Health retreat – Hand-picked foreign places will put a spring in your step, physically and emotionally.
“Travel is like a tonic to me,” American artist and legend Norman Rockwell once stated. It’s more than simply taking a break from the studio. I’m going to need it to replenish my batteries.” While Rockwell’s comments are ageless, they seem to ring especially true in present times—with continual connection and screen time at an all-time high, a mental and physical refresh with a T&C twist is absolutely on the money.
From yoga-centered fitness retreats with plant-based Italian cuisine to connecting with nature through the resident sloths at a Costa Rican rainforest resort, here are Town & Country’s selections for the most elevated wellness weeks and retreats to book in 2021.
1. Temple of Umi
Whether you are on a self-discovery quest or seeking to heal your soul and your spirit from past trauma, we are here, holding spaces for you as you go through this healing journey. We honor your courage and applaud your decision to get closer to the universe. We are here to serve you in the utmost sacred process toward true consciousness.
Where: Atlanta, GA, USA.
Journey well! Learn more about this retreat to reset your health and mind.
2. Pura Vida in the Rainforest
Reset your body and mind with this Relais & Chateaux property’s customized health programs, set among Costa Rica’s floral and fauna. Part rainforest retreat (there are resident sloths on-site), part ultra-chic hideaway, disconnect and leave your cell phone at check-in to ensure no distractions other than the views and sounds of nature. Embrace Costa Rica’s “Pura Vida” (pure life) philosophy with morning yoga, Kundalini meditation among the jungle trees, fresh green juices, and heavenly holistic spa treatments like Nayara Springs’ signature volcanic mud treatment, a therapeutic detox massage using volcanic mud sourced from the nearby Arenal volcano.
Where: Nayara Springs, Costa Rica
Price: Three nights, $3,882. Five nights, $6,697.50 Learn more here.
3. Ayurveda Renewal
Find your dosha at the lovely Inns of Aurora on New York’s Finger Lakes. Laura Coburn, The Inn’s resident Director of Serenity, has created the Gift of Wellness program, a four-day wellness-focused trip for single travelers or those wishing to reconnect with a group of friends. Your itinerary will include one-on-one time with Laura for Ayurveda 101 and personalized tips on improving your wellness journey, mocktail-making classes, fitness consultations, balanced dosha-specific custom meals by executive chef Eric Lamphere, massage therapy, nature meditations, and restorative yoga over the course of four days.
Price: $3500 a person for four days. Learn more here.
4. Pampered in the Poconos
Whether you need a one-day reset or a weeklong transformation, this luxurious wellness retreat in Pennsylvania, known as “The Lodge,” is nestled on 500 pristine acres of woodlands. While the Lodge at Woodloch has been open for 13 years, the recently renovated spa is reason enough to visit this wellness haven. Guests curate their days with fitness and wellness sessions like forest bathing (meditative wandering through the woods), challenging Tabata TRX classes, and chakra meditations, similar to luxury summer camps for adults. If a spa cation is what you’re looking for, spend days at the spa trying out therapies like float therapy, magnesium massages, and craniosacral therapy.
Where:The Lodge at Woodloch, Hawley, Pennsylvania
Price: Weekdays $574 + (includes $140 spa credit) and Weekends starting at $744+ per night (includes $140 spa credit) based on single occupancy. Learn more here.
5. Serenity in Spain
Where the European jet set goes to cleanse. While on vacation on Spain’s beautiful Costa Blanca, center your mind and body. The basis for your personalised wellness experience is provided by SHA Wellness’s three-pronged wellness approach—a blend of holistic therapies, fitness plans, and pharmaceuticals. If you know what you’re searching for, SHA also offers tailored wellness programs for weight loss, stress reduction, fitness training, and more. Treat your body to cutting-edge therapies like underwater massages and electro-lymphatic drainage in between personal training sessions and cardio-tone circuits, and nourish with healthy Mediterranean cuisine.
Where: SHA Wellness Clinic, Alicante, Spain
Price: Programs from EUR 1,500 per person for four days and EUR 2,900 per person for seven day- accommodation not included. Suites begin at EUR 330 per night. Find out more, here.
6. Park City Power Recharge
Escape to Park City’s luxurious hotel, the Washington School House, for a weekend of mountain adventure, wellness, and chill time by the property’s dreamy pool and hot tub. While the interiors of the little luxury boutique hotel (just twelve rooms) are low-key stunning (a mix of antiques and contemporary art), the natural outdoors will be screaming your name. So give way to your inner adventurer and enjoy Park City’s plethora of outdoor activities, such as fly-fishing, ice skating, skiing, and sleigh rides.
For those seeking something a little more relaxing than hitting the slopes, warm up by the fire, take a private pilates class on-site, or book a 90-minute in-room massage from Washington School House’s colleagues at Aura Spa and knead out all the stress before flying home.
Price: Starting at $400 a night. For more, click here.
