On Thursday’s show of The Wisdom Channel®: Bring Love to the Playground®, I talked about wellness as it relates to integration with yourself. Knowing yourself will benefit you far longer than a well-marketed spa or wellness facility. You can listen to the full episode here.
And that’s true.
What is also true is that you have free will. Finding your way may include going to the wrong places before discovering the right one within.
I have been traveling to luxury wellness hotels since 2011, although I may have visited lesser-known spiritual retreat centers even earlier.
It began with my first major burnout while living on Maui.
Because I was at my wits’ end, I searched for a hotel in a warm destination relatively close to Hawaii. I did not want to travel too far, yet I was open to going internationally.
I chose a well-established luxury hotel in Punta Mita, Mexico on the Pacific coast.
And I went alone.
A few things stood out to me on that trip. The spa was enormous, offering many treatment options. Yet the therapists did not speak much English. That was the first challenge.
The second was that they followed a strict protocol, performing the massage and facial the same way for every body and every face.
For me, hot wet towels usually burn my skin. I tried to explain in Spanglish that I did not want the towel placed on my face. She did not understand and ended up burning me.
I believe I received a refund for that treatment.
Yet something important began shifting for me during that trip.
It was the beginning of adjusting my expectations about others being able to help me.
Or heal me.
Still, I was willing to try again.
And again.
And again.
Over time I noticed something else. After COVID there was a surge in wellness communities and high-ticket promises claiming to offer the “best treatments.”
Everyone wanted to jump aboard the newest opportunity to profit from our desire for better health.
Hotels invested in the latest equipment. Medical spas became more prominent. Fitness evolved beyond the traditional gym.
People wanted quick fixes.
And many were willing to believe the marketing.
That is the part that frustrates me. Capitalizing on someone’s struggle with their mental or physical health. Taking advantage of people who are sincerely searching for support.
It did not take long for me to realize that I needed to look within, even while barely holding things together and hoping the next resort might somehow save me.
What I did gain, however, was experience.
At each place I learned something.
What I liked and what I did not.
Below are several wellness destinations that I personally recommend for those seeking supportive environments.
Recommended Wellness Hotels
Kamalaya
Personal Review HERE
Palmaïa
Personal Review HERE
Canyon Ranch
One of the originals. Review HERE
Mii Amo – Sedona, Arizona
A place where I met several teachers, including a beloved spiritual figure, Bob Bear.
Euphoria Retreat – Greece
Located in the Peloponnese Valley. It is about a three-hour drive from Athens, although you can fly into Kalamata during the summer or even take a helicopter. Euphoria offers exceptional wellness practitioners and thoughtful treatments.
Natural Support
Here are the drops I mentioned if you need respiratory support during or after the latest strain of whatever is floating in the air.
Please note: this is an Affiliate link.
https://amzn.to/4bd3XfL
The most meaningful journey we take is the one that brings us back to ourselves.