The word “longevity” can conjure images of billionaires swallowing bucketfuls of mysterious supplements and transfusing their blood every hour to live to 150. 

But with Bloomberg reporting that it is a booming sector within the $6.3 trillion global wellness industry, it can’t all be about far-out experimental medical treatments, right?

That’s what I wanted to find out, so I contacted Biograph, a membership-based health clinic specializing in longevity. After a brief chat, they invited me to their downtown Manhattan location to see for myself what they’re all about and to take part in their core six-hour health evaluation. 

I was excited, and I admit, a little terrified. But as any entrepreneur knows, we get so consumed with our work that we often forget to take care of ourselves. We all have a million problems to deal with, until we have one problem and nothing else matters. What’s the point of pursuing our passions to build great things if we won’t be around to enjoy the fruits of our labor? So my only question to Biograph was this: “When can we start?”

The First Day of the Rest of My Life

I arrived on a lovely early Autumn morning, and as soon as the elevator doors opened, I immediately realized that this experience was going to be wildly different than any I’ve ever had at a healthcare facility.

Usually, you walk through the doors of a medical office and are greeted by an overworked receptionist clacking away on a keyboard who tells you to sign in and take a seat between two people hacking up a lung. If you’re lucky, you’ll be seen 45 minutes after your appointment time.

Not the case at Biograph. I was instead greeted by three people who not only knew my name, but they were smiling. I’m from New York, so this immediately made me suspicious. But I calmed down and eventually took my hand off my wallet as they warmly chatted and took me to my private suite, one of the many here in this luxurious space.

Biograph’s Mission and Method

Co-founded in 2017 by John Hering and Dr. Peter Attia, and now operated by Hering and Executive Medical Director Dr. Michael Doney, Biograph is a state-of-the-art health clinic with a mission to keep us healthier for longer. And while, yes, extending our lifespans would be great, their main mission is more nuanced than that. “It’s not just about having more years, it’s about having better years,” Hering told me. They use advanced testing methods to help detect any lurking health risks in their earliest stages, and recommend treatment or lifestyle changes to get ahead of them so that you can have happier and healthier golden years.

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Now, I’m not usually afraid of doctors, but I will admit that I was a bit nervous about spending the day having every inch of my body scanned and analyzed. Over the past 51 years, I haven’t exactly lived the life of a health-nut triathlete. What the hell are they going to find? is a thought I admit to having more than once. 

I’m not alone in this worry, and it is one of the many problems Biograph is solving for. “In most doctors’ offices or hospitals, you feel like you’re going to die,” Hering said. “It’s fluorescent lighting, very sterile and anxiety-inducing.” So to dial down the worry, they fostered an environment that feels more like a meditative spa than a medical facility.

“We wanted to create a place that is very calming and made you feel like you were going there to create life, not avoid death,” explains Hering. The space, designed with input from the same people who helped Steve Jobs map out the first Apple Store, is heavily influenced by Japanese design motifs. Warm wood walls and trees and rock gardens are strategically placed throughout, giving you a sense of peace even as you stroll to a room where a loud machine will take a CT scan of your heart.

Okay, so I was calm, I was relaxed, I was ready. Now the big question: would the next six hours really determine a longer, healthier life for me? 

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Diving In

Biograph’s year-long membership is offered in two tiers: Core and Black. Core costs $7,500 and Black is $15,000. The difference lies in additional in-person tests, ongoing at-home testing, midyear blood work, and regular check-ins with the clinical team. Health insurance is not accepted, but the company’s site says members have used HSA/FSA reimbursement funds and suggests checking with your plan’s administrator to see if it applies.

I tried the Core membership, which began with an online questionnaire and a video call to gather my medical history and to understand my health goals. (Not making loud noises every time I sit or stand up was high on the list.) My consultant explained that I’d walk away with personalized health-optimization recommendations based on five pillars: cardiovascular, neurologic, metabolic, cancer risk and early detection, and quality of life. She then provided some dietary and fasting instructions for the days leading up to the appointment that were fairly easy to stick to, although I must admit I cried just a little when I learned the “no coffee” rule on the morning of the appointment.

