Wellness may be one of today’s hottest topics, and it’s certainly a priority for travelers seeking time and space to rest, relax and recharge. But what does a wellness retreat look like for today’s traveler?
For many, a vacation is the ultimate opportunity to focus on oneself and reconnect. A week-long retreat dedicated to personal growth, an invigorating new fitness program, a chance to explore local cultures and try new wellness practices guided by leading experts – or even a single day of detox or a good night’s sleep – can provide a much-needed fresh start, no matter the time of year.
At Four Seasons, wellness is a priority, encompassing nutrition, sleep, mindfulness and deeper emotional connections. From plant-based menus and in-room sleep enhancements to visiting wellness practitioners and hands-on connections to the natural world, guests can choose from diverse programming and ongoing experiences to focus on self-care, personal growth and well-being.
Here, the leading luxury hospitality brand offers a collection of what’s new and available for today’s wellness travelers at Four Seasons around the world:
Harnessing the Power of Nature
- The Iliahi Farm and Spa Experience introduces guests of Four Seasons Resort Hualalai to the natural healing properties of native plants and flowers used in Hawaiian medicine. A visit to a local iliahi (or sandalwood) farm immerses guests in environmentally and culturally responsible reforestation of the island, followed by the Iliahi Forest Essence treatment back at the Resort’s Spa, which includes a customized meditative sound journey and a scrub, cocoon and massage to maximize the healing benefits of the plant.
- Set on the shores of one of the world’s most renowned diving spots, Four Seasons Resort Sharm El Sheikh introduces guests to an underwater world rich in colors and teeming with marine life, including turtles, lionfish, rays and eels, plus reef systems, coral gardens and even a few intriguing shipwrecks. The on-site dive center assists divers at all levels of experience as they explore the warm waters of the house reef, or head further out to one of the area’s 76 recognized dive sites by boat.
Expert Guidance
- Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica, which recently debuted a new hilltop wellness shala, is hosting a calendar of world-renowned wellness practitioners throughout 2024 whose expertise ranges from crystal healing to hypnotherapy, acupuncture, yoga and movement.
- Gain confidence and get fit inside the ring at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, where guests learn the art of Muay Thai boxing from an experienced local coach. Basic self-defence techniques are also taught in the ring at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui.
- At the Heart of the Earth Spa at Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Vietnam, wellness programming is inspired by the teachings of renowned zen master Thich Nhat Hanh, including the daily “Goodnight Kiss to the Earth” ritual in which guests are invited to end the day to the sounds of singing bowls as they express gratitude. The spa has also just announced this year’s roster of Visiting Practitioners, hosting experts across energy healing, reflexology, cupping, acupuncture, AntiGravity yoga, sound healing, shamanic healing, and much more.
Age-Old Wisdom for a Modern World
- Learn the secrets of the traditional temazcal – or “house of heat” – at Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, and Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita. Led by a shaman, guests are guided through this ancient ritual that has been used for centuries since pre-Hispanic times in Mexico to cleanse the body of impurities and toxins and enhance one’s spiritual being through transformation.
- Traditional Thai medicine, an ancient philosophy founded on the elemental forces of Earth (Din), Water (Nam), Wind (Lom), and Fire (Fai) informs treatments and therapies at The Secret Garden Spa at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui. A team of wellness experts offers tailored experiences from astrology and palmistry to crystal and singing bowl therapy, Reiki energy healing, and more. For an added element of serenity, choose The Secret Beach Spa for an experience kissed by breezes and the rhythmic swells of the sea.
- The new Healing Tent at Four Seasons Resort Maldives at Kuda Huraa is the setting for transformational experiences that incorporate meaningful holistic practices to reduce anxiety, depression and burnout, and improve emotional regulation and self-awareness.
Self-Care Retreats
- Sensei Lanai, A Four Seasons Resort is hosting its first hiking retreat from April 29 to May 4 this year, facilitated by Sensei Guides and Adventure Park experts for an enriching program within the island’s most inspiring settings. The five-night retreat includes moderate and scenic hikes, warmup sessions with an exercise physiologist, spa and bodywork treatments, wellness classes, and even a sunset sail. The popular Unbridled Retreat for women also returns to Sensei Lanai this July, for a five-day program designed to break down inhibitions, stimulate creativity and help participants achieve sustainable well-being in the company of horses, in this intimate group experience.
- At Four Seasons Resort Seychelles, the Le Syel Spa team has created a series of customizable three or five day spa journeys designed to reboot, recharge or rescue through a combination of spa treatments, yoga and sound healing. Augment the experience with a sunrise or sunset hike up to the hilltop followed by a guided mountain mediation high above the waters of Petite Anse Bay.
- Led by resident healer Dr. Tania Bardhan and a team of wellness practitioners, the Spa at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong offers the Empower From Within program, featuring a series of one and half day mini-retreats devised to enhance vitality, induce deep sleep and relaxation, or align body and mind, plus a special two-day program designed with expectant and new mothers in mind. Additional a la carte therapies include meditation, sound healing, cranial sacral treatments, kinesiology, movement medicine and yoga.
Locally-Inspired Wellness
- Aside from being a great cook, Four Seasons Hotel Boston Executive Chef Patrice Martineau is also a marathon runner who hosts guests on a morning jog through the city’s famed neighborhoods and historic sites. The 5K route ends with participants crossing the site of the Boston Marathon’s iconic finish line. Chef Patrice has also designed a pre- and post-menu for runners to fuel up with nutritious options. This experience debuts in April 2024.
- Renowned for its mineral-rich thermal springs thanks to the ancient volcanic activity of nearby Mount St. Helena, Calistoga in the heart of California’s wine country has attracted visitors intrigued by the Indigenous practice of mud bathing since the 19th century. Now, guests of Four Seasons Resort Napa Valley can avail of its detoxifying and soothing properties through a series of indoor and outdoor mud treatments that improve circulation, soothe muscles and renew one’s complexion.
- Revitalize body and mind in K-wellness style in the extensive spa facilities at Four Seasons Hotel Seoul. Signature therapies are enhanced by time spent in the wet and dry saunas and hot and cold pools. Then, a full-body traditional scrub and a nutritious seaweed cocoon offer a gentle detox, or a warm jade stone treatment coax away aches and pains, leaving the entire body calm and ready to take on the world.
Wellness in the City
- An entire floor of Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is dedicated to wellness, with state-of-the-art accommodations combining health and well-being elements such as an air purification system that energizes light to aid in regulating circadian rhythm, water de-chlorinators, sounds machines, guided meditation modules, and in-room fitness and yoga equipment. A stay on the Wellness Floor also grants complimentary access to a private fitness suite with a treadmill, rowing machine, weights, SoulCycle bike and more. There’s also a Well Office, an innovative workspace with ergonomic furnishings and other productivity-enhancing features.
- At Folia – meaning “from the leaves” in Latin – at Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach, guests are wowed by the variety and flavors of its entirely plant-based menu served in a garden setting. It’s the perfect choice to fuel up after a workout in the Resort’s fitness centre, or to cap off an afternoon at The Pearl Spa and Wellness.
