Wellness and Beauty Retreats

Travel opportunities that put self-improvement at the forefront -- think learning a new skill, pushing your physical limits or focusing on strengthening your emotional wellbeing -- span a range of interests and destinations. And while most wellness and renewal retreats incorporate some form of physical pampering into the equation, the true concept of a wellness vacation requires more than ticking a quick massage off your to-do list. Wellness retreats are rarely easy on the wallet, but no matter where you travel and what you do, seeing the planet and improving your inner and outer self along the way is a worthwhile investment.

Travaasa Experiential Resort

At Austin's Travaasa Experiential Resort, with beautiful views of Lake Travis, it’s worth going beyond the admittedly excellent spa treatments (detoxifying juniper and olive stone massage, anyone?) to sample the resort’s other offerings. Choose from culinary classes, where you’ll learn the ins and outs of juicing for better health, learn how to create an inspiring vision board as a tool for cultivating happiness and push your adventurous limits with an equine class or cruise down a zip line at the resort’s Prickly Pear Challenge Course -- a series of rope ladders, balance beams and wall climbs that culminate in a thrilling 250-foot-long zip-line ride over the treetops.

Swellwomen Surf and Yoga Vacations

It’s been said the saltwater -- sweat, tears and the sea -- is the cure for anything. Let the healing properties of the Pacific Ocean (and the stoke of riding a wave!) soothe your soul during six-night surf and yoga retreats with SwellWomen.

Your base during the program is the Montage Kalupa Bay on the island of Maui. A typical day consists of early morning surfing lessons right in front of the hotel, followed by six hours of free time. Spend your day doing things like standup paddleboarding, traditional Hawaiian lomilomi massages at the hotel’s spa, yoga on a grassy lawn near the ocean or just lounging poolside at the hotel’s free-form lagoon pool overlooking the ocean.

Yoga and Eco-Wellness Tours

There's no lack of quiet, soul-stirring places in this beautiful nation situated between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, making Costa Rica a major destination for wellness tours. Lux World Travel, a tour agent based in Rochester, N.Y., offers customizable wellness retreats for women and men that mix yoga classes and meditation with eco-minded discovery outings. 

Seven-night packages include lodging in private bungalows, daily yoga and meditation classes, eco tours, surfing classes and options for adding things like jungle tours and horseback riding to the itinerary. For additional fees, you can enhance the wellness aspect of your trip with many different therapies that may include energy-balancing with Tibetan singing bowls, volcanic clay detoxification therapy or consultations with a nutritionist about how to make positive diet changes and incorporate herbal remedies into your personal health plan.

Three-Day Weight Loss Package at Four Seasons Hotel

About 40 minutes west of Los Angeles International Airport, the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village’s garden-fringed locale is a deceivingly serene setting for an intense three-day fitness program. The program is an abbreviated (read: more realistic) version of a renowned offering at Ranch at Live Oak in Malibu.

Each day, you’ll learn skills to make lasting on-going lifestyle changes that encourage weight loss and holistic, healthy routines. Included in your stay are chef-catered meals that focus on organic garden-grown food and a Wellness Kitchen Cookbook to help you keep up your fitness journey at home.

The Spa at the Grove Park Inn

There’s a reason this indoor/outdoor spa set on the property of a circa-1913 hotel in the mountains of Asheville is consistently ranked among the country’s best spas. A true bastion of wellness, the 43,000-square-foot subterranean escape (the spa was built underground, with skylights to bring sunlight streaming in) takes you on a walk through rock archways and past waterfalls to soak in one of 10 chlorine-free mineral pools or breathe eucalyptus-infused steam in a special inhalation room.

Let the aromas clear your lungs and the minerals soften your skin and ease joint and muscle pain as you move from pool to pool. Day passes are available for non-hotel guests, although spots fill up quickly. Stone and hot towel massages in an outdoor pagoda with Blue Ridge Mountain views are worth the splurge. Can't you just feel the good health vibes and inner glow already?