My private suite was honestly nicer than any apartment I’ve ever stepped foot in. There was a couch, a private bathroom, a shower, and a gorgeous view of the Freedom Tower. After I changed into some comfy, yoga-type gear, my guide for the day reviewed my itinerary and then the games began.

Over the next six hours, I had a physical examination, bloodwork, a CT Coronary Angiography, a body movement analysis, a V02 Max challenge on a stationary bike, hearing and cognition tests and a whole body MRI. Oh, lunch. And eventually, the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life.

It sounds like a lot, but it honestly flew by. The cognitive and movement tests were pretty fun to be honest, and while 60 minutes inside of an MRI machine doesn’t sound like a party, they gave me a headset to watch any movie or show I wanted. (I chose a movie that’s been on my list for a long time, the dystopian sci-fi epic Minority Report. It opens with a bunch of people flat on their backs squirming around with electrodes stuck to their heads — I do not recommend.)

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And it preserved that most precious commodity in a busy person’s life: time. Six hours is nothing if you imagine how many hours and days would be lost running around to various medical facilities trying to get the same amount of tests done.

You feel like you are the center of the universe when you are here — and that is by design. While you spend lots of time speaking with the staff, you never see or hear any of the other members on the floor. You feel like you have the whole place to yourself, which I later learned involves quite an intricate dance. “The team literally knows at every moment precisely where you are,” Hering explained. “We are choreographing perfectly when members are in the hallway, when they’re in their exams, when they’re in their member suite to ensure with 100% confidence that you have complete privacy.”

To pull off everything they’re trying to accomplish requires a lot of buy-in from the staff. Hering says he’s achieved that through a leadership style that revolves around setting objectives and the cultural tone, and then allowing team members to “be CEOs of their own discipline.” From design to engineering to operations, he prides himself on having a team of problem solvers. “That’s what makes Biograph such a unique culture,” he says.

The Results

Immediately following my exams, I sat down in a comfy lounge and had a one-on-one video call with Dr. Jim Lebret, Biograph’s Medical Director. He walked me through some of the initial analysis, highlighting the low-hanging fruit for improvement as well as some of the things I was doing right. (I was shocked to learn I was doing anything right.) 

Then a few weeks later, I had an in-depth call with Dr. Lebret, who went over the results of all of my tests. And separately, I had calls with Lucas Dunham, Exercise Physiologist, and Maura Rodgers, Registered Dietitian. Each call lasted about an hour, and was accompanied by a PDF that broke down my results and gave step-by-step recommendations for what looked good under the hood, and what lifestyle, exercise and nutrition tweaks I could try to lose weight and things like that. And it wasn’t like “never eat pizza again,” it was more like, “Instead of pizza for breakfast, try a high-protein smoothie.”

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And also, importantly, Dr. Lebret pointed out things he thought I should see outside doctors about. I won’t bore/gross you out with the details, but they told me about a few things that never in a million years would have been detected during a regular check-up. And maybe they are something I’ll need to take action on, or maybe my doctor will tell me they are nothing to worry about, and that is exactly the point: to know and make informed decisions. 

Success Stories

Hering told me about one Biograph member who used the Biograph data as inspiration to “soup-to-nuts” revamp his lifestyle and lost 80 pounds. Another member, who was in her early 30s, came in just to learn about her overall health and discovered she had early pancreatic cancer, which is usually a death sentence. But it was caught so early that surgery and treatment saved her life. “She would not be here today if it weren’t for that,” says Hering. “From a founder perspective, it’s neat to build a company that is financially successful, but nothing comes close to saving and transforming people’s lives.” 

Since my check-up, I have messaged with all three of my providers, who were more than happy to answer any questions. I lost a little weight and have been on a regular workout and stretching routine that has yet to make me a potential body-double for The Rock, but I do feel more energized and my body doesn’t feel like it was run over by a Dumpster when I get up in the morning. Plus, following my medical follow-ups, I’ve taken steps to treat an issue that is minor now but very likely would have become a big problem further down the line. So if I can just keep myself active (and out of the Cheez-its aisle at the supermarket), I’ll post an update to let you know how it’s all going in 40 years, right after I finish running a marathon.