Has it been getting harder to ignore the restlessness and agitation inside you or to sleep away the aching exhaustion that is eroding your energy and confidence day after day? Those healing retreats you’ve seen online or in magazines sound awfully good right now. You could use a break, but you want to do more than sleep or spend hours in a spa soaking in mud and drinking cucumber water. Or maybe that’s exactly what you need. But if you go on one of these retreats for women, no matter what kind, you want to come away from it feeling renewed. Yes, you’ll finally have the chance to sleep, but you’ll also learn something new about yourself for your personal growth and to make the most of the life you have. If you need a reason to go on a women’s retreat, here are a few of the most common: Whatever your reasons, if you could use some time alone, time with your sister or mom or with a group of your best girlfriends, consider one of the options in this article.
How to Choose the Best Women’s Retreat
Before you decide to make some phone calls, do yourself a favor and make a list of exactly what you hope to experience at a women’s meditation retreat or another kind of retreat — and what features are going to be most important to you. Here are a few ideas to get you started: s Don’t just settle on a retreat that’s closest to home or the most affordable. Look for one that meets at least one of your most critical needs or your strongest desires. Otherwise, why bother?
13 of the Best Women’s Retreats for Self-Love and Wellness
Whether you’re looking through this list wondering, “What are the best women’s retreats near me,” or “How far away can I get from this place,” you’ll find something here that will make this year your most transformative year yet.
1. Big Sky Yoga Retreats
Locations: California, Montana, Costa Rica, Italy, and Argentina Whether you’re a beginner with yoga or you’re looking to deepen your practice, Big Sky has luxury yoga retreats for women in Montana, as well as in more exotic locales like Patagonia, the French Alps, and Tuscany (among others). Enjoy the wide open spaces, fresh air, exercise, and camaraderie, while you strengthen your mind-body connection and fall deeper in love with nature. Hiking is also part of many of the women’s retreats held around the world, while yoga is at the center of it all.
2. Women’s Quest Adventures for Mind, Body, and Spirit
Locations: Costa Rica, Argentina, Peru, Iceland, Hawaii, Colorado, Washington, etc. Choose one of the breathtaking locations as a backdrop and prepare yourself for an adventure that blends outdoor activities with mindful practices. Enjoy daily yoga and the program’s own Heart’s Desire process to help you discover what you truly want to do. Created by women for women, these retreats are all about personal growth, transformation, and having fun.
3. New Life Hiking Spa
Location: Vermont 2020 Season Dates: May 16 — September 30 An award-winning and nationally recognized destination spa and wellness retreat, New Life provides a variety of hiking options as well as healthy cuisine and spa treatments for singles, couples, and groups. Situated in Vermont, it’s one of the oldest and most established spa programs of its kind — focusing on wellness, rejuvenation, and weight loss.
4. Sunrise Springs Spa Resort
Location: New Mexico Set on 70 acres fed by natural springs, this Santa Fe resort lets you decide what to focus on — from pure relaxation and pampering to adventure and self-discovery. Meander through the gardens or down walking paths, take one of their wellness classes, or indulge in a deeply relaxing spa treatment. Enjoy the farm-to-table cuisine and learn about ancient wisdom and healing traditions. You can even meet with a spiritual guide, try a hypnotherapy session, or learn how to identify your spirit animal.
5. The Golden Door
Location: California Check out the #1 destination spa in the world — visited and recommended by celebrities as well as a variety of people who came expecting luxury spa treatment and some challenging exercise and who found more than they dared expect. You’ll have a chance to work on personal issues with caring experts, to detoxify emotionally, spiritually and physically, and to experience compassion, forgiveness, and peace.
6. Hawaii Island Retreat
Location: Hawaii This eco-boutique wellness spa on the island of Hawaii is situated right on the legendary North Kohala Coast, with acres of gardens and wild groves to walk through, as well as valley trails. 29 Things To Do By Yourself To Relax And Recharge The Proof Is In: 101 Things That Are Guaranteed to Make You Smile 25 Personal Development Goals That Unlock Massive Growth The retreat runs on sustainable energy and grows organic fruits, vegetables, and eggs. Meals are prepared daily by their executive chef, Moe, who caters to each diner’s specific dietary needs. Each room is equipped with organic bamboo robes and other organic self-care products, as well as other thoughtful surprises.
