Finding Wellness
Heading off for a wellness retreat doesn’t always need to translate into endless massages and facials. Sure, those are nice, but let’s take things a little deeper. Here are five spots around the world where you can experience a wellness offering unlike any other, plus a hotel that offers each.
Saint Lucia
Sometimes a wellness getaway really is just about a good old-fashioned treatment. But, rather than just recommend a spa anywhere, we also suggest pairing it with a visit to the tropical paradise of St. Lucia in the Eastern Caribbean. Here, the water is always shimmeringly clear, the sand is always soft, and the sun is always ready to kiss your cheeks. But when you’re ready to swap out your bathing suit for a bathrobe, make your way to Ti Kaye Resort and Spa. The dazzling resort is built directly into a cliffside overlooking Anse Cochon Cove, allowing for maximum beach views below. Guests can order off the menu at the Kai Koko Spa without ever having to peel their eyes away from the view, thanks to the massive picture windows in the treatment rooms. Using locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, the spa will help you feel more rested and like a better you from the inside out.
Lake Rotorua, New Zealand
Take a journey to Lake Rotorua, located on the North Island of New Zealand. As the second-largest lake on the island, it’s a place where water abounds, and that includes the delicious hot springs bubbling up from the center of the Earth. Guests flock to the destination to visit its Geothermal Park and Mud Spa to ease aches and pains or, at the very least, have a little fun playing in the dirt. Stay at the nearby On the Point, located about a 30-minute drive from the Hells Gate Mud Baths
Niseko, Japan
You know that feeling you get when you take a quiet walk around your neighborhood park? Tranquility, breathing just a bit deeper, and finding everything moving just a little slower? Times that feeling by a million, and that’s what you get from the Japanese practice of forest bathing. Known as shinrin-yoku, forest bathing is the simple practice of walking in the woods to help calm your mind and spirit. And you can do just that by booking a stay at the Higashiyama Niseko Village, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve. The ultra-luxurious retreat in Niseko is surrounded by abundant nature, making it entirely possible to step outside the front door and set off on your forest bathing adventure for as long as you wish.
Rishikesh, India
Yoga is a well-known antidote to stress. The ancient practice has been proven by modern science to improve our moods, sharpen our minds, and keep our limbs plenty limber. And while you can practice yoga from just about anywhere, there’s no better place to do it than in Rishikesh, India. The city, located in the northern state of Uttarakhand at the foothills of the Himalayas, is regarded by many as the capital of yoga. And there are plenty of hotels looking to cater to yoga-loving travelers, including Ganga Kinare – A Riverside Boutique Resort. Here, guests can take part in individual or group workshops to deepen their practice. Everyone from lifelong learners to absolute beginners are welcome.
Elciego, Spain
Find yourself among the vines in Elciego, a tiny blip on the radar of a town in Basque Country. The community is known for its old-school European flair thanks to stone buildings dating back centuries, as well as its massive vineyards that stretch on for as far as the eye can see. Here, wellness and wine are highly connected, either via drinking it or using it as part of the “Vinothérapie” offering at Hotel Marqués de Riscal. At the hotel’s Spa Vinothérapie, guests can book treatments using every type of local varietal, from infused massages to facials that promise plenty of anti-aging properties.