AARP Hearing Center
7 Unique Wellness Retreats Across North America
Kick-start your physical and mental wellness at luxury resorts and other rejuvenating destinations
Unique wellness experiences provide more inspiration to travel and change how travelers reboot and recharge. Sound bowl meditation is an activity at Castle Hot Springs in Arizona.
Courtesy Castle Hot Springs
A spa day can do a body — and mind — good. There’s something about feeling pampered that offers a respite from the demands of everyday life. Massages, facials and body treatments have long been go-tos; however, unique wellness experiences around the world are providing more inspiration to travel and changing how we reboot and recharge.
According to the 2025 Tripit travel report, as Americans age, the need for relaxation ratchets up, with 77 percent of boomers surveyed stating most of their travel is geared toward relaxation. From decompressing to the rhythm of bees in California wine country to water treatments at a Hawaiian hotel and an energy exchange with horses in Mexico, here are a medley of unexpected wellness experiences that might motivate you to pack your bags and take off for a revitalizing reset.
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Step into the Bee Cottage at Carneros Resort and Spa, where the buzzing of bees creates low-frequency vibrations that may reduce stress.
Courtesy Carneros Resort and Spa
Buzzy Napa Valley
The benefits of honey are well known, but the “Get Buzzed at Carneros” immersive experience focuses on the perks of spending quality time with some prolific pollinators. Akin to a sound bath, the Bee Cottage at Carneros Resort and Spa is located in the Northern California resort’s apiary. The cabin features beehives underneath a relaxation bed (don’t worry, it’s screened for the safety of guests and the bees); the buzz creates low-frequency vibrations, from 200 to 400 hertz.
“This is within the range of human hearing and also has therapeutic effects, which allow for reduced stress in the nervous system,” says Edward Costa, managing director at Carneros Resort and Spa. “As guests are exposed to vibrations in the cottage, they can expect lowered anxiety as their cortisol levels drop, in turn promoting relaxation and overall well-being.”
Additionally, the air in the cottage is enriched with propolis, a compound bees produce, and beeswax, which may support respiratory health and boost immunity.
Castle Hot Springs, located north of Phoenix, is known for its warm mineral water.
Courtesy Castle Hot Springs
Stretching your limits in the desert
There’s a certain magic that engulfs your psyche as your body slowly lowers into the warm mineral water at Castle Hot Springs. Located an hour north of Phoenix in the Bradshaw Mountains, the resort hosted its first guests, who arrived via stagecoach, in the late 1800s. Names such as Rockefeller, Roosevelt and Kennedy grace the hotel register. While hydrotherapy put the resort on the map, no water is required for the property’s Adventure Ready Massage, a sports massage chock-full of assisted stretches.
“Biomechanical restructuring [BMR] involves specific stretches combined with movement, and it seeks to improve the muscular balance and performance of those who receive it,” says spa director Robert Stackus. “BMR can be particularly effective for anyone with chronic aches and pains or for someone who is looking for more mobility.”
The Adventure Ready Massage is customized to meet the needs of every guest. You don’t have to be an athlete or weekend warrior to reap benefits. Spa-goers should wear loose-fitting athletic clothing for the experience.
Beyond downward dog
About 63 miles north of the Arctic Circle, outside the village of Wiseman, Alaska, is the Arctic Hive, reportedly the northernmost yoga school in America. It’s owned and operated by wife-and-husband duo Mollie and Sean Busby, and in addition to yoga practice, guests can ski and snowshoe. The retreat’s backyard includes the Arctic National Park and Preserve and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, making it a superb setting for viewing the northern lights from Aug. 21 through April 21. Arctic Hive operates off the grid, offering an excellent opportunity to disconnect from the digital world. Solar panels and a generator produce all the electricity you’ll need during a stay. The property is built on stretches of underground ice known as permafrost, so there’s no plumbing, but the outhouse is private and clean, and the four cabins are warm and cozy.
Soak in a beer bath heated to about 100 degrees at Piva Beer Spa in Chicago.
Courtesy Piva Beer Spa
Sudsy retreat
Cheers to a beer lover’s dream. At Piva Beer Spa in Chicago, wellness seekers can luxuriate in a beer bath heated to about 100 degrees. Family-owned and operated, Piva Beer Spa keeps its European brew bath recipe well-guarded. It’s not 100 percent beer; in addition to a Czech pilsner, you’ll find a swirling mix of brewer’s yeast, hops and more. The boozy benefits? Enthusiasts claim soaking in a beer bath may nourish skin, add shine to hair and improve sleep habits. There’s no actual beer drinking involved in a thermal beer soak, and bathing suits are optional.
Prospective riders at Villa Santa Cruz Stables are paired with horses believed to have similar personalities.
Courtesy Villa Santa Cruz
Unwind with rescue horses
In Todos Santos, Mexico, the oceanfront boutique hotel Villa Santa Cruz does double duty as a sanctuary for rescued horses. Guests are invited to connect with the equines, learn about their past and be a part of the joy their future holds.
“Spending focused time with horses produces opportunities for energetic exchange,” says Suez Taylor, operating partner of Villa Santa Cruz Stables and founder of the nonprofit horse rescue Equus Sur.
Taylor, a former professional rider, meets with prospective riders at Villa Santa Cruz Stables and pairs them with horses she believes have similar personalities. The result is what Taylor describes as a meditative “conversation” that strengthens emotional balance and prepares riders to deal with unexpected challenges, all while exploring Baja’s striking desert trails and beaches. Riders of all experience levels are welcome.
Go with the flow
Simply stepping into one of the 10 private hales (Hawaiian for “houses”) at Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort, may provide a respite from the stress of day-to-day life, but a pair of hales takes relaxation a step further: They feature pools for aquatic bodywork treatments in which a person floats in warm water while a therapist moves their body through elements of shiatsu, massage, and stretches. (It’s similar to watsu water therapy.) With your eyes closed and your ears below the surface of the water, the world is pleasingly muted. When booking, interested guests can request floating sound bowls (also called singing bowls) be incorporated into the treatment. A swimsuit is required.
A rarity for a Hawaiian hotel, Sensei Lanai is not located on or even near the beach. Guests wishing to enjoy self-guided soaking sessions in the surf can hop aboard a free shuttle for the 20-minute drive to Hulopoʻe Beach, located in front of its sister property, the Four Seasons Resort Lanai.
At Moon Jelly Bathhouse, guests spend the day on a floating refuge made of salvaged cedar, alternating between soaks in saltwater seaweed hot tubs, ocean swims and lounging on daybeds.
Courtesy Kai Rosentzveig
Seaweed soak
Moon Jelly Bathhouse is a floating day spa anchored off the coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. After a 15-minute boat ride from Tofino to the northernmost bay of Lemmens Inlet in Clayoquot Sound, guests spend the day on a floating refuge constructed of salvaged cedar, alternating between soaks in two saltwater seaweed hot tubs, ocean swims and lounging on daybeds. (Seaweed is harvested from a nearby kelp farm.) Research on thalassotherapy, which harnesses the beneficial qualities of the sea, is limited, but proponents laud benefits including stress reduction, reduced aches and pains and improved skin. The self-led experience lasts six hours; guests are encouraged to pack a lunch. Designed to be a private day spa experience, Moon Jelly can be booked for one person or groups of up to 10.
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