5HT: 5 Healthyish Things, including salmon sperm facials and med spas

We’re back with our favorite bougie grocery store, Erewhon, which is going viral for selling $19 strawberries. It’s funny… but also genius? (As one Redditor put it: “$19 is expensive for a strawberry but cheap for viral Internet clout.”) 

But there’s more to the story! Or should I say strawberry??? 🍓The luxe berry is from a company called Elly Amai, a purveyor of Japan’s finest fruits, a culture where gifting is a pretty big deal. (I want one of their melons now). The strawberry is said to taste incredible, though to unlock its full sweetness, there are a critical few tips: 

1. Let the fruit “breathe” at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before eating

2. Only touch it with your bare hands if you plan to eat it within 3-5 hours. 😂 

I think Erewhon is genius for this, and of course, I want to try one. Who wouldn’t?

Med spas are blowing up (I even thought about buying one). 

If we’re talking straight numbers, the med spa industry grew from 2010 to 2023, increasing from 1.6K locations to over 10K, turning into a $15B industry. The potential profit margin on these is insane, and the average annual revenue per spa at a cool $1.4M.

Owning a med spa is one of the most lucrative moves right now because it checks all the boxes for what IMO makes health businesses the most likely to be successful:

1. Don’t do anything with insurance, just take cash 💵

2. Do have a membership offering (think exclusive services, on subscription)💲

3. Don’t have a heavy reliance on doctors, which cost a lot 👩‍⚕️

(To be clear, this isn’t my business advice, but it is, for better or worse, good business.) While you need a doctor to own or operate a med spa in most states, many allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants—who are usually just as qualified but also usually more affordable—to perform therapies. In some cases, licensed estheticians can even handle non-invasive treatments.

Popular services that make people say, “Take all my money,” are Botox, Dysport, microneedling, laser treatments, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, body contouring, and IV therapy. Recently, GLP-1s are pulling even more people in.

The biggest market? Women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s—a critical point given this group is today’s economic powerhouse. But men are also getting in on the trend—particularly for things like hair restoration.

From medical-grade skincare to non-surgical facelifts to cool sculpting (which I don't get or honestly buy, but maybe that’s a topic for another time 🙄), tons of aesthetic treatments are available. Honestly, I’m blown away by the demand and how much cash they’re raking in. People want this.

A similar example—though not technically a med spa—is Restore Hyper Wellness, a nationwide chain offering a suite of wellness therapies. They check all the boxes above. They’ve made a name for themselves as a one-stop shop for self-care with treatments like red light therapy, IV drip therapy, and cryotherapy. With $177M in funding and a 2021 valuation of $500M, they’re a prime example of how massive this industry has become.

TBH, I worry these business models are very trend-driven. For example, Restore is definitely on the decline, and one of its founders has started a more longevity-focused model in Humanaut Health. As I've mentioned before, that’s definitely the next big trend (see Biograph, Dr. Peter Attia’s longevity clinic concept that just formally opened its doors).

That said, med spas are still a good business to be in. (And if you’re considering buying one and need a partner, I might know a guy 😏.)

Apparently, salmon sperm facials (yes, that’s what they’re called) are also a thing at med spas—with celebrities like Kim Kardashian and even Rachel from Friends getting in on it. It sounds absurd (what caught my attention), but the science behind it? Er, surprisingly solid.

So these facials use a key ingredient called PDRN, a compound from salmon sperm DNA 🐟 (yes, that’s where it’s actually from) that’s believed to stimulate tissue repair and cell growth by acting on adenosine A2A receptors. Turns out PDRN is pretty well-studied in medical contexts, showing positive results in wound healing and collagen production.

In cosmetic facials, PDRN is often paired with microneedling to help it penetrate deeper and is believed to boost skin rejuvenation and support tissue repair. While PDRN is said to have anti-aging benefits, it’s not the same as anti-wrinkle treatments like Botox. (Think supportive vs. preventative.) 

