Arctic Hive
Wiseman, Alaska / Deep in Alaska, 63 miles north of the Arctic Circle, you’ll find the northernmost yoga school in the USA. Run by husband and wife team Molly and Sean Busby, the school has no electricity and is open for much of the year (yes, even in the darkest, coldest winter months), making it a real test of character. The lodges are only accessible by hiking, so just getting there requires guts, and the wilderness retreats (some of which are women-only) only accommodate six to eight people at a time. Yoga is the most popular class, and it takes place inside a 24-foot geodesic dome. Daily hikes also offer up-close views of the Brooks Range’s most rugged landscapes. Arctic
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C Lazy U Ranch
Granby, Colorado / Staying just 30 minutes from Rocky Mountain National Park is already a selling point, but a stay at an all-inclusive, 8,500-acre ranch that hosts women’s wellness clinics combining yoga, meditation, guided trail rides and horseback riding (there are more than 200 horses) might just be what you need to develop the confidence you need to make a long-overdue change back home. From clazyu.com
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WeCare Spa
Desert Hot Springs, California / This holistic wellness resort, 37 years in the making, does it all: detoxifying colon cleanses, liquid fasting, meditative breathwork, deep emotional healing. The breezy executive suite comes equipped with aromatherapy diffusers, sleep machines, circadian lighting systems, and refrigerators full of fresh juices; other rooms have private fire pits and outdoor bathtubs. But the bulk of the retreat is spent with other seekers, exploring the property’s labyrinth, meditating among singing bowls, and declaring their intentions in a relighting ceremony. Wicare Spa
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Love Letter:
Castle Hot Springs
Morristown, Arizona / We desperately needed to get away. As we neared the end of our fourth year of trying for a child and preparing for another complex surgery, I decided my best bet would be to get out of town. My requirements for the trip were few but important: somewhere to stay, something really good to eat, and perhaps most importantly, enough activities to distract me from the storm of anxiety raging at home.
Castle Hot Springs seemed to check all the boxes: convenient flights to Phoenix, great programming, and an on-site restaurant promising delicious food made with ingredients from the resort’s vast farms. At the end of the drive from the airport, we lost cell signal just after turning the final corner onto the resort’s only access road, which was kind of ideal considering how badly we wanted to get away from the internet. The road is a seven-mile stretch of extremely rocky dirt road in the middle of the Sonoran Desert, and after three miles we were sure we’d made a terrible mistake. Then, out of nowhere, and contrary to cliché, a literal oasis appeared: a lush, 30-room paradise. The historic resort sits at the base of three natural springs that provide mineral-rich waters for the surrounding land and structure for the daily programming. After a quick temperature check at reception (86°F in the coldest pool, 105°F in the warmest), we left our bags in our room and rode a golf cart up a small hill to enjoy a swim in the ocean.
It’s chock-full of activities to take part in: my husband climbed the Sonoran Skywalk, and I had a lavender-and-eucalyptus sugar scrub (everyone has their own preferences). The spa is perched on a hilltop, with individual treatment cabanas that open up to the bubbling springs; some treatments are done directly in the water. I had watsu, an underwater stretching massage that’s like a long hug while you twirl in the water, and it left me feeling more relaxed than I’d felt in years.
While three days in the desert didn’t help us escape the uncertainty that awaited us back home, it did a lot to silence the screams of anxiety ringing in our heads. We left feeling a little more rejuvenated and much more prepared to face whatever came next. —Paulie Dibner
Castle Hot Springs
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Art of Living Retreat Center
Boone, North Carolina / This Ayurvedic wellness temple in the Blue Ridge Mountains is known for its tranquil retreats, but its most creative programs are about connection, often centering on women’s experiences, from deep dives into menopausal health to helping mothers make meaningful connections with their teenage children. about this website
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Miraval Berkshire
Lenox, Massachusetts / A new addition to the Berkshires wellness retreat scene, this immersive resort offers an incredible spa with an eclectic range of unique programs and a vast menu of treatment options throughout the day. Experience the Ginger Healer (a massage and scrub combination) or the sensory Silk Cocoon Meditation, complete the ropes course your husband forced you to do, and leave feeling fully restored and a little more proud of yourself than when you arrived. Miraval Resort
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Photo credits: C Lazy U Ranch: Molly Johnson Photo (1), Castle Hot Springs: Marc Boisclair Photo (1), Ryan Donnell (1), Paul Markow (1), Miraval Berkshires: James Beigley (1)
