Reset, recalibrate and rejuvenate with one-of-a-kind wellness experiences in the Sunshine State. Here are just a few reasons why Florida is an incredible, under-the-radar destination to soothe your mind, body and soul.
PENSACOLA: Pensacola is the mindful Way to Beach™ for those who are looking for a mental escape and relaxing respite. With a rich culture and arts scene, miles of sugar-white sands, accommodations for every traveler type and more, it is the perfect destination to relax and unwind.
Boutique properties like Oyster Bay Boutique Hotel are the perfect accommodation for travelers looking for a soulful recharge. The boutique property hosts wellness retreats like Mama Stay, an all-inclusive two-day retreat with a private Swedish massage, a Mama Glow Facial from Deshi, Restorative Yoga with massage and sound healing, slow flow yoga, craft wine tasting and more
Guests can also treat themselves to a spa day at the Next Level Hyperbaric MedSpa, which focuses on addressing issues while improving health and wellness. This has reported a range of benefits including improved circulation, pain relief, reduced inflammation, improved mental clarity, injury repair, fighting infection and disease and anti-aging. Swan Michelle also highlights collaborative wellness in eco-rich environments for group and private healing. With holistic healing for the nervous system, PTSD and trauma awareness, her work helps elevate the mind and body through sound therapy, somatic scanning and lifestyle choices.
For those looking to get away from it all, head outdoors and soak in the sunshine while taking a nature walk or enjoying an overnight camping excursion at the Gulf Islands National Seashore. With snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, boating, fishing, wildlife viewing, biking, camping, fort tours, ranger-led programs and more, there are endless opportunities to escape the hustle and bustle of the everyday.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH: The award-winning, 30,000-square-foot spa at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club provides a haven for relaxation and rejuvenation. Allow daily stresses to melt away upon entering the sophisticated oasis, where a menu of over 100 world-class treatments and services awaits. The Spa at Ponte Vedra Inn & Club has recently introduced HydraFacials to its luxe menu of services, which provides a personalized treatment known for unlocking the skin’s natural ability to oxygenate and rejuvenate from within while delivering immediate, long-lasting results. The non-invasive facial is safe and effective for diminishing fine lines and wrinkles, improving firmness, enhancing smooth texture and providing an even radiant tone. The resort will offer the Signature HydraFacial, a 60-minute treatment including a deep cleanse, exfoliation, gentle extractions and skin hydration. In addition, guests can book the Deluxe HydraFacial, a 75-minute treatment that includes everything the signature treatment does, with an additional booster, signature neck and décolleté treatment and LED light therapy to reduce signs of aging further and ensure a natural glow to the skin. Before or after treatments, guests can enjoy health-conscious cuisine from the gourmet spa café, a private outdoor pool area for spa guests with therapy grottos and luxurious locker room amenities including a steam room, sauna and jacuzzi. Whether enjoying a personal treatment or a couples’ service, guests will leave feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.
BRADENTON: The Bradenton area is the perfect place to take a vacation and relax. Get a massage without leaving the white sand beaches with Sea-renity Beach Spa & Eco Boutique, Anna Maria Island’s only beach massage spot – they also offer sunset sessions as well! Island Yoga Space, also on Anna Maria Island, offers beachside yoga sessions along with studio sessions including Vinyasa and mediation. Sign up for a stand up paddle boarding yoga session with Salty Buddha Paddle & Yoga Co. For a more active adventure, head to Robinson Preserve for hiking and running trails. Just looking to relax by the beach? Companies like Beach Suites and Caban UP take the work out of a beach trip and provide beach set-ups for visitors.
FLORIDA SPORTS COAST: Nature is the best remedy for those wanting to disconnect from life’s stressors, and New Port Richey’s Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park offers plenty of ways to do just that, with more than 12 miles of open marked trails, seven miles of paved trails, serene sites for freshwater fishing and equestrian trails. The park also welcomes pets for visitors with furry companions.
Located in the historic and walkable downtown of New Port Richey is the Coastline Salt Room, a tranquil experience with private rooms dedicated to hydromassages, a therapeutic technique utilizing water and pressurized jets to massage muscles and other soft tissues and halo therapy, a therapeutic process that harnesses the microparticles of pharmaceutical grade salts to aid in respiratory concerns and skin conditions. Tired travelers can book a session and be immersed in warm massaging waters or enveloped in a glowing salt cave to alleviate tension and breathe easier.
The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center (“SVB Center”), a high-end athletic and wellness hub in the heart of Zephyrhills, is one of the only centers in Florida’s Sports Coast delivering cryotherapy, where guests enter a state-of-the-art chamber and are met with a combination of cooling techniques which lowers the body’s surface temperature by 30-50 degrees Fahrenheit in minutes using a form of liquid nitrogen that cools the surrounding air. Personalized IV therapy is also available to help restore the body’s natural balance using essential vitamins and minerals. The SVB Center also delivers vitamin injections, stem cell therapy, and diagnostic screenings as well as Botox, all administered by licensed medical professionals, all in one place to ensure the self-care process is as easy as possible.
MARTIN COUNTY: For those seeking a unique meditative experience, the Elliott Museum has just the trick. While the Hutchinson Island Museum is known for their impressive baseball exhibit and collection of antique automobiles and vintage boats, their new HI Mindfulness Forums program is all about wellbeing. Visitors and residents alike are invited to join one of the museum’s sound vibrational healing sessions, led by Deena Rahill. This ancient healing practice uses crystal sound bowls, rain drums and other instruments to reduce anxiety and downshift your nervous system. Surrender to the sounds while finding a rhythmic breathing pattern. In return, you’ll leave with a sense of inner peace, elevated mood, improved creativity and a deeper appreciation for the wonder of sound.