A note on the name—is it good that a salmon sperm facial really stands out? Maaaybe, and obviously it drives people to talk about it (see: this email). On the other hand, it’s a little icky. Would salmon DNA facial sound better? Marine gene facial? IDK.

So, should you get a salmon sperm facial? Well, science-wise, it’s similar to the colostrum debate: There's a lot of evidence that it's good in some contexts, but it may or may not translate to something else. But it makes some sense to me, so maybe I’ll try it (regardless of the name). 🤷‍♂️

Someone recently told me I could measure my muscle mass on a scale, and I was like, whhhhat? 

They explained it works by running a small electrical current through your body to estimate its composition. Since muscle, fat, and bone have varying water content, they conduct electricity at different rates. This process, called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), uses those differences to estimate your body fat or lean mass.

Technically, it makes sense. Many consumer-grade scales use BIA for body composition analysis. Buuuut, BIA isn’t super precise—factors like food intake, physical activity, and hydration can all heavily influence it, making many skeptical about its exactness (myself included). Dehydration can overestimate body fat, while recent exercise can lead to an underestimation. 

Even when I checked Wirecutter for the best bathroom scales (my go-to move when looking for best-in-class products), their suggestions didn't factor in BIA. Instead, they focused on models known for weight precision, accuracy, and also connectivity.

So, is it useless? Not necessarily. A directional trend can still be useful. (And honestly, most data you’re getting from health devices—whether from your Oura ring or your toilet plug-in urine scanner—works the same way.)

There are, of course, several other methods to more precisely measure muscle mass 💪, including: 

• DEXA scan: The most popular method for body composition analysis (fat + muscle)

• BOD POD: Measures body composition using air displacement

• Ultrasound: Measures muscle thickness

• Handheld calipers: Quick fat measurement (not as great for muscle, very weird to use)

At the end of last year, the FDA issued a new rule about what foods can be labeled “healthy.” (Now delayed). Experts aren’t convinced it’ll make much difference, pointing out that people often prioritize price, taste, and convenience over health.

Case in point: Remember when restaurants had to add calorie counts to their menus some years back? Turns out, researchers have consistently found doing so didn’t have a significant effect on the foods people eat. In fact, obesity rates in the U.S. have only continued to rise.

But some countries might have found a simple way to encourage healthier food choices. In 2017, France introduced the Nutri-Score label, a front-of-package system that uses a color-coded letter scale (A-E) to show the “nutritional quality” of a product.

Since its introduction in France, the quality of food purchased has improved, and calorie consumption has decreased (!). Researchers found that the proportion of French consumers who reported changing their purchasing behavior because of the Nutri-Score label increased from 26.5% in April 2018 to 57.2% in May 2019.

Even more impressive, researchers predict Nutri-Score labels will lead to 138,432 more years of life in France by 2050. (If Bryan Johnson isn’t in on this yet, he will be soon.)

Several EU countries have adopted Nutri-Score labels, and more recently, some countries in APAC. The labels even made it into the Healthyish Content Slack channel, with team members saying it made them ditch #snacks in the grocery store while traveling in the EU.

Should the U.S. adopt Nutri-Score labels, too? I think yes! This is awesome and works. Then again, if 1,140-calorie burgers don’t freak people out 🫠, will the letter “E” on a label do the trick? Curious what you think, hit reply and LMK.

• Our buddy Bryan Johnson let us in on a new study showing that just 5 minutes of daily exercise can reduce dementia risk by 41%. Shoes, laced.

• Curious what 30 days of junk food does to your gut? A buddy (hi Scott!) experimented to find out, and the proof was in the poop. 

• Wegovy and GLP-1s have hit China—and apparently, it's being called "Musk's miracle medicine." 🤨

• More people are ditching Google for AI tools like ChatGPT (myself included!), so I wrote about how health brands can revamp their approach to crush AI search SEO—based on what’s crushed at Healthyish Content.

• Is there such a thing as healthy fries? Thanks to Sweetgreen, there might just be. 🍟Pretty awesome launch!