Inside a morning at Longevity Labs, the hottest wellness club in BGC (and we don’t just mean the sauna). It’s where science-backed rituals meet everyday vitality.
I’ve been sitting inside Longevity Labs’ community sauna for about ten minutes now, the temperature at a toasty 90 degrees. I’m sweating bullets. Only five minutes remain until my 12-degree cold plunge, and I’m trying to steady my nerves.
Chatting with one of the club members, who’s also preparing for his cold plunge, helps. He tells me that he’s been a regular since they opened last November, and its had a profound impact on his life: better sleep, stronger workouts, mental clarity, and an overall improved mood.
Meanwhile, this is only my first day here. But already, I’m beginning to understand what’s got people hooked.
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Wellness Meets Community At Longevity Labs
Founded by David Jacob, Longevity Labs is a project rooted in a deeply personal mission. When he was 50, David was in peak physical shape. He exercised regularly and felt strong; yet even then, he suffered from fatigue and debilitating migraines. Multiple checkups with different doctors failed to pinpoint the underlying issue, but he was determined to find a way out of his affliction.
This ultimately led him to the world of biohacking, cellular health, and contrast therapy, which completely changed his life. From constantly battling low energy and frequent illness, he is now 57, hasn’t had a sick day in years, and says he feels like he’s in his 30s. He hopes to make this kind of vitality more possible for more Filipinos through Longevity Labs, a space that blends science-backed technology with a sense of comfort and community.
This philosophy comes to life the moment you step into the new wellness club in the heart of BGC. Designed to feel more like a home than a facility, the space is warm and inviting—cozy seating, potted plants, and soft lighting give it the ease of a living room rather than a clinic. It’s a place meant for slowing down, offering respite from the city’s touch-and-go pace. Over time, it has naturally evolved into a communal hub where members linger to co-work or socialize between sessions, a space they’ve come to call the Lifebar, named after Longevity Labs’ nutritious food bar.
The rest of the hub is divided into three zones. To the right of Lifebar is Thermal Life, home to the country’s largest communal sauna and its four cold plunge tubs. Across the way is a studio dedicated to group workout classes, currently featuring sessions by Vida Yoga. Finally, there is Longevity Labs itself, where they house their curated selection of remedies designed to support cellular health. Everything fits together seamlessly to promote the club ethos: to live better, longer, together.
Unlocking Vitality
On my first day at the Lab, I am introduced to Managing Partner Faisal Tabusalla and Thermal Life Manager Ray Camarillo, who guide me through the day. We start in the Longevity Lab zone for their signature treatment: the Superhuman Protocol.
The Superhuman Protocol is a three- step program designed to promote cellular health, and each step is rooted in fundamental elements from the Earth: “Magnetism, oxygen, and light,” as Fai explains.
The first step of the program is Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF) therapy. Think of the last time you spent an entire day walking barefoot on the beach, and how relaxed you felt after. This was designed to replicate that. Lying down on a mat that emits subtle electromagnetic pulses that mimic the Earth’s natural magnetic field, this “recharging” process is meant to lower inflammation and stimulate the body’s cells. This ultimately readies the body to receive more oxygen, which is the primary focus of the second phase: Exercise with Oxygen Therapy (EWOT).
This is where the protocol shifts gears. With an oxygen mask strapped around my head, connecting me to a bag of 900 liters of highly concentrated oxygen, I step onto a treadmill and spend the next 15 minutes cycling through light jogs and explosive sprints.
EWOT allows you to breathe in roughly 92% oxygen—much more potent than what we get from natural air, which has approximately 21%—and this has become very popular at Longevity Labs, even as a standalone treatment. Members seek it out for its benefits: increased energy, improved fitness, and cardiovascular support. Even professional athletes incorporate this type of therapy into their routines. I manage to inhale about 450 liters of oxygen, and despite the sudden burst of cardio, I feel a rush of energy, as though I could have done even more sprints.
