Every once in a while, we should take the time to focus on ourselves, to cleanse our mind and body and enhance our wellbeing. Here at BeachCandy, we care about wellness, about feeling our best inside and out. So follow along with us as we show you our picks of the 10 best wellness retreats in the world!
These wellness retreats will give you a chance to step back from your busy day-to-day life to relax and unwind in perfect harmony. Whether you like long walks out in nature, a head-to-toe massage, an arts and crafts session, or simply a quiet place with a beautiful view, one of these wellness retreats we recommend will make you feel better and return to your daily life better than ever!
From the countryside of California to the private islands in the Caribbean, these wellness retreats will blow your mind with their stunning views and help you rejuvenate your mind and body from the stress of our quotidian routines.
Cal-a-Vie Health Spa in California
Cal-a-Vie is a fitness and health spa retreat that was voted North America’s #1 Destination Health Spa by Travel + Leisure. The award winning health spa is located in the Southern California countryside of Vista in San Diego County. The 32-villa retreat was modeled to appear like an antique, rustic French Provincial.
The health spa is a haven in health as it offers 3, 4, or 7 night stays and you can choose from their 32 rooms, 25 spa villas and 7 suites for the night. The spa resort offers many programs embracing the mind, body and soul.
If you are looking to find strength, the fitness program might be for you as it offers yoga classes, pilates training, aqua workouts, or even walking on the beautiful hiking trails within the resort.
Or if you simply want to pamper yourself, the spa and beauty program is right for you. The program offers you spa treatments such as facial scrubs as well as acupuncture to relax your nerves. Cal-a-Vie spa also offers beauty treatments such as revitalizing facials to restore skin.
Arctic Bath in Sweden
The Arctic Bath is a cozy hotel resort located in the Swedish Lapland, in Harads, Sweden. The breathtaking fairytale-like hotel has a spiral staircase leading to a loft which offers a place to meditate, relax or simply to drink your morning coffee.
The Arctic Bath suites and cabins are elevated on poles to give you the best view of the Lule River either in the summertime or frozen in the winter. The hotel resort books up fast especially in the winter as you can see the Aurora Borealis through the glass-front cabins and suites, a truly spectacular view!
The Arctic Bath has a spa which includes 2 dry saunas, 1 steam sauna, 2 outdoor jacuzzis, and an open-air cold pool. There are also many spa treatments to choose from, which includes facial treatments such as 30 or 60 minute facial massage for any skin type.
Body and soul massage which are also 30 or 60 minute deep relaxing massage treatments that calms the mind and softens sore and tense muscles.
Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita in Mexico
The Four Seasons resort is located within a 400-acre nature reserve on a private peninsula 45 minutes away from Puerto Vallarta. The resort celebrates the rich culture of Mexico, with a “mi casa, es su casa” hospitality approach.
The resort offers spa and wellness services such as massage treatments, facials, and body treatments that include hot stones and tequila stones. The stones help release muscle tension, improve joint mobility, and stimulate circulation.
Fitness services include spinning classes, crossfit classes, and Aqua Forza. Aqua Forza is held on a floating boat and uses the individual body to balance oneself to improve stability and increase inner peace. The resort also offers beauty experiences such as mani-pedis, hair styling, and waxing to treat yourself with extra care.
You can relax in new and unique ways with featured experiences such as creating your own personal blending of tequila, designing a dreamcatcher while learning about the iconic Mexican symbol, or crafting your custom Mexican chocolate bar while learning the origin, preparation and history of it.
“Here, you arrive as a guest, leave as a friend, and return as family.”
Aro Ha Wellness Retreat in New Zealand
Aro Ha is a wellness retreat located in the Southern Alps of Glenorchy, New Zealand. This ultimate eco-friendly retreat is surrounded by New Zealand’s landscape overlooking the beautiful waters of Lake Wakatipu.
The wellness retreat offers 6 or 8 day stays with a gluten free seasonal changing menu and is garden-to-table focused. Aro Ha has been accommodating celebrity guests such as Oprah Winfrey and Reese Witherspoon in their natural landscape.
The programs that the wellness retreat offers include yoga, mindfulness, strengthening classes in the open air, and intuitive eating practices. Let’s not forget those daily massages that help soothe tense muscles after a hike in the beautiful landscapes New Zealand offers, finishing your day with a world-class sauna and spa to relax and ease your mind.
