Wellness Apartment Buildings Are the Wave of the Future—Here’s What to Know

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Everyone is moving in the direction of making the home feel like a full-on zen den with crystals, salt lamps, and yoga studio-inspired decor. And luckily, that blissful oasis doesn't have to stop when you exit your actual apartment. Wellness apartment buildings are now a thing and they're even more high-impact than you might have imagined.

"There's a big trend right now with major developers, and they're all trying to create these wellness apartment buildings," says Elizabeth Kohn, interior designer and founder of The Cristalline. "I think what people are looking for when buying their homes is to create wellness within the structure, and that's appealing."

These buildings have everything from state-of-the-art gyms to pools to spas to all kinds of other amenities, meant to make you feel good. It's also more than just a feeling: The International Well Building Institute, which was founded in 2014 to accredit wellness-friendly work and living spaces (think: LEED certification, but for wellness), now has 93 accredited residential properties all over the world, including 22 in the United States. 21W20, for instance is a new apartment complex in New York City's Flatiron district, which was the first ever multi-family property to earn a WELL badge. (FYI: If you're looking to shell out $11 million on some new digs, the penthouse is still on the market. Just saying.)

"People want to feel like they can live in a place that's really pampering and integrates their lifestyle of whole wellness."

"By introducing building components that can minimize disruption to our circadian rhythms, improve our sleep, support healthy eating, improve air quality and optimize our cognitive and emotional health, our homes can enable us to more easily make healthy choices," the Institute said in a statement about the project. These components include special water purification, water filtration, and sound buffering, so your ZZZs will be as peaceful and uninterrupted as possible.

"I do think people want to feel like they can live in a place that's really pampering and integrates their lifestyle of whole wellness," says Kohn, who notes that even on a smaller scale people are pouring more energy into the "good for you" aspects of their homes than they used to be. "I think people are trying to look at their home, and the energy of their home, and make it a sanctuary."

Living like the grown up, 21st century version Eloise with your own state of the art gym, pool, and spa right downstairs? Now that is something anyone would want to come home to.

Some more healthy home trends you'll be seeing in 2018? Even more #goodvibes, care of energy-inducing decor, and a whole lot of Palo Santo

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