Swell, Dubai’s health club, feels less like a place to work out than a coastal holiday you’ve stepped into. Its founder, Aisling Rifai, combines a background in public health and human behaviour with years spent in the film industry. She spent around three years building an endless-summer world of marble, ceramics and warm light, inspired by the Californian surf era that gave the club its name.

Here, a class can end with coffee, lunch or a slice of cake, and she prefers “wholeness” to “wellness.” Rifai talks to us about nostalgia, hospitality, community and why the details matter more than the trends.

You have a background in public health and human behaviour, alongside years spent working in the film industry. How have those seemingly different worlds shaped the way you approach Swell today?

They seem like completely different worlds, but I think both have influenced Swell in a really natural way. My background in public health gave me an understanding of health beyond just exercise - how our environment, behaviour, relationships and everyday choices all play a role in how we feel. Then working in film taught me so much about storytelling, creating a mood and building a world around an idea.

I think Swell sits somewhere between those two things. There’s obviously the health and wellness side, but I’ve always approached it through the lens of how we can make people feel something. The space, the music, the lighting, the class design, the food, the customer service - it all contributes to that.

Swell feels as much like a world you step into as it does a place to exercise. When you were developing the concept, what did you want someone to feel from the moment they walked through the door?

I wanted it to feel like an escape to a coastal destination full of energy and life. Dubai can be incredibly fast-paced and intense, and I wanted Swell to feel like you had stepped somewhere else for a little while. I wanted it to feel reminiscent of the good old days and times where we are away on holiday & blissfully carefree.

There’s a sense of nostalgia to it, almost like arriving somewhere you’ve been before  or somewhere you wish you had. I wanted people to immediately feel comfortable, curious and relaxed. It was really important that it didn’t feel clinical or intimidating, and that you could come for a workout but end up staying for a coffee, having lunch or chatting to someone afterwards.

There is such a strong sense of nostalgia throughout Swell. Why were you drawn to a retro, endless-summer aesthetic for a modern health club?

I think nostalgia creates an emotional response that very polished, contemporary spaces sometimes don’t. I’ve always been drawn to places and objects that have character and feel like they have a story. 

The endless-summer feeling came quite naturally. There’s something very freeing about that era and imagery - being outside, swimming, moving, sunshine, music, long days and a slightly slower pace of life. It felt like an interesting contrast to the way wellness is often presented now, which can be very minimal, serious and almost clinical. I wanted Swell to feel warmer, more human and a little unexpected. The name Swell was also inspired by that, it’s an older term from the Californian surf era but also has a play on the word ‘well’. Everything is very intentional.

Wellness can sometimes become quite serious or focused on restriction. Swell feels much more playful. What does wellness mean to you personally?

For me, wellness is balance. I don't believe it needs to mean being incredibly disciplined all the time or constantly trying to optimize yourself. I love the word ‘wholeness’ rather than wellness these days.

My intention was for people to do a class but still enjoy a slice of cake afterwards. I personally have never worn a fitness watch/wearable, I don’t overdo it with supplements or technology. Instead, I operate quite intuitively when it comes to my health. I try to listen to my body as much as possible, eat as much variety as I can, try to move my body whenever time allows and practise good sleep hygiene because I truly believe sleep is the basis for absolutely everything in your life. The best sleeping hack for me (after trying so many things) is magnesium oil on the soles of my feet, a silk sleep mask to keep my eyes shut and a really cold dark room (19 or 20 degrees).

Swell has my personality layered throughout on all levels so I hope it feels like a safe haven for everyone who spends time there.

From the interiors and music to scent, food and movement, every part of Swell feels considered. How important is good design in shaping the way we experience wellness?

Massively important. Our surroundings affect how we feel, often without us even realising it. Lighting, sound, scent, texture, colour -  all of those things can change your mood and your energy.

From the beginning, we wanted Swell to engage all five senses. We thought about the lighting changing throughout the day, what you hear when you walk through the space, the smell, the materials you touch, what you eat and drink, and obviously how you move.

I think wellness is an experience rather than just an activity, and good design can make that experience feel much more instinctive and emotional. However, good design is really just the first layer. Building something strong and consistent past the design was equally as important to me. It needed to have substance.

Community is a major part of Swell. In a city where people are often arriving, leaving and rebuilding their social circles, what does creating a genuine sense of belonging look like to you?

I think it comes from creating opportunities for people to connect naturally rather than forcing the idea of “community.” Dubai can be transient, and a lot of people are away from their families and the friendships they grew up with, so having places where you regularly see familiar faces really matters.

That was one of the reasons the café and social spaces were so important to us. We didn't want Swell to be somewhere you arrive five minutes before your class and leave five minutes afterwards. We wanted people to linger.

