Wellness retreats are known for their healing powers, natural treatments and settings. Some of the most well-known are in Asia. However, we have located some of the most luxurious wellness retreats in the UK, if these are too difficult to reach. There are retreats for mindfulness, fitness retreats and even primal retreats for your inner caveman (or women!). We have also looked at their long-term health benefits.
A weekend wellness retreat can be an indulgent experience for anyone. A healing retreat is a perfect option for those that need more tender loving care. Whatever your reason, you can always explore the retreats stunning setting with your partner and if you’re still wondering if a retreat is worth your time, here are some of the benefits…
What are the benefits of a retreat?
- It’s an energising place to kickstart a new health journey.
- You can learn how to create a nutritious meal plan.
- Discover which method of de-stressing works for you.
- Relaxing your mind within a natural setting enables you to be more creative.
- Negative thoughts are reduced, which aids positive energy.
- Immersion in the practice of wellness frees time to focus on your health goals.
- You can learn how to care for yourself and live healthily.
- Plunging yourself into a calming environment helps you to engage in healthier practices that can be continued after leaving.
- A wellbeing retreat full of educational and therapeutic activities, fuelled by a healthy diet can improve your blood pressure and mental health.
What can I expect at a retreat?
- A stay in a calming, natural environment away from life’s distractions.
- The chance to go off-grid and detox from digital devices
- More time to focus and discover something new about yourself.
- New activities to try in a range of workshops – from creative writing to dance.
- The freedom to relax without the pressure to do anything you do not wish.
- Personalised treatments that will aim to remedy underlying health issues.
- To make new friendships with people who also want to enhance their well-being.
- The opportunity to buy and take home luxurious spa treatments like mud masks, creams and cleansers to use again and again after your stay.
Additionally, some wellness retreats are catered for people who are recovering from certain illnesses like cancer or depression.
Wellness Retreats for Cancer survivors and patients
If you are looking for a recovery retreat to assist you with convalescence after an illness, a two-night stay at a relaxing wellbeing retreat could be ideal. Before your departure, a medical professional from the retreat (also known as a Naturopath) will call or meet with you, to discuss any changes that you need to make in order to feel much better and be on your cancer recovery journey. This discussion will ensure you are provided with a tailored break to suit your requirements. They might even be able to offer you treatments such as osteopathy, acupuncture, or a massage if they’re suitably trained.
You can also choose a therapeutic massage with aromatherapy oils (the same treatment offered at Macmillan centres). Or seek out a cave of wonders! Revitalise at a recovery retreat and visit thermal rooms, full of steam; ice showers, or herbal saunas. Complimentary fitness classes are included as well, alongside organic treatments and full access to the spa.
Where can I find a recovery retreat in the UK?
- Essex, where you can visit Britain’s oldest town.
- Edinburgh, where you can take in spectacular views of the Three Bridges.
- The historic county of Glamorgan, South Wales.
Wellness Retreats for Mindfulness
Staying at a wellness retreat provides you with a safe space to practice mindfulness techniques, which can enhance your emotional wellness. Relax in the stillness of a mansion, barn, or woodland retreat.
Usually found in natural settings, you can stay for one – five nights while improving your physical health as well, with the help of a supportive mindfulness leader. There is also the option to try a delicious meal after a gentle stroll amongst woodlands too.
Where can I find mindfulness retreats in the UK?
- North Devon, where you can visit the Valley of Rocks for beautiful sunrise photographs.
- Buckinghamshire, is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty full of chocolate-box villages.
- North Yorkshire, where you can find vast sandy beaches, moors, and rugged cliffs.
Are there wellness retreats with psychologists?
Yes. You can visit a retreat that includes focused courses, workshops, and wellbeing journeys, which are led by psychotherapists. Psychotherapy is also included at anxiety and wellness retreats for depression. Their aim is to help you resolve issues, feel more content in life, unleash your desires, make you feel good, and ensure you remain contented long after you’ve left.
Yoga Wellness Retreats
Chilling out while getting fit on holiday may appeal to quite a few people. Establish healthy eating habits that complement a morning yoga session, while you immerse yourself in a natural setting. During your yoga and fitness session, each breath you take will allow you to flow from one pose to another. Yoga is also one way to stretch out any tight muscles while providing a feeling of weightlessness and calm.
At a beachside location, combine your yoga break with surfing in the sunshine, before enjoying a bowl full of locally sourced, fibre-rich fruits and vegetables. If you continue to follow this healthy diet, in the long term, you will have more energy, prevent disease and begin to build stronger bones
Where can I find a yoga retreat in the UK?
- Northumberland, is full of unspoiled beaches and rugged moorlands.
- On the shores of South Devon, where you can spot wildlife at one of many nature reserves.
