Reboot Your Mental Health With These Holistic Retreats

Americans seek an escape more now than ever, which is paving the way for deeper, more meaningful offerings and travel amenities to support mental health —beyond the spa —as travel ramps back up this summer. Traveling has the ability to take you out of our daily routine and into new surroundings and experiences which can reset your body and mind, according to Travelex. Even planning a trip can have a fantastic effect on the body – it boosts happiness and feels rewarding. Not only does travel reduce stress but it expands the mind. Meeting new people and adapting to new situations makes one more globally and culturally aware. This keeps the mind sharp, increases creativity and helps personal growth. The following destinations can help travelers reboot their mental health by offering an array of holistic activities.

Montage Palmetto Bluff’s inaugural Well Living Weekend will feature renowned speakers, healers and practitioners, including: Deepak Chopra; Ryan Engelhart, founder of plant-based restaurants Café Gratitude and Gracias Madre; Dr. John Amaral; Sarah Frick, founder of The Works Method; and more. From July 23-25, the beloved Southern resort’s three-day wellness retreat will bring guests an array of workshops, motivational panels and discussions focused exclusively on wellbeing in every form – body, mind and soul – and designed to enhance and inspire the pursuit of health, balance, mindfulness and connectivity. Highlights of the weekend include a keynote talk on the nature of reality with Deepak Chopra, followed by an intimate social hour and book signing; group sound bath and meditation led by Tanya Colucci and Holly Ramey; a hands-on art therapy experience with Amanda Norman and more. The full itinerary can be found here.

Margaritaville Vacation Clubs is tapping into its musical roots and will be the first travel brand to venture into burgeoning field of music therapy. The vacation club is embracing a laid-back musical lifestyle by partnering with music therapist, Noel Anderson, to offer private, customized sessions. Using sound therapy, song-writing and instruments, guests can process emotions and release the accumulated pandemic-induced stress to get back into the ‘vacation’ state of mind before, during and after their trip. Research says music therapy can support physical and psychological healing, ease travel anxiety and help positively affect mood and emotional states by releasing feel good neurochemicals like dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin.

Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa, located in the quiet hills of the Champagne wine region is introducing a supplement line to support slipping into a deep trance and better night’s sleep in partnership with cult-favorite beauty brand AIME. The hotel will offer Ayurvedic herbs such as Ashwagandha and melatonin, plus a meditation box, luxurious linens and a bedtime menu to clear the mind and support a restful sleep.

Contiki brings the ancient Indian healing science of Ayurveda to 18-35 year-old travelers with a new tour launching in October in Sri Lanka. The trip will explore the tropical coastal towns of Ahungalla and Colombo, while introducing travelers to an Ayurvedic doctor to learn the practice of local indigenous medicine ‘Hela Veda’ to address their physical and mental stress. Travelers will also learning the art of Ayurvedic cooking that dates back to 5,000 years ago to bring home with them.

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts recently launched a new wellness program “Journey to Resilience,” which is designed to enhance one’s ability to recover from and adapt easily to change. With a strong focus on positivism, purpose, resourcefulness and compassion, each retreat at the 14 participating Rosewood properties will incorporate practices reflective of local wellness traditions and natural surroundings, for guests to heal and re-balance overall well-being.

The Lodge at Woodloch, a Pocono Mountain destination spa now celebrating its 15^th anniversary, offers a wide array of holistic activities for discerning guests. Enjoy luxury accommodations, artfully-crafted gourmet meals, over 35 classes & activities per day and 500 acres of room to roam. The Lodge has partnered with Mike Bruggeman to launch his newest skincare line, haia wellness, as a feature product line in skincare spa treatments (facials). Nature meets sustainable biotech beauty in haia- aka: Happy As I Am, a 360-degree skin wellness brand that celebrates inclusion and individual-expression. haia scientifically supports skin and people of diverse colors, ethnicities, conditions, outward appearances, body types and gender identities. The products are divided into four different color-coded collections, with cleansers, toners, serums, and moisturizers, each with its own carefully selected affirmation to support emotional and spiritual well-being.

Untold Story Travel creates over-the-top personalized itineraries that weave in local storytellers and behind-the-scenes access. New for this year, they are offering a “Breathe Deep – On the Island of Wellness” itinerary which takes travelers on a journey to restoration on the famed island of Losinj in Croatia. Renowned for its pure air and clean seas, the island is blessed with a unique blend of natural sea aerosols, an abundance of medicinal plant life and bountiful essential oils. Travelers will reset with a curated program of healing therapies and treatments, enjoy a forest therapy experience, meet an island ‘plant whisperer’ and more, all catering to those needing some extra self love after a stressful year.

Muluk Spa at Hotel Xcaret, Riviera Maya, Mexico, offers an exotic escape and journey of wellness for today’s travelers. The Mayan Journey infuses local products such as honey, cacao, cinnamon and clay into soothing facials and body treatments for the ultimate authentic experience, while the Sensorial Journey offers healing and cosmetic benefits from the mud room and flotarium based on ancestral techniques. The Ayurvedic Journey is derived from the thousand-year-old wisdom of India, which approaches health from an integrated and personalized point of view. The ayurvedic massage is a stand-out experience of this journey, which seeks to balance the brain hemispheres through synchronized movements. The Contemporary Journey utilizes the latest in technology to improve aesthetic care through non-invasive treatments for the face and body.