hydration future

WATER WELLNESS

Hydration education you won’t get anywhere else.

HEY FROM THE SOURCE

There’s a lot of noise in wellness. Here, I try to keep it simple. Sift the myths, surface what’s real, and share what helps us move with more clarity.

Because self-care begins with water care; from the way your cells hydrate to the way you rest by the sea.

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Splash of the Week

Happy Mineral Water Day!

The day of the mineral water was introduced in 2022 by the German Mineral Water Association.

It’s easy to laugh at Europe’s obsession with mineral water. But for centuries, natural springs were medicine, places of ritual and recovery. As covered last week in More Bubbles.

You might think of water tastings now, a sommelier swirling glasses of the obvious: just plain water.

But the practice is less about taste and more about relationship.

It’s about noticing: the weight of minerals, the texture of bubbles, the memory of place.

Paying attention to water is really paying attention to ourselves: how we feel, what we take in, what we value.

You might say, water sommeliers exist mainly to help restaurants upsell “liquid terroir.”

Underneath though, there’s something honest: an understanding of geology, mineral balance, glass over plastic, and the small luxury of turning hydration into a ritual.

When I host water tastings, I’m always struck by where people’s attention goes first: straight to the minerals, the electrolytes, the measurable parts #hackyourdrinks

And yet, what I’m really trying to create is a new kind of relationship with water as a reflection of our relationship with ourselves.

We’ve been trained to think in categories:

  • calcium, magnesium, sodium;

  • bottled water is just expensive tap;

  • tap isn’t pure enough so we need filters;

  • filters are tedious to replace though;

  • plain water is boring but canned, flavoured water feels fun and instaworthy.

At the Water Wellness Club, we think of it differently. It’s not about perfection or performance: it’s about connection.

Water as culture, as mindset, as a mirror for what we value and how we feel. The water in our cells and the water that surrounds us are not separate stories; they move together.

I don’t buy the messaging of the NoLo crowd (no- or low-alcohol beverages).

When I’m not drinking alcohol, I’d rather have a glass-bottled, chilled, gently sparkling mineral water, ideally from a nearby spring, poured in beautiful glassware, not the globalised fizz of the usual candidates in a tumbler.

You don’t need to gulp.

Sip with intention.

We love the ritual: the glass, the sunset, the sense of occasion.
Natural mineral water can do this too. If you let it.

The irony of NoLo is how much technology it hides. Low- and non-alcoholic wines and spirits go through reverse osmosis or vacuum distillation. It is processed, often carrying sugars, stabilisers, or flavourings to make up for what’s lost.

The Functional Beverage Illusion

The bottled water market is growing on the back of NoLo sales. As the world tries to reinvent water-based drinks as “functional,” sales are expanding, powered by gym culture, wearables, and a collective anxiety about dehydration.

The global functional beverages market size was valued at $175.5 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $339.6 billion by 2030.

Algorithms sell electrolytes in sachets (note: sachets are not recyclable).

The truth: the most functional thing for our cells is still healthy water itself.

The Countermove: Authentic Functional Hydration

Mineral water already is what everyone else is trying to become.

It’s naturally functional. 

It just doesn’t need the pitch deck.

  1. Built-in Electrolytes, Zero Additives
    Magnesium, calcium, bicarbonate, already there. No packets, no flavour dust.

  2. Real Provenance, Real Assets
    Every source is geologically unique, legally protected, sometimes centuries old.

  3. Sustainability Arbitrage
    The functional drink market runs on plastic and processing. Mineral water, at least the good kind, runs on glass, proximity, and appreciation.

From Luxury to Purpose

The new wellness luxury isn’t more; it’s returning to effortless simplicity.
People are turning to cold plunges, matcha, silent retreats… a healthy relationship with water is the missing piece.

The smartest wellness positioning for the decade ahead isn’t premium, it’s purpose.

Naturally balanced, sustainably sourced, quietly restorative.

The future of hydration isn’t about adding more. It’s about subtracting everything that doesn’t really serve you.

Happy mindful sipping,

— Clouds

A Final Note

NOTES FROM THE MEADOW

In the process of letting go,

we discover what we truly need.

Buddha

Landed here by chance? Stick around, we make hydrating way more fun. Hit subscribe for tools, stories, philosophy and upstream thinking.

Until next time!

Disclaimer: This newsletter does not provide medical or nutritional advice. The content shared here is for informational and educational purposes only. To inspire a more mindful and empowered relationship with water, and yourself.