Get A Whole-Body Tune-Up At The Scandinavian Resort Where Biohacking Treatments Are On The Spa Menu

Located on a sandy beach in a part of Sweden once frequented by fishermen and smugglers, Hotel Tylösand in Halmstad has served as a summer beach retreat since 1915. After new owners took over the private hotel in 1995, a more modern rehab resulted in a new type of resort that caters not only to relaxation but also artistic expression and health optimization. The hotel's new owners, a businessman and a Swedish pop songwriter (Per Gessle, one half of the duo Roxette and writer of countless chart-topping songs), fused art, business, and science in their update, creating a singular Swedish resort to add to the list of the best destinations for a stress-free wellness vacation.

Today, Tylösand is a year-round conference center and lifestyle resort featuring entertainment, Sweden's largest art gallery, and a spa that offers pioneering "biohacking" treatments. Proponents believe biohacking can help reverse aging and keep the body functioning at its peak performance levels. This experience, along with the art, culture, and nature of the hotel, nourishes the mind, body, and spirit.

Biohacking, a movement led by tech enthusiasts, describes a variety of treatments, lifestyle modifications, and mental or physical health practices that are said to affect brain chemistry and biology in a radical way. Proponents conduct experiments on themselves, with the motivations of feeling more active and healthy, retaining youth, and living longer. The methods employed don't generally require surgery, a doctor's note, or even a visit to one of Europe's best spa towns; instead, they focus on non-invasive ways to disrupt and change one's own biology using alternative medicine.

Hotel Tylösand's biohacking spa treatments use the latest technology, as well as tried-and-tested practices to hack your health. One of its main technologies is red laser and infrared light, which, in a 2014 study published in the journal Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine, and Laser Surgery, was found to improve skin complexion and collagen density. One of Hotel Tylösand's infrared treatments warms the body inside a sauna-like compartment to improve blood circulation and stimulate the immune system.

You'll find plenty of other biohacking treatments on the spa's menu. Radio frequency treatments, which pair with vacuum suction, are meant to soften joints and restore swollen muscles. To tighten facial skin, an alternation of hot and cold treatments aim to accelerate cell regrowth. And, finally, sound therapy treatments add a scientific spin to the ancient practice of Buddhist sound meditation. Spa visitors can pop on headphones playing specific frequencies, which are said to calm and "heal" the brain.

Hotel Tylösand is about a two-hour train journey from Gothenburg or a bit farther if you're coming from Vrångö, Sweden's best-kept secret. It's also just three hours north of Copenhagen by train. If you're visiting Stockholm, it takes nearly six hours by train or car. The closest regional airport, Halmstad Airport, is a 15-minute drive from the hotel.

Choose from five room types at the hotel, each balancing black and white decor with large windows and minimalist Scandinavian design set against the sand dunes and sea outside. While summer is unquestionably the season to visit a beachside resort in Sweden, the many conference rooms and packages including spa entry, wine tasting, art tours, golf, and fitness programs make the hotel popular any time of year. Guests can also book seasonal specials, such as the Christmas package, for a festive, all-inclusive experience.

Whatever time of year you choose to visit, take advantage of the hotel's five restaurants and nightclub, Leifs Lounge. It's open every Saturday, year-round, and all week during the busy summer months, excluding Sundays and Tuesdays. With a bio-hacked body and rejuvenated mind, you just might decide to return again soon.