Are wellness clubs the solution to life’s daily stresses? Innovators in the health and wellness field are putting their energies into exploring the option, and they have no shortage of clients willing to test the theory. At its essence, a wellness club offers a holistic approach to healing by addressing everything from mental burnout to lingering physical injuries and struggles with reaching long-term health goals. They do not provide quick fixes but rather a method for rebalancing the body to support healing and an improved lifestyle. Below, we reveal just some of the wellness experiences making waves right now.
Remedy Place
Remedy Place is a social wellness club launched in Los Angeles in 2020, and at the time, its approach was considered the first like it in the world (a New York club has also recently been opened). Founded by Jonathan Leary, M.D., the goal of the club was to help people find an internal balance by answering the body’s and mind’s needs in one facility. It’s a 360-degree approach to healing that allows members to take advantage of highly trained experts – everyone from recovery specialists to naturopathic doctors to nutritional bartenders is available. The company explains: “Much more than just treating symptoms, our approach targets and resolves issues before they arise, resulting in a better, stronger, healthier you – from the inside out.”
Right now, memberships start at approximately $500 per month, and while they are encouraged, they aren’t required. However, reservations are. The Los Angeles club offers a fantastic array of treatments and services, including cryotherapy, meditation, infrared saunas, vitamin IV drips, lymphatic drainage massage, sound baths, and much more. But what makes this wellness club genuinely unique is that members are given social group support through workshops, mixers, chats, and other activities meant to help ease the isolation that can be detrimental to a person’s well-being and growth.
CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa
While not a social wellness club in the sense that it offers memberships, CIVANA, in the awe-inspiring Sonoran Desert, follows a similar path as Remedy Place. CIVANA emphasizes human connections as it takes guests through a series of socialized classes like sunrise hikes, kayaking, Chakra Yoga, and floating sound healing. The notion of “revive to thrive” weaves throughout their spa treatments, whether it is the aqua therapy circuit (their KLAFS SANARIUM® is rumored to be the only one like it located in the continental U.S.) or any of their massage therapies. Even astrological mapping and a Meditation Labyrinth are available at this Carefree, Arizona, spa, per the experiences of Travel + Leisure’s contributing digital editor, Maya Kachroo-Levine.
The extraordinary beauty of the retreat is undeniable, and the number of classes, treatments, and services is remarkable. Still, it is their recognition of how deprivation can be damaging that makes it particularly intriguing. They offer courses like Mindful Mixology, where “your chief mixologist shows how (and why) juices, shrubs, herbs, and spirits come together to complete a unique and delicious craft cocktail.” And while many wellness retreats focus on vegan and vegetarian menus only, CIVANA’s zero deprivation approach allows for mindful eating using the best ingredients, no matter your dietary preferences.
CIVANA recently partnered with Deepak Chopra to create “an Ayurveda-centric retreat focused on holistic well-being” in Carefree. The Chopra Health Retreat is a five-day program that includes “one-on-one Ayurvedic consultations, and daily yoga and meditation,” among other experiences, according to Travel + Leisure. Why is such a holistic approach being embraced by wellness clubs and spas now? Chopra explains to the Magazine: “‘In the last few decades, wellness has changed to include not only physical, emotional, and mental well-being, but also career, social, community, and financial well-being. They are all integrated, in that all of these buckets correlate with each other. Until they are all addressed, we are missing some of the essential components of wellness.’”
Amangiri
Set amid 900 acres of Utah’s red-rock desert landscape, Amangiri has seen the change in the wellness world and has embraced it. While still offering an impressively comprehensive menu of spa services and daily activities, general manager Julien Surget confides to Travel + Leisure that wellness “‘goes beyond the walls of a spa … It’s about physical well-being, it’s about pampering, it’s about mental health and just generally taking care of oneself.’” The Magazine reports that “luxury wellness no longer leads with hot stone massages and Biologique Recherche facials. Instead, five-star resorts are creating full-blown sanctuaries where their clients can truly heal.” And although this change has been coming for decades, there is no doubt that the upheaval presented by the pandemic pushed the movement forward.
