In this send:
Ritz Paris, Frama, Sala Hars, ultrasound, blood pressure, ear thermometer, AGE reader, glycation, electrocardiogram, green anise broth, retinal OCT, NewTom 7G, DEXA, CO₂ bath, Japanese tea…
Welcome back to High Touch. Exciting to no longer be in “launch week” programming, and instead just be. Today I’m sharing the first of a two-parter on my experience at one of the world’s most beautiful biometric testing clinics, Zoï in Paris. Self-measuring is an integral part of longevity (in 2026 terms), so it only made sense for me to crack this journey open here—both in relaying what the labs and imaging felt like (that’s today), as well as what was actually sussed out, down to the individual markers (coming tomorrow). But first, a few things inboxed, screenshotted, whisper-networked since our last send:
A touch of High Touch
Relevant to today’s send, Weill Cornell Medicine rolled out a longevity program: 12 months, with quarterly clinical evaluations plus tons of advanced imaging and testing (whole body MRI, CT angiogram, genetic testing, cancer detection screening, VO2 max, DEXA, CGM, Lumen metabolic breath test). It’s $15,000 with no insurance option, but I jive with the institution’s statement that they are “actively working to change that and one of our goals is to demonstrate the clinical value of this approach so that longevity-focused care is eventually recognized and reimbursed by insurers, expanding access over time.”
A new vibe-coded peptide platform has hit the market. Mino, a heavily branded intermediary between customers and prescribers, has a product catalog that includes 35 compounds including, somehow (?), Retatrutide, BPC-157, Thymosin-Alpha 1, GH agonists, etc. What’s actually fascinating is the company’s public-facing physician-recruiting page that lists off the financial upside to getting into the ‘tides game. Most notably: nearly half a million dollars in annual revenue from taking four to six consultations per week.
The first study to look at cyclic collagen peptide (CHP-9) applied topically compared to retinol found that it outperformed the current gold standard on age markers like crow’s feet and forehead lines. There are some conflicts of interest from the actual study—the researchers both produce the ingredient and sell products via mass-market Chinese brands that contain it (the closest thing we have here is the non-cyclized collaxyl found in some INNBEAUTY and Murad serums)—but something to watch, potentially as a pregnancy-safe alternative, though it’s too soon to say.
Zoï Vendôme is only two blocks from the Ritz Paris, which meant I had to walk past early-rising tourist couples staking out its entrance hoping to catch celebrities coming and going, as if part of a low-cost sightseeing date. I happened to see Paloma Elsesser exiting while en route that morning in October, implicating myself in their hobby. A few bends later, I approached Zoï’s address and held up a code I’d been issued via my app to the digital check-in, prompting the doors to swing open onto a Kubrick-ian hallway, illuminated by soft-box lighting and flanked with smooth wood walls. I was jet lagged and carrying several flasks of my own pee in a Row Marlo 12 bag.
I had first visited this space in the spring as a guest of Frama, who is an official partner for the on-site onsen, supplying it with towels, toiletries, and an additional layer of design-y credibility. I was back now for Zoï’s core offering: biometric testing covering 150 biomarkers across 32 individual examinations including lab tests, instrument readings, and advanced imaging devices.