7. Springwater Center
Location: New York If you’re looking for a silent retreat that serves only vegetarian fare, and that is situated in the beautiful Finger Lakes area of western New York, consider Springwater Center. The only requirements are that you participate in the silence and do your assigned job. The food is all communally prepared, and aside from the silent times and the hour-long work period, you have the rest of the day to enjoy secluded trails, outdoor lawn spaces, or one of the many comfortable indoor spaces for meditation — alone or with others.
8. Lake Austin Spa Resort
Location: Texas A premier wellness retreat 30 minutes from downtown Austin, this spa resort offers fitness classes, nature trails, spa and facial treatments (including massage), cooking classes, and astrologer-guided stargazing sessions. The majority of those who come here are women — many in groups with family or friends — and room rates include all meals, including an afternoon snack. The food and spa treatments use produce and herbs from the resort’s own gardens.
9. The Art of Living Retreat Center
Location: North Carolina (Western) Set high up in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this sanctuary provides a variety of retreat experiences and America’s #1 Ayurvedic Spa for deep relaxation and healing. Wholesome and flavorful vegetarian dishes are served buffet style three times a day, and you have a varied menu of activities to choose from for exercise, education, or relaxation.
10. Copperhood Retreat and Spa
Location: New York (Catskills) Nestled in the Catskill Mountains, a two-hour’s drive from New York City, this award-winning retreat spa offers personalized plans for weight loss, detox juice fasting, raw food diets, and fitness conditioning — as well as stress relief. Come to renew your commitment to fitness and health and enjoy the spa services and the gourmet, organic, farm-to-table meals.
11. Goddess Retreats
Location: Bali, Indonesia The Goddess Retreats in Bali are perfect for solo female travelers, mothers and their daughters, and groups of friends. Come here expecting to learn more about your nature and unique potential while you refresh, renew, and express yourself. Each seven-day retreat has restorative yoga sessions, rejuvenating spa treatments, and a holistic health and wellness program. Choose from one of their signature Goddess retreats: Bali, Yoga, Surf, Fit, and Snow. Enjoy healthy, organic meals while you enjoy the lush, exotic world outside your door.
12. Spirit Weavers Gathering
Location: Southern Oregon According to the website, the five-day Spirit Weavers Retreat is about cultures past and present, the feminine heart, and the remembrance and practice of basic human skills. The goal is a renewed connection with your soul through exercises that restore your connection with the earth, including ceremonial magic, yoga, river swims, and communal meals. The goal is also to help you transform your life beyond the retreat into one lived in balance and harmony with nature. The retreat is open to all women, trans or cis.
13. Sedona Soul Adventures
Location: Arizona Sedona Soul custom-designs each of their women’s retreats to meet your specific personal needs, timing, and budget. You can also choose between one of their most popular retreat themes to get started. Talk to one of their Angel Guides about where you are right now. Based on that conversation, this counselor will design a series of retreat experiences designed to meet your deepest spiritual needs. If you’re looking for an adventure involving travel outside the USA, click on Sacred Travel and look nto a Sedona Soul Adventure retreat in Egypt or Peru.
BONUS. Write Around the World Retreats
Location: France, Lake Tahoe, etc. Write that book in a magical villa north of Paris. Or choose Lake Tahoe for your scenic backdrop. We know you could probably write just about anywhere if you had to, but why not start something new with your next writing project? Combine writing with traveling to inspire you in ways you might not experience if you wrote in the same place as before. The coordinators for these writing retreats also offer customizable writing retreats for those who want to choose their own dates and who’d prefer a Greek island, a French castle, or another idyllic location. Ready for your next women’s retreat? Now that you know some great options for women’s retreats and what they offer, what features and locations appeal to you most right now? Which ones made you feel more relaxed as you read about them? Or which excited you more? Listen to your gut on this one; it knows more than your conscious, reasoning mind has access to. Listen to them both as you examine your favorites and choose where you’ll spend your first women’s retreat. BestAmericanRetreats.com provides links to and information on a variety of relaxation retreats in the U.S. — including those specifically for women. And BookRetreats.com links to 194 of the best women’s retreats around the world. Whether you stay within a specific radius of your home or fly off to a different country, your retreat should offer something you can’t get at home. Only you can then decide, after enjoying your retreat, whether the same place would also be a great couple’s destination or an ideal vacation spot for the important ladies in your life. If you’re traveling outside your borders, though, make sure the political climate doesn’t make your chosen venue dangerous to U.S. citizens — and to women in particular. You want this to be an experience you’ll not only survive but thoroughly enjoy. Otherwise, may your curiosity and sense of adventure influence your choice and everything else you do today.
