Wellness travel isn’t something we indulge in once a year anymore. Since the pandemic, it has emerged as a year-round trend and fast growing $1 trillion industry, per the Global Wellness Institute, which also reports that wellness trips now account for almost 8% of all vacation bookings. As wellness becomes increasingly integral to travel experiences, hotels and resorts are rising to meet the demand with specialized programs and partnerships that cater to guests’ well-being, from prioritizing self-care with mindful practices like meditation to providing at-home wellness tools to elevate health and beauty rituals or speed up the recovery time from after a day on the slopes or challenging fitness session.
One of the breakout wellness trends of the last two years though has been a simple one: getting a good night’s rest. Below, among other seasonal experiences and just-launched partnerships, is the chance to spend a night of luxury in Los Angeles with Swedish bed manufacturer Hästens and a hypnosis-backed sleep wellness session in Central California wine country.
Nobu Ryokan Malibu
In response to one of the biggest wellness trends influencing travel in 2024 (see: longevity, and the concept of living a healthier and longer life), Nobu Ryokan Malibu has partnered with leading wellness technology brand HigherDOSE to make supercharged self-care and beauty biohacking more accessible within its Ryokan suite experience. Guests at Malibu’s most exclusive stay can now continue wellbeing practices as they travel by requesting to use HigherDOSE portable devices during their visit: the Infrared PEMF Mat, which reduces stress, increases energy and eases sore muscles, and the Infrared Sauna Blanket to enhance muscle recovery, improve circulation and promote a deeper state of rest.
Beyond guest accommodations, the Ryokan has also introduced the Nobu Wellness Package that includes a 90-minute Revitalize at the Ryokan massage, take-home HigherDOSE bath salts and a Slip Eye Mask, plus a wellness sleep turndown amenity, and breakfast in its nightly rate.
El Encanto, a Belmond Hotel
Nestled in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains, serene hideaway El Encanto, A Belmond Hotel is hosting the “Harmony of The Senses” Wellness Week in partnership with holistic experts PALMA Colectiva. Designed to honor El Encanto’s sensorial gardens and connection to nature, a series of sensory-inspired wellness experiences will be presented on Tuesday, April 2, and Thursday, April 4, including restorative redlight yoga with El Encanto yoga specialist Ray Dietrich and a Peruvian cacao ceremony with Meredith Markworth-Pollack and Daniel Pozas of PALMA Colectiva.
Backdropped by American Riviera views and surrounded by seven acres of beautiful gardens, additional wellness week programming includes an Elemental Soundscapes Meditation soundtracked by Himalayan singing bowls, bells, flutes and drums, and a Botanical Culinary Celebration with cookbook author Loria Stern. Outside of Wellness Week, guests can explore Downtown Santa Barbara on the hotel’s complimentary electric bikes, lounge by the zero-edge infinity pool, or dig into a book on their private balconies or terraces found across the 92 cottages and suites.
The Peninsula Beverly Hills
March might have been International Sleep and Wellness Month, but The Peninsula Sleep Spa Suite Package at classic French château-style hotel The Peninsula Beverly Hills will run until May 1. Designed in partnership with renowned Swedish bed manufacturer Hästens to introduce an unparalleled sleep and wellness experience to discerning travelers, the package is priced from $8,750 and includes a bottle of Laurent Perrier Blanc de Blanc Champagne upon arrival, followed by a five-course plant-based menu served in-room or at European brassiere The Belvedere.
Most importantly, the package also provides the chance to experience catching some well needed Zs on the Hästens signature 2000T King Sleep System mattress (price tag: $76,180) in the hotel’s Peninsula Suite, complete with a chauffeured Rolls Royce to the property and a private sleep spa consultation at the Hästens Flagship Los Angeles store. Hästens Sleep accessories are included, too – aromatherapy lavender sachets, Hästens down boots and a Hästens catalog. Guests who purchase the package will also receive a Dream Bar amenity from The Peninsula Spa.
Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach
As March was to sleep, so is April to Stress or more specifically Stress Awareness Month and the ever-so-relaxing Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club in Dana Point has much to offer when it comes to feel-good activities and amenities. Its newly renovated open-air Athletic Club features the latest equipment and complimentary access to more than 40 signature fitness classes, beach yoga, and coastal running routes, but for full mind-body wellness experiences, the palatial 30,000-square-foot Waldorf Astoria Spa has a wide-ranging treatment menu that spans CBD-infused massages and a healing cocoon body wrap to facials using products by coveted skincare brands like 111SKIN and Biologique Recherché.
If the Private Beach Club doesn’t appeal, three swimming pools, complete with infinity-edge spas, daybeds, and private cabanas, make it easy for guests to find their happy place and margaritas from the poolside cantina.
Carmel Valley Ranch
Tucked in the foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains, luxury retreat Carmel Valley Ranch is set over nearly 500 acres of rolling California countryside. A championship golf course, hiking trails, learning about the life of bees and honey-making at the onsite apiary, or just enjoying downtime beside the pool are all major draws here but with an ethos rooted in the earth’s healing powers Spa Aiyana also has an allure of its own.
Inspired by the passing seasons, treatments often incorporate florals, herbs, and botanicals that dot the local landscape but there’s a focus on sleep health too thanks to in-house hypnotherapist Dr. Bee Epstein Shepherd. As part of the Hypno-Health: Wellness for Mind & Spirit offerings, Dr. Shepherd uses hypnosis to reduce stress and anxiety while teaching guests how to bring calm and clarity to their thoughts during Sleep Wellness sessions along with self-hypnosis techniques so that they’ll sleep just as soundly back at home.
