevity medicine, but I can see having access to a service like this being a huge advantage for your general health and wellness if you’ve got the means for it. If not, then taking little steps to do right by your body, from prioritising cardiovascular fitness to resistance training and eating well, are all essential steps you can adopt from the comfort of your own home.

Either way, I’m healthmaxxing from now on…

For more wellness reads like this, click here.

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