A wellness retreat is not your average vacation. Often centered around a specific niche, a retreat at a wellness resort is designed to improve your physical and mental health. You may enjoy massage, spa, or red-light therapies, take classes, practice meditation, or participate in any number of other treatments.

There’s growing evidence that wellness retreats aren’t just relaxing, temporary escapes from reality but the origin points of long-lasting, significant improvements in mental and physical health. Think relaxation with a side of achieving your personal goals. With that kind of potential on the table, who wouldn’t want to take a closer look?

At the typical retreat, you can expect a natural setting, with beautiful views that inspire creativity, restfulness, and personal growth. There’s often a large outdoor component to wellness resorts.

Your average retreat location is set back from the hustle and bustle of regular life. Forest, mountain, and beach settings are common. But if you’re not a fan of that feeling of seclusion, you can also find spa retreats in major cities.

Across the spectrum of physical and mental health, there’s quite a lot to cover. So let’s look at the different kinds of retreats and how they address a person’s particular needs.

The most common wellness retreats are put on by spa resorts that emphasise a holistic approach to your health by marrying movement with time for stillness. The treatments, activities and amenities available at each resort are sure to vary, but to give you an idea, some examples include:

• Yoga class

• Instruction in meditation

• Pilates

• Massage therapy (deep tissue, hot stone, etc.)

• Red light therapy

• Acupuncture

• Access to saunas, steam rooms, pools and hot tubs

• Luxurious facials

• Cold plunges

For the avid wellness enthusiast ready to dive into the realm of medical practices and technology assistance, there are some resorts with advanced offerings like oxygen therapy, cryotherapy, and DNA analysis.

Have you heard of the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing? To the uninitiated, a therapeutic session spent in the forest might sound like we’re putting a fancier name on hiking. But those who have experienced nature bathing in a focused, guided retreat format know just how emotionally and spiritually rejuvenating this practice can be.

In fact, scientific evidence supports the benefits of shinrin-yoku. If you’re interested in stress relief, alleviating feelings of depression, or even lowering your blood pressure, this type of wellness retreat might be for you.

For the practiced devotee or the beginner-level student of meditation, there is definitely a mindfulness retreat out there for you. Arming you with techniques in stress relief and promoting connection to the self, these retreats will guide you down the path of inner peace and personal growth. 

If you’re looking for a challenge, some time for deep self-reflection and mental clarity, or just a truly novel experience, consider a silent retreat.

Have you spent one too many nights staring at your phone after staring at your computer all day? We all feel it: these days, it can seem impossible to detach from our devices. But a digital detox retreat can help you log off and check in with yourself, getting you past that itching-for-the-phone phase and restoring your mental equilibrium for everyday life.

While there are a few devoted digital detox resorts, you can also find digital detox programs at spa resorts around the world.

If weight loss is part of your fitness goals, you can find a plethora of resorts and programs tailor-made to help you. Or, if you’re just interested in learning about nutrition and exploring your relationship with healthy eating, there are plenty of opportunities out there for you, too.

This type of health retreat usually offers some combination of fun, guided exercise, classes on the deeper psychology of nutrition, and advice to help guests build a healthy diet on the foundation of good habits.

A nutrition-focused retreat is a fantastic opportunity to form a community with other people on their fitness journeys. Everything is a little easier when you know you’re not alone. If you’re interested in this kind of trip but are looking for some insights before you even head out, explore our other guide on nutrition for athletes, which offers valuable tips and strategies you can implement into your routine starting today.

Now that you’re becoming more familiar with your options, how do you zero in on the best wellness retreat for you?

Among the things to consider are:

• Your mental and physical health goals – You know your own body better than anyone.

• Location – Are you chomping at the bit to get out into nature, or is a big city spa calling your name?

• Cost – In addition to the cost of staying at the resort, remember to factor in travel.

• Company – Do you want to bring a friend, partner, family member? Or do you want this retreat experience to be all your own?

We must admit, we’re jealous of your upcoming wellness getaway.

Despite the restoration and relaxation retreats offer, all the pre-planning and prep work can end up adding to the stress you want to relieve. So eliminate an item from your to-do list by packing P.E Nation pieces and ensure you’re retreat-ready regardless of the wellness activity that awaits you. From yoga outfits for your spa retreat to hiking outfits for forest bathing, we have every piece that you may need.

As a leader and innovator in the activewear industry, P.E Nation’s collections combine style, comfort and practicality in equal measure—why should you have to compromise whether relaxing on retreat, strolling the sidewalk, or fitting fitness into your fast-paced life?

Check out our website to stock your wellness wardrobe and to learn more about what’s trending in the world of fitness, from our women’s leggings and bike shorts to sports bras and other workout tops.

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Sources:  

Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Do Wellness Tourists Get Well? An Observational Study of Multiple Dimensions of Health and Well-Being After a Week-Long Retreat. 

Environmental Health and Preventative Medicine. A comparative study of the physiological and psychological effects of forest bathing (Shinrin-yoku) on working age people with and without depressive tendencies.