9 Amazing Wellness Retreats for Women – Travel + Leisure

Girls getaways may be fun, but wellness retreats for women are where fun meets transformation. Retreats designed exclusively for women and led by women can be a great way to connect with your femininity and find sisterhood within a microcommunity of like-minded people. Whatever you need, whether you want to deepen your yoga practice, learn a new skill like surfing, or pamper your body and soul with massages and mindfulness sessions in a stunning destination, there’s a women’s retreat for you.

Here are nine retreats for women that will take you all over the world, from New York’s Catskill Mountains to the jungles of Thailand and the Spanish countryside.

SwellWomen

SwellWomen hosts surfing retreats on beaches around the globe, designed to empower women by teaching them how to surf. No previous experience is necessary and everything is included in one price, from the luxury accommodations to the boards. During the retreat, the Surf Coaching Team is on hand to assist guests while integrating yoga, meditation, and massage with the daily surf lessons. Check the online calendar for upcoming retreats in destinations like Hawaii, Indonesia, and Costa Rica.

Unbridled Retreats

The woman behind Unbridled Retreats is host Devon Combs, a real-life horse whisperer who believes healing and transformation can be achieved through equine connection. Her goal is to help women take the reins and live an unbridled life — puns intended. These women-only retreats take place in various locations from Arizona and California to Hawaii, including one at the luxurious and downright dreamy Four Seasons Lanai.

Menla Retreats

Menla is only about a 2.5-hour drive north of New York City, but since it sits in a serene valley surrounded by the Catskill Mountains, it feels a world away. If your dream is to run into the Dalai Lama, or see where he spends his time when he visits the U.S., look no further. Menla offers an array of group retreats focusing on everything from Buddhism to yoga, shamanism, and even conscious dying, but there are occasional retreats just for women that focus on yoga and pilates, mindfulness, and ecstatic expression. Meals and accommodations are included.

Wilderness Scotland

Ever wondered if you would be able to make it in the wild? Wilderness Scotland is on a mission to teach their guests the outdoor skills they need and, of course, it has specialized tours just for women. Instead of getting mansplained, you’ll enjoy the scenic lochs and mountains of the Scottish Highlands while learning from experienced women and building your confidence in the outdoors. Activities range from sea kayaking to road cycling and traditional wilderness walking. For example, the Cairngorms and Central Highlands trip includes wild swimming and summiting the United Kingdom’s sixth-highest peak.

Goddess Retreats

Bali’s jungles, affordable, fresh food, and many beaches make it one of the most popular destinations for women’s retreats in the world. There are tons of options on this Indonesian island, but one of the most experienced retreat operators is Goddess Retreats, which has been hosting women in Bali since 2003. It offers a variety of packages from the standard Bali Goddess, which includes yoga treatments, spa time, and local adventures, to the Surf Goddess and Fitness Goddess, which focus on building those skills. Each seven-day retreat includes complimentary airport transfer and accommodations with luxury amenities.

Mom’z

Following on from the trend for babymoons, where expecting couples take one last trip before the baby comes, solo mom-to-be babymoons are becoming more common. Mom’z is bringing these women together for an all-women, all-pregnant Spanish retreat. Held in different destinations like Alicante, Barcelona, and Mallorca, the five-day trip includes group activities from gentle exercises to birth preparation classes and creative workshops, as well as massages and relaxation time.

GI Jane Bootcamp

If you want to kick your exercise routine into high gear, this women’s retreat can help you achieve your goals. Attracting celebrities like Michelle Keegan and Jacqueline Jossa to join their ranks, GI Jane Bootcamp runs a tight militaristic schedule of exercise circuits topped off with an ice bath and daily massage. It offers one- and two-week camps throughout the year in the U.K., but you should also check the dates for its boot camps held abroad in countries like Greece and Thailand.

Absolute Sanctuary

At this wellness center in Koh Samui, Thailand, guests can partake in a variety of programs while surrounded by landscaped gardens. The Women’s Holistic Health Program is tailored to those seeking balance and includes a fitness assessment, nutrition coaching, and unlimited access to the resort’s exercise, yoga, and meditation classes, plus other activities. Although this isn’t a group retreat, the services approach wellness from a female perspective. Guests also enjoy the complex’s modern accommodations, pool, and spa facilities.

Retreat in the Pines

For an experience in nature that may be a bit closer to home, look to Texas’s first women-only retreat center. Located two hours east of Dallas, Retreat in the Pines offers various retreats focusing on yoga, mindfulness, and healing. For something unique, consider the Book Lovers Retreat, which gives women an opportunity to cozy up around the fireplace to talk about their favorite books and spend the day reading with zero distractions. The team also offers destination retreats to scenic places like Maria Island, Florida, and Sonoma, California.

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