The ultimate wellness retreat isn’t just a vacation that leaves you feeling relaxed.
Ideally, it’s a well-rounded experience that stays with you long after you’ve left, and transforms the way you live at home.
Our favorite retreats are those that offer balanced days of being outdoors, rigorous exercise, and connecting with others and ourselves on a deeper level. We’ve rounded up the six inspiring retreats around the world that stand out from the crowd (and have us itching to plan a girls trip in the new year.) From sound baths to shamans, each of these destinations offers something special. Scroll down to discover the six wellness retreats we’re eying to try this year.
photo by skyla stover
Yoga for Bad People
If you’ve ever thought I’d like to take a fun yoga trip with my girlfriends but also have drinks, you’re not alone.
Katelin Sisson and Heather Lilleston, founders of Yoga for Bad People are filling their popular retreats with people just like us. Their athletic approach to yoga is paired with a fun stance of “not adhering too strictly to rules.” YFBP hosts 6-night retreats in places all over the world, from Montana to Zanzibar.
Eaton DC
Eaton is an incredibly forward-thinking hotel and members club in Washington DC (an extension of the original property in Hong Kong), built on the idea of fostering creativity and consciousness. Hotel guests can enjoy yoga, meditation, infrared saunas, sound baths, and special workshops with relationship therapists and leadership coaches.
Golden Door
Named the #1 Spa in the World by Conde Nast Traveller last year, this property in San Marcos, California has long been the gold standard in US luxury wellness retreats. Built in 1958, the Japanese inspired resort was one of the first integrated wellness retreats of its kind in the United States.
The founders pioneering vision of luxury mixed with earthy self-help stills burns brightly at Golden Door, where guests can wander a candlelit maze in kimonos or visit a shaman (in between intense hikes and workouts.)
The Ranch Malibu
This beautifully designed Malibu property offers 4 to 10 day retreats designed to promote weight loss, health, and wellness. But don’t let the insta-worthy interiors fool you — the Ranch is more bootcamp than spa. You can expect 8 hours of exercise per day, including hikes, core workouts, weights and yoga. Guests love the Ranch for the incredible food (it has it’s own farm-to-table restaurant, of course) and for the inspiring hikes through the Malibu hills.
photo by a taste of koko
Ojo Caliente
This quiet resort and spa in New Mexico is built around ancient mineral springs that comprise 12 different pools. Each pool offers it’s own healing magic — there’s lithia, iron, soda and arsenic mineral water, and even a mud bath — all at varying temperatures. The hotel offers activities like yoga, birding, intention gardening, and hiking and biking in the surrounding desert.
Collective Retreats
This company prides itself on creating wellness experiences in places where you could never build a traditional hotel. Collective Retreat glampsites pop up in places like Yellowstone and Governors Island, where guests can enjoy things like fly fishing, yoga, and under-the-stars gourmet dining.
