When it comes to health and wellness, there has never been a stronger emphasis on a 360-degree approach.

This is exactly why The Bridge, a new lifestyle hub located in Abu Dhabi, is the perfect addition to the UAE’s budding wellness seen.

Taking a 360-degree approach to health and wellness, the new hub is there to support the long-term wellness journeys of clients, noting that changes are “not rooted in quick fixes that can’t be maintained”.

Founded by Jordanian-Canadian entrepreneur Khalid Nahhas, he sat down with Emirates Woman to discuss the new concept and how it goes well beyond being a traditional workout hub.

What inspired you to enter into the wellness space with this concept?

Health and wellness have always been aspects that are extremely important to me. It’s been a personal passion of mine throughout my entire adult life.

However, it’s perhaps more important than ever to spread and share knowledge surrounding health, and how people can safeguard themselves with lifestyle choices that can lead to problems later in life.

No price can be placed upon one’s health! It’s our most valuable asset. Your physical wellbeing, your mental health, your connections with people and the earth. Without these elements, it’s very hard to make a positive impact on the world and the people you hold dearest. My most valuable state will always be my physical health and mental wellbeing.

Additionally, the arts have been something that intrigues me on a personal level, and it is what elevates the quality and identity of the brand experience. This is also something that I felt needed to be reinforced in The Bridge due to the rising scene of arts and culture space in Abu Dhabi. That’s why we’ve installed dedicated areas to all kinds of art, whether it be traditional static art, digital art, music, film and so forth.

Talk us through the concept of The Bridge.

The main concept behind The Bridge is one that views health and wellness with a holistic approach that authentically and sincerely aims to improve the lives of its community members through evidence-based science.

One of our primary objectives is to serve as a bridge for the community’s wellness needs. Health and wellness are in every layer of our lives, and The Bridge strives to be a hub for all forms of wellness.

That’s where the idea of 7 tracks comes from, we want to ensure that people have the opportunities and resources to be physically fit, mentally well, eat clean, have the opportunity to connect and make bonds with nature and also likeminded others, and have access to educational spaces that promote science-based evidence as an educational tool. These tracks include Move, Pause, Taste, Choose, Seek, Expand and Learn.

What are the different facets of the lifestyle hub i.e. gym, restaurant, etc?

The Bridge is innately diverse through the 7 tracks, but with specific emphasis on the lifestyle elements, we have a state-of-the-art, two-floor gym, a 100 per cent organic ingredient restaurant, an ‘anti-bar’ that serves up fresh juices, a rooftop lounge area that gives a scenic view of Abu Dhabi, a fully-fledged spa, and our lifestyle design-driven concept store that offers clean and highly effective productions.

Essentially, there’s something for everyone. You can easily come to The Bridge multiple times a week and choose to have a different experience each time you visit. It’s a colourful life here.

How is it different from other wellness centres in the emirates?

It’s a truly unique concept, rooted in a passion to make people’s life’s better through adopting health and wellness as a lifestyle. We want to show community members that physical and mental well-being can be part of their everyday life. Your wellness journey is a long one, that needs to focus on long-term lifestyle habits and not rooted in quick fixes that can’t be maintained.

I’ve been on the other side of this as a member of a wellness centre and noticed that there’s often a one-size-fits-all approach to their concepts. The Bridge couldn’t be any more opposite to this. We welcome you to come for your workout at MOVE, stay a little longer for meditation and breathwork at Pause, replenish yourself with 100% organic ingredients at Taste, indulge in educational content at our cinema screen at Learn, enjoy the art on display at Expand and connect with likeminded individuals at Seek.

We’ve carefully developed an approach that focuses on every touchpoint of health and wellness, and the talent that we’ve brought in to execute this approach across all tracks mirrors The Bridge’s ethos entirely. This is something that I have a deep passion to share with the entire Abu Dhabi community.

 What do you hope the new hub will bring for women in the emirates?

The Bridge is inherently inclusive and accessible to all. We’ve ensured this by developing spaces, time, programs and events that cater to all community members, which of course includes very specifically tailored elements for women.

Within our MOVE track, we have a vast array of women’s only times and classes, as well as some of the best female PT talents in the region. For our Strike classes, we have Asma Al Ramini, who has competed in boxing, kickboxing and Muay Thai, won gold at the Arab Kickboxing Tournament and has also participated in the Women’s World Championship.

Our ladies’ team of Yoga and Pilates instructors are fantastic too. They have the capacity to help our community members with understanding the fundamentals of Yoga, Pilates, mediation and breathwork, as well as expanding more experienced practitioners get to the next level.

Pause also has a wide variety of opportunities for our women members. Including relaxation spaces and therapy rooms with Hydro-Oxygen Airpods, Cryo treatment, Infrared saunas and a full-fledged spa with a wide variety of science-backed therapies.

It is one of our key priorities to build and maintain a closely connected woman’s community here at The Bridge. I’d encourage all women that have an interest in health, wellness, fitness, quality food, the arts and culture to visit the wellness hub and gain a deep understanding of the brand concept as an experience, a facility and as a destination where you can develop.

What do you envision for the future of The Bridge in the UAE?

I envision The Bridge to be a place where community members from various walks of life can congregate and find fulfilment as like-minded individuals with regards to health and wellness as a lifestyle.

Abu Dhabi is amongst the best places in the world for quality of life, and I believe that additions like The Bridge will certainly help to solidify this for future generations.

Abu Dhabi will always be The Bridge’s launching home and a place that the community can utilize for the foreseeable future, however, we strive to take this original concept into the region and around the world to expand into a global community.

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