In case you missed the news, Dubai now has a fitness subscription box called WellnessWonderz. The idea was conceived by expat Imane Belhabes who wanted to make working out a more joyful experience.

Whether you're a Pilates queen, into your strength-training, or just dipping your toe in your new wellness era, the quarterly box delivers handpicked fitness apparel, gear, and healthy goodies from the best homegrown brands to your doorstep.

We caught up with Belhabes to talk about turning overwhelm into empowerment, celebrating local labels and building a fitness brand with heart.

What inspired you to create WellnessWonderz and why did you feel there was a gap in the market for a fitness subscription box in the UAE? 

When I started my fitness journey four years ago, I wanted to commit, but quickly found myself overwhelmed by the amount of fitness gear brands on the market. With a demanding schedule and limited time to research, I felt paralyzed by choice. This frustration became a barrier: every time I tried to start, the overwhelm would stop me. I realized I wasn’t alone. Many of my female friends had the same experience, wanting to embrace a healthier lifestyle, but feeling discouraged by the complexity of getting started. We didn’t lack motivation; we lacked clarity and convenience. Another gap I noticed in the wellness ecosystem was the underrepresentation of incredible local brands. The UAE and broader MENA region are home to many high-quality wellness and fitness brands, yet they often go unnoticed in a market saturated with global names. 

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WellnessWonderz celebrates homegrown brands. How do you go about curating the products for each box, and what’s your criteria for selection? 

The first thing I do when a brand catches my eye is try it in my workouts for an extended period of time. For example, I’ve been a client for Ikasu, one of our first apparel partners, for a long time before approaching them for a partnership. Same for all the other brands I curate. This really helps me showcase the quality brands and build trust with subscribers. When it comes to choosing the actual products, feedback from people around me (at the gym, pilates, class, friends, etc.) has been a great source of data, as it really opens up my mind to new possibilities. 

The boxes are tailored to different fitness styles, like Pilates and strength training. How important was personalisation to your concept? 

It is very important and one of the key values of WellnessWonderz. We want to provide support no matter where the person is on their fitness journey and whatever their preferred activities are. Each one of us is on our own fitness journey, and with that, we shouldn't have to fit into a one size fits all version of traditional fitness. We want WellnessWonderz to be for everyone. For the moment, we are offering boxes for  strength workouts and Pilates, but we have more boxes coming up very soon! 

How do you hope WellnessWonderz will impact subscribers' wellness journeys, especially for those juggling busy schedules? 

Think of WellnessWonderz as your gym/pilates bestie, who’s always there cheering for you and motivating you (without being pushy and respecting your pace), no matter where you are in your fitness journey. I want WellnessWonderz to become THE must have for busy people who want to start their fitness journey and need the push, or for people who want to commit and want to have that thing to look forward to every 3 months that will make the whole experience more joyful and less of a chore, especially with our busy schedules in the UAE!

Can you walk us through the process of creating a themed box, from idea to final delivery? 

In the ideation phase, I always draw from my own experience and people around me as well when I want to create a theme for a box. For example, the idea for the Strength Wonderz box came from the fact that when I started lifting weights, I always felt extremely intimidated at the gym with all the “gym bros’ and perfectly fit “gym girls.” Obviously there is nothing wrong with that but I still felt out of place. That’s when

I got the idea to curate a box with the perfect strength workout gear that beginners like me needed to feel more confident at the gym, and at least get over the psychological barrier of ‘what others will think’. Once I finalize the theme, I research the items that can be included and what are the potential brand partners. I purchase the product like a normal client and I try them for a few months before locking the box’s items.

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Contacting the brands is also a very important step, because the brands I work with also need to align with WellnessWonderz' values. I’ve been incredibly lucky so far that all the brands I reached out to were very open to collaborating and we have got many brands actually reaching out to work with us now. Once the box is locked and I receive the products from partners, then comes my favourite part: packing the boxes.

I love packing every box myself: I always include a handwritten thank you note (with a ‘you got this’ kind of element) in every box with the name of the subscriber, and I’m the happiest when they love their unboxing experience and tag me in their unboxing stories on Instagram! This is also why I created WellnessWonderz, to make fitness more joyful and fun!

The wellness scene in Dubai is booming. How do you see WellnessWonderz evolving in such a dynamic market? 

I feel like the wellness ecosystem is just starting in Dubai as more brands and studios are joining every day, and this is a great thing! I see WellnessWonderz' role evolving into more of a community for both users and brands. A platform for homegrown fitness brands to shine and meet their potential customers, but also a platform for fitness newbies to know that they’re not alone!

What has the response been like from your early subscribers, and have there been any unexpected insights since launch? 

We’ve been having such great feedback from our first subscribers, who really love the concept and find it very helpful. One of the key validating responses is the fact that they love the quality of the curated items, which confirms the amazing potential of homegrown brands to shine. One of the unexpected insights is the fact that in addition to subscribing, some customers want to actually gift the box to their loved ones as it makes a unique gift idea. That’s why we just launched the Gift Wonderz box, a one-time box that customers can purchase and give to someone!

Looking ahead, are there any exciting collaborations, new themes, or expansion plans you can share with us? 

We are always scouting for brands to work with in the fitness and wellness ecosystem! We are also working on a new box for November this year (hint: Perfect for the UAE’s gorgeous winters!) and a lot more to come!

wellnesswonderz.com