7. Center spiritually and unwind in CT
Escape for a few nights at the ultra-chic and beautiful rural snug Mayflower Inn and Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection, in Washington, Connecticut. Choose from The Mayflowers’ fantastic range of spa treatments like sound healing therapy, lymphatic drainage, and private breathing courses, all amidst the lovely environment overlooking the woods, which is far enough from New York City to center your mind and rejuvenate physically. The spa is prime-time Instagram-worthy for anyone looking for the material. No filter is required.
Where: The Mayflower Inn & Spa, Auberge Resorts Collection, Washington, CT
Price: Starting at $730 a night. Learn more here.
8. Soulcation
A three-day trip to Mexico’s Punta Mita, a little fishing community overlooking the Pacific Ocean, can reset your soul. “Solutions” at the Four Seasons Punta Mita include rebirth mud rituals, Yin Yang Yoga, dream catcher creation lessons, intention burning ceremonies, chakra balancing therapies, and a special Huichol Blessing sun ceremony, a centuries-old, pre-Columbian tribe native to Mexico’s Sierra Madre.
Price: $895 per night. Learn more here.
9. Moonlit Meditations in Bal Harbour
A two-day recharge is often just what the doctor prescribes. So unplug with the Restore & Recharge package at the Ritz-Carlton Bal Harbour, a spirit-lifting and heart-rate-boosting energy boost. Guests will dine on nutritious food, concentrate their minds with one-on-one guided moonlit meditation, tone and lengthen with an exhale exercise class at exhale Bal Harbour and luxuriate in a daily unique spa treatment over the course of 48 hours (one Flow Massage and one Power Facial). At night, relax in the Ultimate Bath Experience, a soaking tub filled with therapeutic essential oils and bath salts that overlooks the Atlantic Ocean.
Price: Starting at $2,500. Learn more here.
10. Austin Awakening
The newly opened wellness dynasty resort down south, Miraval Austin, is an excellent option for self-care enthusiasts looking for something fresh. A little bit rural (activities available include line-dancing lessons, maintaining the property’s chicken coop, and conservative horseback riding). The Miraval Austin experience offerings are infinite, with some new-age wellness (crystal energy healing and silk hammock “floating” meditation) thrown in. Unwind in one of their 117 guest rooms, dubbed “relaxing havens designed in harmony with nature.” In addition, you can expect authentic farm-to-table fare at Cypress Creek Farm, which also offers cooking workshops where you can learn how to make your kombucha.
Price: Starting at $649 a night with a 3-night minimum. Learn more here.
11. Find Your Guru in Hawaii
Late last year, the Four Seasons on Lanai unveiled a sibling property that, unlike its beachy, giant, resort-fun relative, is designed expressly for wellness retreats—a first for the brand. The 96-room paradise, located further inland and surrounded by mountains and flora, has been constructed with Japanese-style clean lines and minimalism. A Sensei expert can help you customize your program, whether you want to perform yoga and meditate, receive a thermal body mapping and sleep analysis, or rest in the spa, which has infrared saunas and Japanese onsen soaking pools. Naturally, the meal is prepared by Nobu.
Where:Four Seasons Hotel Lanai at Koele, A Sensei Retreat, Lanai, Hawaii
Price: From $2,800 per person a night, all-inclusive, with a 3-night minimum. Book here.
12. Hiking & Biking in Upstate New York
This lovely 17-room hotel only an hour north of Manhattan, created by 1st Dibs creator Michael Bruno, includes an intensive Mountain Club Boot Camp series ideal for NYC daytrippers and long weekenders. Hiking, kayaking, and bicycling (bikes provided) are the activities that use the 70,000 acres of trails, lakes, and parkland surrounding the hotel. The facility itself emphasizes health and nutrition, with a 7,000-square-foot gym, a 75-foot-long pool, an organic market, and restaurants that employ produce from its Hudson Valley farms.
Where:Valley Rock Inn & Mountain Club, Sloatsburg, NY
Price: The boot camp costs $500 per person, or $400 for overnight guests. Hotel rooms start at $495 a night. Book here.
13. Detox in Southern California
A team of preventative medicine and epigenetics experts assisted in curating the Wellness Collective program at the Southern California facility, divided into topics such as Movement & Fitness, Nutrition & Detox, Sleep & Respite, and Stress & Balance. Depending on your chosen path, you may have a daily private workout session, a lymphatic drainage massage, or a meditation session. In addition to the all-inclusive Wellness Collective, the 49-room hotel, Southern California’s only Relais & Chateaux, includes 18 tennis courts and a weekly schedule of 95 exercise sessions.
Price: Wellness Collective packages start at $1,500 per person a night, with a 3-night minimum—accommodations are included. The hotel rates start at $799 a night. Book here.