OCALA/MARION COUNTY: The newest spa to Ocala/Marion County, Calluna Spa, makes up 7,000 square feet of the luxurious Equestrian Hotel at the World Equestrian Center. You can spoil yourself with an entire day at Calluna filled with massage treatments, body wraps, facials, manicures and pedicures. With multiple package options, you will find an experience that fits perfectly. For those looking to make the day romantic, it’s highly recommended to indulge in the couple’s massage.
The Ranch Fitness Center & Spa, located in west Ocala, provides an ultimate wellness experience with a fantastic fitness program, gym, full spa and salon. The Ranch features a selection of specialized massages, facials, body wrap treatments and hair and nail services, in addition to a state-of-the-art fitness center.
Right around the corner from The Ranch is the beautiful Sholom Park, where everyone is welcome to enjoy a free yoga session in the park every Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. Relax your body, unwind in the outdoors and let go of stress on the sprawling grass and under the shade of enchanted oaks. Bring your mat and water and save some time to explore the stunning park afterward. Sholom Park features more than 100 species of Florida flora and fauna, two miles of trails, ponds, a labyrinth, gardens and so much more.
THE PALM BEACHES: Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa is one of only two Forbes five-star resorts in Palm Beach and eight in Florida, this glamorous 42,000-square-foot wonderland invites you to leave your worries behind and treat yourself to playful relaxation. While existing features include a large-scale candle-lit Wishing Well, free-flowing champagne and cupcakes, and 19 customizable treatment rooms to name a few, Eau Spa is excited to be Florida’s exclusive provider of the OXYGENEO™ 3-IN-1 SUPERFACIAL™ – a ground-breaking treatment developed using vegan, natural ingredients that oxygenate and nourish the skin to revive natural glow and youthfulness. With unparalleled efficiency and superior results, just one session of OXYGENEO facial or body treatments will leave the skin looking younger, healthier and brighter immediately with zero downtime. With three primary steps to beautify the skin — exfoliation, oxygenation and infusion — guests can select from five facial treatments, each created for different skin types and address specific issues, from those who have oily skin and are prone to breakouts, dull and uneven skin tone, frequent skin irritation and dry skin, sun damaged skin, aging skin and more.
AMELIA ISLAND: The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Amelia Island offers individuals and couples personalized wellness retreats. Each retreat is a distinctive expression of the individual and designed around specific goals and lifestyles, including muscle pain, anxiety, tension and negative emotions. Personalized wellness retreats begin at $800 USD for a half-day and include a 2.5 hour guided yoga nidra meditation and yogic stretches, healthy lunch and a $250 USD spa credit. The session ends with a discussion on how to extend treatment at home. Full-day sessions are also offered. The Wellness Retreat is led by the resort’s Mindful Meditation experts, Liam and Radha Gillen, who also teach at The Amrit Institute in Silver Springs, Fla.
FLORIDA’S ADVENTURE COAST: Wellness through attention to body, mind and spirit is the aim for guests at WellCome Om Holistic Wellness Center, a unique and recent addition to lifestyle education on Florida’s Adventure Coast, Brooksville-Weeki Wachee. The goal at the center is to embrace and educate others, individually and collectively in harmony for the attainment and sustenance of health, peace and fulfillment in life. Located in Spring Hill, Wellcome OM offers a variety of services from meditation, nutritional counseling, massage therapy, wellness coaching, salt room therapy and much more. The campus features a 5,000 square foot AuratoriOM which hosts educational classes and entertainment, a Wellness Center with a conscious market selling natural products, as well as Demonstration Kitchen with a healthy, whole foods café projected to open in 2023. Not only adults but children will also have opportunities to explore, learn and play at the center with hands-on ability and free space to move; guests of all ages can enjoy a nature trail and an organic community garden.
ORLANDO: Achieve nirvana by way of relaxing treatments, stress-melting massages and other luxurious services at some of the best spas in Orlando. In Orlando’s International Drive area, The Ritz-Carlton Spa at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, doesn’t just craft its own treatments — this pampering palace does so using herbs grown in the resort’s onsite organic garden. And Florida’s first-ever Beer Spa serves up frosty mugs of local brews to guests as they unwind in the spa’s signature beer soak hot tubs filled with beer’s main ingredients — water, hops, malt and brewer’s yeast. The hot water relaxes tight muscles, while the other components help purify the skin, lock in moisture, and reduce stress.
Inspired by the Florida Everglades, The Spa at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World® Resort offers advanced aesthetic services, beautiful body therapies and tailored fitness programs. Walt Disney World® Resort full-service spas – owned and operated by Disney – are located at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. As the name implies, services here are designed to delight all senses, including treatment rooms and relaxation areas filled with soothing color and sound. And in Downtown Orlando, the Poseidon Spa at Grand Bohemian Hotel Orlando offers customized services with treatments that begin with the sublime healing power of water, as it’s easy to lose yourself in the ensuing sea of tranquility.
The Sunshine State offers visitors an assortment of unparalleled culinary options. To learn more and plan your next trip, visit www.VISITFLORIDA.com.