Now, outdoor experiences and movement classes are a significant part of their offerings, and Amangiri’s holistic programs “draw from other cultures” and provide “spiritual counsel.” Here, guests can enjoy connecting with nature through their luxury “Wellness at Camp Sarika” program, which offers “an extensive menu of spa therapies inspired by traditional Navajo wellness practices, as well as Aman’s Signature treatments,” according to the resort. You can take part in grounding rituals to renew your sense of self and experience Yoga in sight of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument before going to the Aman spa for a purifying massage, oxygen facial, water shiatsu, or red clay body wrap. Finish your spa experience by finding internal peace and serenity while floating in warm saltwater imported from the Dead Sea before joining friends for a special dinner at the foot of towering mesas at The Desert Lounge.
âme Spa and Wellness Collective
Martha Stewart Living has been impressed with how the shift in luxury wellness clubs, like the one at âme Spa and Wellness Collective, has embraced technology to mitigate challenges like insomnia, an all-too-common ailment associated with stress. How can technology help the sleep-deprived? The Magazine reveals: “At Gharieni Group, âme Spa and Wellness Collective’s equipment partner, [âme Power Nap] therapy utilizes computerized massage tables and movement-controlled music to facilitate deep [sleep], helping to reset poor sleep patterns.” Additionally, the Tibetan singing bowls therapy is designed to rebalance your body’s energy fields, while Fijian body butter massage “hydrates the body and calms the mind.”
At âme, they recommend that members and non-members alike book a wellness circuit that includes a stop in the aroma and music therapy steam room, as well as a stay in the Himalayan salt room. Hot salt massages are also getting more attention, as they “use negative ions to cleanse and detox the lungs, and radio frequency skin tightening, which utilizes radio waves to boost collagen production,” according to Martha Stewart Living. The fitness club offers personalized assessments to help establish goals and the best ways to achieve them. Whether you want to focus on meditation and breathing, low-impact water activities, or HIIT, the club can craft a program to address the healing requirements for over-stressed minds and evolving bodies.
Spa Montage Palmetto Bluff
The Spa Montage Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton, South Carolina, has long gotten attention for its enticing treatments and services. However, it is their commitment to wellness and desire to help guests connect with the earth, each other, and themselves that has earned it considerable praise and attention. TripSavvy remarks that its location alone makes it a terrific spot for reconnecting with nature, as “Montage Palmetto Bluff sits within a pristine nature reserve on the banks of the beautiful May River.” Guests can begin their days with outdoor Yoga and then venture on customized itineraries filled with paddle boarding, hiking, biking, and more.
Bespoke spa experiences use “the best that spa science and ancient healing wisdom can offer” with the goal of providing body balancing as part of a “comprehensive wellness journey.” From the “Wildflower Ritual” to the full-body exfoliation, hydrating body milk, and nurturing massage treatments of the “Pure Bliss” experience, therapists will respond specifically to your needs to better help you achieve a sense of peaceful stillness and rejuvenation.
Wellness Collective at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa
The Wellness Collective at Rancho Valencia in San Diego has been grabbing headlines. And for a good reason. Martha Stewart Living raves: “The Gwyneth Paltrow-approved spa at Rancho Valencia is tranquil, serene, and totally equipped to help you and your party make some serious and sustainable changes to your health and well-being….” Here, the Wellness Collective believes that guests can immerse their minds, bodies, and souls in practices that will help them achieve serenity, fitness, and overall health.
The luxury wellness club has recently been renovated and provides a variety of membership options. The Collective advises: “Every detail at our Forbes 5-Star rated Southern California spa resort is meticulously tailored to create the ultimate destination for wellness and tranquility, starting with the basics like freshly-made organic fruit and vegetable juices, to the Serenity Yoga Pavilion, Pilates studio, advanced exercise programs, and fitness sessions hosted by top-tier wellness professionals.”
From diamond lifts to LED phototherapy, skin and facial therapies abound. Manual lymph drainage is said to accelerate healing while relieving stress and improving immunity, and “The Kur” incorporates a soak, cooling body wrap, and therapeutic massage to help alleviate mental and physical pressures. But it is “The Wellbeing Ritual,” a bespoke program, that is applauded for incorporating many of the elements emblematic of this holistic wellness club. A restorative soak is followed by dry skin brushing and a body wrap to help detoxify and “remineralize” the skin. From there, “treatment culminates with a guided meditation, facial massage, and nutrient-rich balm application” in an effort to promote harmony, balance, and, hopefully, long-term wellness.
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