- Northern Island, home to the Giants Causeway and Causeway Coastal Route.
Healthy Eating Wellness Retreats
If you’re looking for a health-conscious fitness retreat, look no further than a primal retreat. Primal retreats aim to help us remember how we were born to eat and move the way we were designed to move when we were cavemen (and women). While there, fuel your weekend with nutritious food and a range of fun exercises, to enhance both your fitness and relationship with food. Learn about the Paleo lifestyle – also known as the caveman diet.
Due to the lack of processed foods that were not known to us thousands of years ago, this diet can improve your heart health and aid weight loss while you are still left feeling full and satisfied. In true caveman style, you even have the option to go foraging for yourself! However, this, as well as the Paleo and vegetarian meals at most retreats are optional.
After breakfast take part in a yoga session, kickboxing workout, countryside walk, or forest workout. Each forest workout includes natural movements such as balancing, jumping, throwing, and lifting. The aim is to help you reconnect with nature, while you remember the way you were born to move! You will finish feeling stronger from improving your mobility and agility. In the long term, a healthy body should aid a healthy mind.
Where can I find a Primal Retreat in the UK?
- Within one hour of central London in Cambridgeshire.
- Suffolk, where you can visit historical sites and colourful gardens
- Along the Fal River in Cornwall.
Creative Retreats for Single Travellers
While staying in a gorgeous Georgian house, taking time to focus on the right side of your brain during a solo wellness retreat will allow you to improve your mind and physical health. These are ideal settings to manage negative emotions with total privacy. Try drawing, painting, moulding objects, or writing. Writing things down also helps you learn and memorise items more efficiently, while you give your immune system a boost.
Or learn to breathe more deeply at a singing retreat. You’ll strengthen your lungs and improve your all-round health at the same time. Whatever creative pursuit you choose, you should leave in a happy mood with reduced levels of fatigue. You might also make some new friends!
Where can I find a creative retreat in the UK?
- The Isle of Wight, where Dinosaur remains and fossils can be found along Compton Bay and Yaverland Beach.
- Gloucestershire, where you can explore The Forest of Dean and The Cotswolds.
- The ancient island of Anglesey, North Wales, has 246 square miles of natural beauty.
Fitness Retreats to Revitalise
Find some time to stretch yourself physically at a luxury fitness retreat. Focus on changing something within your current lifestyle. This could be to reverse a drab diet or a lack of lust for life, or maybe you need help getting a good night’s sleep? Either way, a few days spent at a fitness retreat can help you to meet your own wellbeing goal, taking part in a variety of energising exercises followed by healthy meals, all while having fun.
Some high-intensity activities can include circuit training and boxing. Or for gentler, aerobic exercises go swimming, running, or enjoy a brisk afternoon walk. Finish the day by visiting the sauna or steam room to relax your muscles before a great night’s sleep.
Where can I find a fitness retreat in the UK?
- Kent, is a flat and cliff-lined county, known as the “Garden of England”, which is full of country pubs, castles, and cathedrals.
- Glastonbury, Somerset where you can find Glastonbury Tor, said to be King Arthur’s birthplace.
- Snowdonia, Wales. Climb to the top of Mount Snowdon and look out to see if you can spot Ireland in the distance.
Luxury Wellness Retreats for Couples
Health and wellness retreats that include thermal treatments and a visit to a mud chamber can provide some welcome luxury for couples seeking escape. They can aid vitality by using heat, humidity, light and include natural fragrances – ideal for stimulating connections between pampered partners. One of the most enriching thermal treatments is a mud bath that you can visit together. In your private chamber, apply Rasul mud to your face, body … and each other. This treatment can also include a scrub to your skin pre/post bathing.
While you relax in a steam room, the mud’s minerals penetrate and cleanse your skin, before you gently wash it away. Mud has magical health benefits that include detoxing, softening, and nourishing the skin. Afterward, aches and pains are lifted, to leave you feeling reinvigorated and vitalised. As a self-administered therapy, mudding is also the perfect option if you’re not comfortable being touched by therapists.
Where can I find Rasul mud treatments in the UK?
- The town of Lancashire with the Yorkshire Dales on its doorstep.
- Shrewsbury, Shropshire, where you can visit a medieval castle.
- Historical Herefordshire, which is full of Norman castle ruins, Tudor manors, and cathedrals.
Are Wellness Retreats covered by Insurance?
Free Spirit UK Travel Insurance can assist you if you’re going for a one-night stay or are planning to stay at a retreat for much longer. However long you stay, if you book last minute -or in advance- take out Free Spirit UK Travel Insurance. It will be a useful policy to have if you need to cancel your trip unexpectedly. For more information, read all the features and benefits.