All-Inclusive Wellbeing in the Caribbean
14. Where:Rancho Valencia, Rancho Santa Fe, CA
Twenty years ago, when even having a hotel spa was unusual, the 155-room resort pioneered wellness-focused getaways. Its programming is distinctive in that each month has a new topic. March, for example, is ideal for sailing, whether you’re a novice or a seasoned pro. April is about yoga, May is about intense training, and June is about dance. The experts, athletes, and guides for each month’s programs are top-notch, with the majority being former Olympic competitors. In other words, be prepared to put in the effort.
Where:BodyHoliday, St. Lucia
Price: From $546 per night. Book here.
15. Learn to Eat Like a Hollywood A-Lister
This 500-acre health spa is only 45 miles north of San Diego. Yet, it is built to look like an idyllic French Provencal hideaway, complete with stone fireplaces, antique furnishings, and lavender fields—they even imported a 400-year-old church and l’orangerie from Dijon, France. There are 32 villas, an excellent staff-to-guest ratio of 5:1, and over 160 fitness courses and activities, spa treatments, and guest lectures. Last year, the hotel released Beautiful Living, a cookbook highlighting nutritious meals prepared in its kitchen. Don’t worry; this isn’t a diet manual. Recipes include creamy coconut carrot soup, roast lamp chops, and vanilla cheesecake. The key is in portion control.
Where:Cal-a-Vie, Vista, CA
Price: From $3,595 per person for a 3-night minimum. Book here.
16. Recharge in Switzerland
The Swiss lakeside hotel has just created the Feel Good Escape package. The concept revolves around self-love and relaxation, so days are spent with spa treatments, yoga, and hiking. There are no food limitations, so you can eat at any hotel’s restaurant, whether the Michelin-starred Le Tsé Fung or the lighter fare at Cafe Lauren. Pure Swiss air will take care of the rest.
Where: La Réserve Geneva, Switzerland
Price: From $1,728 per person for two nights. Book here.
17. Mind & Body Haute Harmony In Lenox, MA
Escape to Miraval’s newest location in the forest-filled Berkshires to relax and unwind. Arriving in Miraval after a fast, hop, skip, and now Jitney trip from New York City is like taking the energetic exhale you need to reset your body, mind, and even your Hara. The Hara Soother, the property’s unique spa routine, focuses on the Hara (the Japanese word for the physical and energetic core of the body) for a combination of breath work, complete body therapy, and digestive massage. Unplugging is essential at Miraval, which is why the facility has a cell phone-free policy—guests leave their phones in “sleeping bags” on arrival. They are urged to use their phones only in particular places, including guest rooms. If you prefer fitness, there is a daily wellness menu with yoga, meditation, cardio, and strength training options. Other unusual experiences include poultry raising, seeing the property’s birds of prey, and mushroom medicine workshops. In terms of produce, feed your body three complementary nutrient-rich meals per day.
Where: Miraval Berkshires, Lenox, MA
Price: Starting at $730 a night. Learn more here.
18. Live the L.A. Wellness Life
Set among the Malibu beaches and the Santa Monica Mountains, the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village’s Center For Health & Wellbeing is a coveted new wellness retreat.
Aside from the property’s cutting-edge exercise facilities and everyday wellness services (think: Malibu hikes, guided morning meditations, and feel-good nutritionist-approved meals), the Center is now offering 3-day bespoke wellness retreats tailored to your specific wellness objectives. An excellent alternative for individuals searching for a personalized, balanced, and bite-sized seasonal reset.
Guests seeking a nutrition and fitness reset begin their retreat with a body composition analysis and private consultations with the Center’s dietitians and trainers. Following that, you will be given a tailored diet plan and training framework to help you kickstart your daily mind/body balanced approach at home. Then, if you need some “me” time to unplug from your daily office routine, the spa-centric retreat is packed with self-care essentials for the ultimate dosage of relaxation. After participating in activities designed to help you relax, such as wellness-focused workshops, energy sessions, and meditations, head to the spa for some cleansing and tension release.
Get your pores gleaming with an illuminating facial and your body in sync with the property’s signature lavender milk cocoon — a complete body treatment that includes a deep exfoliation, physical “cocooning” of pure honey and lavender milk, and a massage—by the end, you’ll feel like a butterfly post-cocoon nap, ready to take on the world with a new glow and perspective.
Where: The Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, Los Angeles, California
Price: 4-Days and 3-Nights, All-Inclusive. Rates upon inquiry. Learn more here.
18. Seek Serenity at Solage
Lean into tranquillity at the Solage Resort & Spa, a 22-acre getaway in the heart of Calistoga with newly refurbished studios and suites. Guests can swim in geothermal pools, relax in anti-gravity chairs, and enjoy innovative spa treatments that change periodically. The hotel also has a state-of-the-art gym, a yoga and movement studio with daily lessons, and in-room Pelotons that may be reserved.
Where: Solage Resort & Spa, Calistoga, California
Price: Prices start around $1000 a night. Learn more here.