We all need a good rest from time to time, especially when stress is eating away at our minds and starts to affect our health. Checking in with yourself and breathing out is extremely important to stay productive, emotionally stable, and happy. Needless to say, it’s a lot easy to reset and decompress when you are doing it in a stunning location, away from the bustling city with its constant stress. Ahead, we share the top tips on choosing a wellness retreat that will restart your mind and body while also providing a truly luxurious relaxation experience.
What’s the Difference Between a Resort and a Retreat?
Resorts and retreats, especially those on the luxury side, are the best places to achieve a sense of calm. King-sized beds, picture-perfect pools, sea view – everything is designed for peaceful healing and grounding.
While resorts and retreats often offer similar recreational experiences, they have a slightly different focus. Resorts are all about entertainment and fun activities, which may include the following:
- Swimming and diving instruction
- Paddleboarding
- Swim pool parties with dance music
- Tennis courts
- Bird or animal watching
- Biking
- Concerts
Resorts are all about engaging in activities you don’t normally do at home and enjoying new experiences. Moreover, places like Clinique La Praire Switzerland often focus on external beauty and offer services at the intersection of self-care, beauty, and medicine.
In contrast, retreats are focused on spiritual experiences, so they are all about mindfulness and meditation. Introspective, holistic practices offered there are designed to help you look into yourself, work on your mental and emotional problems, and decrease stress. Given this goal, you may find the following services in luxury retreats:
- Yoga classes
- Meditation sessions
- Massage
- Meditative nature experiences
- Healthy menu
Research has found that wellness retreats have numerous health benefits:
- Enhance psychological well-being
- Foster a sense of community
- Facilitate meaningful self-care practices
- Establish the basis for improved self-care at home
Another study revealed significant improvements in weight, blood pressure, and psychological symptoms after only a week-long retreat. So, retreats are much more than a fancy way of spending time. They offer real health benefits and positively affect short- and long-term psychological well-being.
What to Look for in a Luxury Retreat?
With so many retreats out there, choosing the one that works for you may become an additional source of stress. So, let’s go through the main aspects to consider when booking your much-desired stay. These tips will help you find a place that matches your health needs and expectations.
Location
Luxury retreats are always organized in the most stunning places, surrounded by natural wonders. Some are strategically located away from the big cities to help detach oneself from daily worries and connect with the self and nature. Such retreats are best for those willing to achieve a soothing sense of peace and enjoy nature to the maximum.
If you can’t imagine your retreat without guided tours, architecture, culture, and authentic local cuisine, it’s best to look for wellness retreats that are located not far from major tourist destinations. For example, Palazzo Fiuggi is ideally positioned to allow the guests to explore the fantastic Italian landscapes and ancient cities without spending too much time on transportation.
Health Focus
Another thing to consider is the approach to wellness that the resort practices. There are many options that use holistic therapies that target the mind, body, spirit, emotions, and social connections. Holistic retreats offer an all-rounded experience by helping the clients renew themselves inside out.
To compare, conventional, evidence-based treatments use scientific approaches to healing. Resorts adopting this approach use innovative technology and certified doctors and psychotherapists to help your mind and body recover and reach its full potential. For example, Sensei Well-Being Retreat in Hawaii takes pride in leveraging the power of technology, science, and sustainable nutrition to elevate clients’ experiences to a new level.
Length of Stay
When it comes to rest, the longer, the better. That’s why retreats focus on providing extended stays to achieve the best results and receive mental health support. Specialized programs developed to suit your unique needs allow taking advantage of everything a retreat has to offer, from natural wonders to spas and massages.
However, even a short stay at the retreat to enjoy a digital detox and reconnect with yourself can bring spectacular results. If you simply need a getaway and want to try something new, a weekend at a retreat is just enough to improve your mental state. So, everything depends on your health needs, the problems you want to address, and the free time you can spare.
Individual vs. Group Experience
For many people, a retreat means staying one-on-one with oneself. Indeed, there is no better time to reconnect with oneself than during a wellness retreat. You can pamper your mind and body while engaging in meaningful self-reflection and self-analysis.
However, there’s nothing wrong with experiencing enlightenment together. In fact, some retreats like Golden Door in California invite guests to go through the retreat’s programming together. Consider such retreats if you are looking for a sense of fellowship and connection and need people around to remind you who you are.
Regimen
Spending thousands of dollars on a retreat is a good motivation to benefit from all services and activities provided. Personalized trainers, nutrition specialists, mentors, lifestyle coaches, and guides can make your stay event-packed and efficient.
However, if the last thing you want to do during your resort stay is have someone bossing you around, choose options will less structured regimes that you can adjust flexibly to your needs. These are best for people who associate rest with laying on the beach or relaxing in a spa rather than engaging in intensive activities requiring a lot of attention and effort.
Exceeding Expectations
The best and most luxurious retreats go beyond their guests’ expectations and help build a sound foundation for post-retreat self-care. For example, some retreats have certified dietitians and nutritional specialists that design a personalized meal plan to help you achieve your health goals. In others, you can book a session with a life-enhancement mentor who will help you sort out the clutter in your head and leave the retreat empowered to reach your full potential.
Luxury resorts can provide natural remedies against stress to amplify the results. For example, cannabidiol (CBD) extracted from the hemp plant is a natural stress reliever that can make your retreat stay even more blissful. We recommend trying CBD roll-ons, such as those listed in this link, https://askgrowers.com/cbd/cbd-topicals/cbd-roll-on, to promote a sense of calm and improve sleep.
Recreational Activities
One of the most important steps when choosing a retreat involves researching the activities and services offered to the guests. If you can’t imagine your reset without physical practices, look for retreats that provide yoga classes and personal fitness trainers. If it’s stress release and anxiety reduction that you’re after, you can benefit from various meditation and mindfulness practices.
Other activities and services you can try include the following:
- Posture correction
- Detox programs
- Gut-enrichment programs
- Mindfulness courses on coping with stress and change
- Relaxing baths with local herbs and oils
- Different types of massages
- Facials
The list is endless, so scan through the suggested activities to choose those your body yarns.
Final Remarks
In our fast-paced, always-on society, staying calm and resilient is always a challenge. It’s easy to get caught up in the chaos and forget to care for ourselves. That’s why it’s so important to take a couple of days (or weeks) from time to time to give ourselves a little emotional tune-up. And there’s nothing better than doing it somewhere away from the routine.
Tia Moskalenko is an AskGrowers writer with a passion for everything related to cannabis consumption. Tia’s particularly interested in uncovering the recreational benefits of cannabis and educating readers on its safe use. She is convinced that with the right products at hand, it’s much easier to stay focused, stress-resilient, and healthy.
