The dawn of a new year is a time for reinventing yourself by letting go of the habits, relationships and priorities that just aren’t working for you anymore. It’s a time for redefining your life by what makes you happy and healthy.
Most of us are able to accomplish this with some self-reflection and the right wellness activities and classes. How much easier, though, would it be to reset if you removed yourself from your daily routine to a luxurious yet challenging hideout to focus on you, either by yourself or with a couple of choice friends?
Here are a few of the most lavish, distinctive and high-end retreats for an unbeatable New Year’s wellness journey.
The Ranch, Malibu, California
This is for those looking for a knockout, boot-camp experience. Its stunning setting on the Pacific doubtlessly is what keeps many of its guests going through a nonstop, “no-options” regimen that includes a 1,400-calorie, nutrient-dense vegan diet and a daily 4-hour hike through the 200-acre property in the Santa Monica Mountains.
Focused on weight loss, muscle gain, mental clarity and establishing sustainable healthy habits, the core 7-day program includes fitness classes, massage, yoga, a cooking demonstration, wellness discussions and diagnostic testing. Its 19 restful cottages are beautifully decorated and TV-free.
Blackberry Mountain, Walland, Tennessee
Expanding on the legacy of the Blackberry Farm hotel’s presence in the Great Smoky Mountains, this smaller retreat infuses wellness into every stay with culinary and outdoor adventures and stellar hospitality. Accommodations include multi-bedroom homes, cabins and even a few treehouses!
It comes with an extensive list of optional adventures and services: Restorative facials? Check. Yoga in the forest? Check. A nervous system reset? Cardio barre class? Got ‘em. Three restaurants serve a huge variety of healthy, seasonal fare based on local and foraged ingredients.
Miraval Austin, Austin, Texas
This property in the hills overlooking Lake Travis encourages guests to craft a personalized “journey with intention” based on one specific need or however many they want to fulfill during their stay. Potential paths with suggested itineraries focus on fitness, mental well-being, leadership skills, outdoor adventures, spa experiences and more.
All rooms offer quintessential Miraval amenities such as in-room meditation channels, a meditation cushion and Tibetan singing bowl, “cloud-like” bedding and filtered water. Culinary experiences revolve around its onsite Cypress Creek Farm with its organic produce and eggs, herbs and introductory classes in chicken keeping and beekeeping.
Sensei Lanai, a Four Seasons Resort, Lanai City, Hawaii
This luxury wellness enclave is set back from the beach in the mountains of the already-secluded island of Lanai, engendering true relaxation at a resort with customized data-based wellness consultations, mindset counseling, spa treatments, fitness classes and exciting on-island adventures. All accommodations are suffused with natural light and outfitted with Dyson hair dryers and top-tier toiletries.
Its wellness journeys are based on the Sensei Way philosophy and offers 120-minute spa experiences, private spa treatments in a secluded hale, an 18-hole golf course, horseback riding, snorkeling and an adventure park with rope challenges, zip lines and more. All food is by global luxury sushi giant Nobu.
