Wellness used to mean something simple: feeling good. A brisk walk. A decent night’s sleep. Eating some vegetables. But somewhere along the way, it turned into an industry—one that’s now worth trillions. Today, wellness is a lifestyle brand, and too often, that lifestyle comes with a luxury price tag. Green powders that cost more than groceries. Monthly subscriptions to apps that promise mindfulness, transformation, or better skin. Yoga retreats that rival vacations in the Maldives.
The messaging is clear: if you can’t afford it, you’re doing wellness wrong.
But here’s the truth—wellness was never meant to be exclusive. The commercialization of self-care has created a system where taking care of your body and mind feels like a luxury instead of a right. And in the process, it’s left a lot of people behind.
When Wellness Became a Product
It’s not that wellness itself changed—it’s that it got repackaged. Somewhere in the last 10 years, taking care of yourself shifted from a personal, internal practice to something you could buy. Self-care became self-optimization. Instead of rest, we got infrared saunas. Instead of movement, we got boutique fitness with $35 drop-in fees. Instead of eating well, we got food sensitivity tests and $10 collagen lattes.
Marketing had a field day. With Instagram and TikTok fueling aesthetic trends like “clean girl,” “that girl,” and “glow-up culture,” wellness became less about how you feel and more about how you look doing it. If your skincare routine doesn’t have seven steps and involve a serum with peptides, is it even wellness? If your smoothie isn’t green, photographed in good lighting, and filled with ingredients you can’t pronounce—does it count?
Somewhere along the way, health got confused with status.
The Rise of the “Wellness Elite”
There’s a particular demographic that wellness increasingly caters to: the upper-middle class and above. If you scroll through any major wellness influencer’s page, it’s clear—what’s being sold isn’t just health, but wealth. $200 face tools. Monthly IV drips. Personalized hormone testing. Designer leggings that cost more than an entire gym membership. The problem isn’t that these things don’t work for some people; it’s that the bar for “being well” has been raised to a level that’s financially out of reach for many.
And it’s not just about price—it’s about access. If you live in a rural area or lower-income neighborhood, chances are you’re not surrounded by Whole Foods, pilates studios, or wellness boutiques. Many communities don’t even have safe green spaces to walk in, let alone kombucha on tap. Meanwhile, the messaging everywhere tells people that if they’re not “living well,” they’re failing themselves.
This creates a dangerous feedback loop: people internalize that they’re not doing enough for their health, not because they’re lazy or disinterested, but because the wellness industry has made it unaffordable and inaccessible.
Real Wellness Doesn’t Require a Subscription
What’s been lost in all of this is that wellness is supposed to be supportive—not performative. It’s not something you need to post about. It’s not something you need to prove. It’s not even something you need to buy. True wellness is quiet, personal, and often free.
It looks like taking a daily walk—not for steps, but for your mind. It’s choosing real food when you can, drinking water, getting enough sleep, setting boundaries, and saying no to the things that deplete you. It’s reconnecting with your body not through the lens of self-judgment, but with compassion.
These habits don’t come with a flashy logo or a branded hashtag. But they work.
The Pressure to Do It All
One of the hidden effects of the expensive wellness culture is the guilt and shame it creates. Many people feel like they’re never doing enough—like if they don’t have the budget for therapy, the time for hot yoga, or the money for supplements, they’re somehow neglecting their health.
But health isn’t about checking every wellness box. It’s not about perfection. In fact, that very pressure can create stress, which ironically undermines the whole point of the wellness journey. The body doesn’t care if your meditation app costs $3 or $30. It doesn’t know the brand of your matcha. It knows consistency. It knows rest. It knows safety.
Reclaiming Wellness on Your Own Terms
The good news is: you don’t have to buy into it. You can opt out of the hustle culture of wellness and choose something slower, softer, and more realistic. You can build your version of self-care that doesn’t revolve around spending money, but around spending time with yourself.
Start by unfollowing accounts that make you feel less-than. Turn your attention inward, not outward. Ask yourself what truly makes you feel well—and be honest. Maybe it’s journaling. Maybe it’s walking your dog. Maybe it’s calling a friend instead of doom-scrolling. Wellness that actually works doesn’t shame you, overwhelm you, or demand a credit card. It meets you where you are—and helps you come home to yourself.