For me, a genuine community is when people start to feel some ownership over the space themselves - they know the team, they recognise each other, they have their favourite class or their usual drink. It starts to feel like their place too.

The teachers we hire also play a huge role in this, it is really them who gels the community together in the classes and beyond so when we hire, it’s just as much about personality as it is about expertise.

Hospitality seems to play an important role in the Swell experience too. What do you think the wellness industry can learn from great hotels, restaurants and members’ clubs?

I love this question. My first job was actually in hospitality when I was 16, and I think that has probably stayed with me more than I realised.

The best hospitality isn't necessarily about luxury - it’s about how someone makes you feel. Remembering someone’s name, knowing what they order, noticing the little things and making people feel genuinely welcome.

I think wellness can sometimes become quite transactional: you book your class, you do it and you leave. I’ve always wanted Swell to feel more like a place you have a relationship with, and I think the best hotels, restaurants and members’ clubs understand that really well. It’s not an easy thing to do however, this has to be felt across so many different touch points which can be challenging to control and have visibility over all of them, all of the time. We are a very small team at Swell and we are extremely involved as owners so I do think this helps with that extra attention to detail. 

Swell has a very distinctive visual identity. When you’re building a brand with such a strong aesthetic, how do you make sure it feels authentic rather than simply following what is trending?

I think you have to build something you genuinely love rather than something you think people are going to like. I personally knew that if I loved it and felt confident in that, others would fall in love too - even if it strayed away from the typical. I always say that if you do something that is very true and authentic to you, it’s quite hard for others to replicate because you’ll always be a step ahead anyway.

Swell took around 3 years to create, so naturally trends changed during that time anyway. I was very particular about the things I loved and the feeling I wanted the space to have, even when some of those choices weren't necessarily what was popular at the time. I knew there was going to be a lot of competition out there but I genuinely tried not to look at what anyone else was doing.

I think when you pull inspiration from lots of different places - travel, film, old photographs, hotels, fashion, objects, memories rather than looking only at what other wellness brands are doing, you end up with something that feels much more like your own world and I love that.

What part of Swell feels most personal to you, perhaps a detail that visitors might not immediately realise has a story behind it?

Probably the interiors as a whole, because I was so involved in every detail of that. I spent an almost ridiculous amount of time sourcing materials and making decisions - from hand-selecting pieces of marble to choosing tiles, ceramics, fabrics and finishes.

There are so many little details that someone might walk past without thinking twice about, but I remember the story behind almost every one of them. I think that's what makes the space feel personal to me. It wasn't created from a formula or copied and pasted from somewhere else; it really evolved piece by piece over a very long time.

Another part that people may not know about is the class design which I personally developed. I’m not a teacher but I think this could have been an advantage because the ideas came from such a different perspective. We have 7 concepts and three of them are definitely very unique to us. The Swell, The Rhythm and Bodywork are concepts that were developed in-house. The whole idea was to give people the option of a totally different style of class, depending on how they feel during that particular week. We have got such amazing feedback on the class formats themselves and I am extra proud of that and cannot wait for everyone to try them all out!

Outside of wellness and work, where do you find inspiration? Are there particular places, films, eras, objects or experiences that continually influence your creative eye?

Travel is probably my biggest source of inspiration. I love boutique hotels - the little details and everything that makes them special. This would definitely be the next industry I would like to get involved in. I love the Mediterranean and that slightly imperfect, lived-in feeling you find in places that have evolved over time. I’m also really drawn to the 60s and 70s - the colours, furniture, photography and sense of freedom.

And film will always influence me. I notice framing, music, colour, styling, art direction. My husband and I are both from the film industry so we cannot watch a show on tv without dissecting the whole thing!

I also love to see what other female founders are doing - I love supporting other women and love to hear other people’s stories.

What is one ritual, however small, that makes you feel most like yourself?

I love going for a walk and getting all my thoughts clear. It feels like such an indulgence to even be able to do that sometimes, especially with two small kids so having that time to just connect with myself is really the thing that helps the most. I also love swimming in the sea, if I could do that every day I would. The power of the water is completely transformative for me.

And finally, what do you hope the next chapter of Swell looks and feels like?

I want Swell to keep evolving without losing what made it special in the first place.

We’re still very young, so right now I’m really focused on refining what we’ve created - developing our own methods and signature concepts, growing the community and making the experience even stronger. It’s something that takes constant work, it never stops but I genuinely love the process of creating. 

Longer term, I would love for Swell to become something people recognise beyond one physical space. I think there is a much bigger world we can build around the brand, but I never want growth to come at the expense of the feeling. Whatever Swell becomes next, I want someone to walk into it and immediately know where they are - not because there’s a logo on the wall, but because it just feels like Swell.