Time for the final step: Red Light Therapy. “Now that you’ve filled your body with oxygen, your cells receive it efficiently,” Fai elaborates, “and when oxygen interacts with red light, you have this energy that turns into ATP (adenosine triphosphate). You feel strong and re-energized after.”
I settle into the Red Light Therapy bed, and after about 20 minutes of soaking in the light, it switches off on its own, signaling the end of the Superhuman Protocol. When I step out, I notice a little extra spring in my step. I feel a calm, focused energy, like the familiar buzz you get after having a cup of matcha. I welcome the feeling. It helps take the edge off the daunting cold plunge that’s in my near future.
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Connecting Body And Mind
By now, most people are familiar with the concept of contrast therapy, a process that exposes the body to alternating extreme hot and cold temperatures. It’s become a popular wellness ritual for its wide-ranging benefits, from better circulation and muscle recovery to clearer skin and mental clarity.
As a contrast therapy rookie, the Longevity Labs team recommends their signature protocol, which involves three rounds of alternating between the sauna and the cold plunge tubs. “That protocol is the most balanced protocol we’ve designed,” Ray tells me as we walk into the Thermal Life zone. “You’ll notice that it’s a good balance between feeling relaxed, thanks to the sauna, of course, and that energy high.”
My first round begins with 15 minutes in their sauna. I step in and am immediately enveloped in 90-degree heat. It takes my body a couple of minutes to adjust, but once I settle into a comfortable seat, I begin to relax. It’s not long before I start to sweat profusely, but it helps that there are speakers mounted on each corner of the sauna, playing mellow techno beats. This adds to the calming effect and spurs a deeper mind-body connection. When the time was up, my towel now soaked in sweat, I headed back out for a quick rinse and ready myself for the most challenging part—my first cold plunge.
Thermal Life houses four cold plunge tubs with varying temperatures, ranging from 15 degrees to 5 degrees. I’ve chosen the least extreme option for my first go. I stand by the ladder of the tub, feeling skittish with anticipation. I hesitate and ask as many questions as I can think of, only delaying the inevitable. Fai and Ray are kind enough to answer them all, lend me words of encouragement, and give me pointers that will help my body adjust to the cold. I take a deep breath in, and before I can overthink it any longer, I step into the cold water and plunge neck-deep.
The cold is sharp. I instantly feel my skin shudder. I feel the urge to back out. But as soon as I’m settled into the corner of the tub, Fai and Ray remind me to breathe deeply. I heed their advice and take long inhales and even longer exhales. Suddenly, the sharpness dulls, and my body stills. The breathing does help, but even more effective is the support from the Longevity Labs team.
That’s what makes a community sauna and communal cold plunge tubs so appealing. The company does make it easier—to such a degree that three minutes pass by without my noticing, and I only intended to stay in the water for two.
I repeat this alternating process twice—going for the 12-degree tub in my second and third rounds—and once I climb out
of the tub for the final time, my body tingles with pins and needles. My cheeks are flushed, too, as if I’ve just finished a long workout. I’m overcome with a surge of refreshed energy.
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The Longevity Labs After Glow
Since this was my first time at Longevity Labs, the effects on my body were subtle, but they weren’t insignificant. My sleep was noticeably deeper in the nights that followed; I woke up feeling more well-rested than usual. Over the next few days, I also felt stronger during my workouts. I carried that same spring in my step with me long after I’d left.
Skeptics might chalk this up to the placebo effect. Admittedly, I also wondered if that could have played a role at all. But, placebo or not, I embraced the boost of energy with open arms—so much so that I have started to take cold showers every day since my visit.
This may seem modest in comparison to the remedies I got to test drive, but in many ways, it also captures the founder’s vision for Longevity Labs. At the end of the day, this is what it’s all about: a life improved.
This article was originally published in our March 2026 issue.
Photography by Ed Simon of KLIQ, Inc.