Six Senses in Portugal
Six Sense Douro Valley is a spa located among vineyards and acres of stunning hills in Douro Valley, Portugal. The renovated 19th century manor house has stunning gardens as well as the breathtaking River Douro.
One of Portugal's traditions is to embrace the elements of water, stone and wood, which is why their wellness programs include a great setting for rural relaxation. Some of the programs available are color therapy, cryotherapy, forest bathing in nature, or simply a therapeutic massage.
If you also want to include some adventure in your wellness experience, Six Senses also offers unique experiences. These experiences include tile painting alchemy bar workshops to create your own spa products. Cooking classes, tree climbing, kayaking, mountain biking to see the stunning views of Douro Valley, and many more.
Amanpuri in Thailand
Amanpuri is a spa and wellness retreat located in Phuket, Thailand surrounded by beautiful greenery foliage, palm beaches and villas. The two-story retreat offers and focuses on three key programs that you can choose from.
The programs include weight management & transformation, detox & cleansing, and mindfulness & stress management. Each program has unique activities that focus on the subject it offers and is different for each person as it is personalized.
This wellness retreat also offers spa treatments, therapy sessions, and private movement as well as morning hikes, golf courses, cruise experiences, paddle boarding, jet-skiing and even scuba-diving. Also, sunset painting to unwind and clear your mind, as well as pottery classes to leave with a one-of-a-kind souvenir.
Golden Door in California
Golden Door is a wellness retreat surrounded by 600 acres of rolling hills and hiking trails located in San Marcos, California. The retreat was styled after a Japanese inn (ryokan) with 40 guest rooms and a Japanese Garden to really take in the experience.
The Golden Door retreat has been attracting a number of Hollywood celebrities which include Oprah Winfrey, Nicole Kidman, and Chevy Chase to name a few. At the retreat you don't even have to worry about what to wear, as the wellness retreat has work out clothing for the daytime and their traditional yukata robe for dinnertime.
The 7-day treatment programs include daily spa treatments that include massages, craniosacral therapy, reiki, and watsu, plus exercises that include hiking, yoga, and fitness classes. There are also mindfulness workshops, art classes, silent meditation walks, that will take your mind off things and “energize you to embrace your future.”
Civana Wellness Resort & Spa in Arizona
Civana is a three-time award-winning wellness resort and spa located just outside of Scottsdale, Arizona, nestled in the Sonoran Desert. Civana believes "that a healthy body is a happy body," which is why they have a wide variety of wellness programs, treatments, and classes, from therapeutic and rejuvenating treatments that focus on healing through water to meditating on their yoga lawn and relaxing with their hot stone massages.
Go on a hike to get your blood pumping, after which you can relax in their sunset sound baths and enjoy the Japanese practice of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku). You can also set your own adventure and embark on your self-guided meditation which can include a walk through the resort’s stone labyrinth path.
Kamalaya in Thailand
Kamalaya is a multi-award-winning wellness sanctuary and holistic spa located on a tropical landscape on the coastline of Koh Samui, Thailand. At the heart of Kamalaya lies a centuries old cave, used by Buddhist monks to meditate which guests can enter for meditation and reflection.
Famous for its beautiful property and great relaxation treatments such as naturotherapy, aromatic therapy, and many more, this wellness retreat also offers programs such as detox, stress & burn out, emotional balance, yoga, ideal weight, structural revival, and sleep retreat.
Visit Kamalaya wellness and spa for a great relaxation and witness “some of the best sunsets on the island” you’ve ever experienced,
COMO Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos
COMO Parrot Cay is an award winning health-centric resort located on a private island in the Caribbean. With four miles of white sand and peaceful beaches, the resort offers wellness programs such as holistic therapies including reflexology and Ayurveda. Pilates and yoga classes are also offered.
If you're craving adventures in the private island, you can walk through their rice fields, or their estate walk to discover their hidden water gardens (kedaras). Take a speed boat ride to see whale sharks and turtles. Learn to surf or improve your surfing skills in the clear waters of the island.
Now that we have suggested our top 10 best wellness retreats in the world, we guarantee you that you will have a once in a lifetime experience with these hospitable stunning retreats so you can come back feeling recharged, rebooted, and ready to take on the world.
Also check out our list of Most Romantic Islands in the World for more incredible vacation ideas. And don't forget to browse our resort wear collection to pick the perfect ensembles for your dream getaway!
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Written by Magali Pascual.