Best Wellness Retreats Around The US

A vacation doesn't have to be all about indulging, although it should be about letting go of stress, escaping the daily grind and going back home revitalized. The following US wellness retreats make nutrition and fitness fun, and can help jumpstart a healthy lifestyle you can keep up with back home.

Cal-a-Vie Health Spa (Vista, California)

Cal-a-Vie is a destination health spa done in a French Provencal-style, with an array of opportunities to get active in the outdoors, rejuvenate in the spa and eat healthy cuisine. Go for a hike through local vineyards and citrus groves, play a round of golf on the 18-hole Ted Robinson-designed course, or take one of over 150 fitness classes like Zumba Toning, Water Volleyball and Core Pole Pilates. The onsite spa offers both typical and atypical treatments, like a soothing hot stone facial, teeth whitening, a detoxifying heated mud massage and a Moroccan incense body ritual. Curating the delicious seed-to-plate menu is a culinary gardener and beekeeper, chef, dietician, and food and beverage designer. Guests book an all-inclusive plan, which even features round-trip airport transfers, cooking demonstrations, nutritional lectures and daily scheduled filled with healthy activities.

Emerson Resort & Spa (The Catskills, New York)

An easy weekend retreat from NYC and top East Coast getaway, the Emerson Resort & Spa sits in the Catskills, a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. The property itself makes a great base for those who want to explore the local hiking, climbing, cycling and skiing options while also coming back to a place of wellness. Their spa incorporates both Western body treatments and Indian Ayurvedic rituals, although therapists are happy to create bespoke therapies. Their Indian Head Massage is pretty spectacular, with essential oils spread onto the scalp, neck and shoulders while pressure points are massaged to send you into a deep meditation. The best way to experience Emerson Resort & Spa is through their wellness package, which includes:

• 3-night stay mid-week
• $200 spa credit
• 1-hour nutrition class
• 1-hour fitness training
• Choice between three electives from a menu of indoor and outdoor fitness options
• Unlimited access to the spa facilities to use the sauna, steam room, outdoor Jacuzzi and fitness center
• An individual assessment and take-home tips from a health and fitness professional
• 3-meals per day

Ten Thousand Waves (Santa Fe, New Mexico)

For those interested in a healthy Japanese lifestyle - funny enough, in New Mexico - Ten Thousand Waves has been welcoming guests to experience their Japanese aesthetics, treatments, bathhouse and hot tubs since 1981, growing over the years. The hot water bathing is the main focus, offering a release for the stress of daily life. Complementing this are rituals like a detoxifying herbal wrap, a Yasuragi head and neck treatment with warm camellia oil massaged into the scalp, and sea salt exfoliation with warm oil massage. Enhancements include complimentary Buddha chocolates at turn down, a free healthy breakfast of Japanese teas, fresh fruits, organic coffees and granolas, and rice and low fat milks, and Japanese-style rooms with tatami mats, Sachi Organics beds, private courtyards and lots of wood accents. The ultimate experience can be had in their Private Spa Suites, with baths, saunas and cooling bed inside. Their onsite restaurant serves delicious Japanese bites in a farm-to-table style to complete your wellness retreat.

Hilton Head Health (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina)

Nutrition and fitness - as well as nurturing - are the focus at Hilton Head Health, a perfect option for those who want an effective wellness retreat on a budget located right on beautiful Hilton Head Island. Guests can choose between two tracks. The first is a Live Well Program focused on crafting a healthier lifestyle for yourself through nutrition programs, education, exercise classes like Zumba Latin Dance, Yoga Sculpt and Cardio Boxing, and fitness adventures taking you around the island, like sunrise beach walks and local kayaking and cycling excursions. The Lose Well Program, on the other hand, is a concentrated weight loss program that assigns you a coach for a customized plan. An onsite spa heightens the experience, as does innovative Mediterranean cuisine (chocolate hummus, anyone?).

Have you ever gone an a wellness retreat?

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