Hustle culture's pricey hangover
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Rest, longevity and fitness are the new status symbols, and burnt-out Americans are spending big on all of the above.
Why it matters: The wellness economy is in its next phase, beyond fancy gym memberships and meditation apps. The money is going to sleep retreats, executive function coaches, and longevity doctors baked into premium urban real estate. Recovery is its own arms race, if you can afford it.
- Dubbed "the burnout economy" by Vox, Americans are traveling near and far to recover from modern life — and hiring coaches to help them manage what AI hasn't fixed and therapy doesn't cover.
- "I meet people a lot of the time when they're drowning," says Kate Broeking, an executive function coach who built a workplace wellness program at Amazon and now runs her own firm, ThynkStack.
- Her clients range from the quietly struggling to the fully sidelined: "Everything from 'it's tax season and I need to do my taxes and I've just realized this is a huge barrier for me' to 'I am on a medical leave from work because I just can't work right now because I'm so burnt out," she tells Axios.
The big picture: People are paying out of pocket for the respite their lifestyles and a good night's sleep used to provide for free.
1. Sleep tourism is a billion-dollar business and growing. Hotels like Equinox in New York charge nearly $2,000 a night for sleep-optimized rooms. Hilton notes in its 2026 trends report that "Hushpitality" is in; that means essentially, factoring in silence and solo time to decompress around travel.
- At the Equinox Hotel, perks include an AI-powered biometric mattress, contrast therapy shower, soundscapes and visually guided breathwork.
- Travel podcaster Danielle Desir Corbett tells Axios of the trend: "It doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing situation... You can add elements of sleep and rest [to a trip] unapologetically."
2. Executive function coaches are the new career coaches. Burned-out workers are paying $100 to $300 a session to rebuild skills that can erode under prolonged pressure: planning, focus and task initiation.
- "In therapy, you're trying to reduce clinical signs of depression or anxiety," Broeking says. "In executive function coaching, you're trying to reduce the impact on your day-to-day life."
3. The gym is the new social spot. Younger consumers have already ditched the bar, but they're increasingly pivoting their social lives towards fitness studios, Bloomberg reported last week.
- Gen Z consumers are spending 30% more on gym memberships and classes than a year ago, per market intelligence firm Mintel.
- "We're seeing consumers across the board becoming more focused on their wellbeing," Claire Tassin, a principal strategist of wellness at Mintel, told Bloomberg. "But Gen Z in particular is driving a lot of that energy."
4. The longevity market is widening: Longevity has bled into treatments for menopause, hormone replacement therapy, weight loss and anti-aging, Axios' Brock Turner has reported.
- It's even a luxury amenity. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that high-end apartment buildings are bundling in on-site body scans, genetic testing and a so-called "longevity cafe."
5. Supplemental lab testing — once the domain of elite biohackers — has gone mainstream. Companies like Function Health and Prenuvo now let anyone order comprehensive blood panels or whole-body MRI scans without a doctor's referral, for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.
The bottom line: Hustle culture didn't go away. There are now just more ways to bill for the damage.
