On the Hawaiian island of Lānaʻi, I step off billionaire Larry Ellison’s private plane to begin a wellness weekend. Like other guests who come to Sensei Lāna’i, a Four Seasons Resort, I’ve been conveyed like a magic carpet ride from Honolulu’s airport, a tranquil ride through the clouds above a thousand shades of blue. In an almost hypnotic trance of bliss, I set foot on the tarmac, where I’m met by a smiling chauffeur who gestures me toward a waiting Tesla. As we drive the short distance to the hotel, an innovative, state-of-the-art wellness retreat, I reflect on my return to this island, Hawaii’s least developed and most timeless. The slow-as-molasses pace on Lānaʻi means that decompression happens fast and reflection comes unbidden. With no stop lights and no throngs of tourists, Lānaʻi emanates an otherworldly quietude. Soaring emerald mountains have a grounding effect, fragrant trees sweeten the air, and the encircling sea roils with a contagious passion.
The last time I visited Lāna’i, I stayed at a different hotel: Four Seasons Lānaʻi, also owned by Ellison — who actually owns the entire island. On that trip, I’d flung myself into a hedonistic few days, defining fun and pampering the way most of us do when visiting a swish resort. On this foray, however, I’m set to take a different kind of journey. This newer Four Seasons, the flagship of the Sensei marquee, which opened in 2020, offers a whole world of salubrious possibilities.
Positioned among the garden-like upcountry expanses that once held the Koele Ranch, Sensei Lānaʻi, a Four Seasons Resort, sits in the bones of a former lodge, against the mountain. Created in collaboration with co-founder and author Dr. David Agus, the retreat institutes a philosophy that embraces a three-pronged approach to wellness. Called “the Sensei Way,” it offers guests three avenues to boost health and wellbeing: move, rest and nourish. At Sensei, guests take part in goal-oriented, bespoke programs under the tutelage of personal guides (hence: sensei). Some guests come to quit smoking, others to lose weight, some for high-tech wellness evaluations, and others for more relaxing activities such as yoga or hikes. A pioneer in the latest phase of a growing trend for resorts to be more than playgrounds and for spas to be more than oases of relaxation, this Sensei juxtaposes extreme luxury with simple pursuits. Dedicated to wellness, they’ve helped launch a new kind of travel.
Across the globe, outfitters, resorts, cruise ships, and spa hotels have moved into a new phase. They’re having a renaissance, if you will. According to countless statistics, vacationers want to combine wellness with travel. They’re after transformation, whether as a quick fix or a pivot to a new beginning. More and more, holistic wellness takes center stage as upscale consumers crave more than gastronomy, lounge chairs with a view, and soothing spa treatments. Travelers seek deeper experiences, more life-enhancing results and programs that meld mind, body, and spirit approaches for a sense of harmonic, overall wellbeing.
Intrinsic to this wellness travel concept is a move to redefine luxury as something that goes beyond butlers and high thread count sheets. I call this “leaving a mark” because it’s something palpable, though perhaps not visible, that you take home. This kind of luxury is self defined: you’re the pilot of your wellness adventure — though it’s always important to have experts to guide you. So consider this: luxury for you might be vast amounts of free time, a good night’s sleep, balanced hormones, hours of silence, no social media, a meaningful connection with other humans, grief therapy, digital detox, or sated curiosity.
Maybe luxury is the wellness-focused travel gift you give yourself. Here are some retreats to inspire you to seek wellness your way.
Mountain Trek, British Columbia, Canada
Some people put their toes in the pool first. But Mountain Trek Health Reset Retreat in British Columbia is for travelers willing to dive right into it. A structured, all-inclusive, week-long health reset retreat with hiking at its core, the program eschews alcohol, caffeine, and digital devices. Free from stimulants and stressors, guests improve healthspan, as they learn about sleep, metabolism, and hormone health — among other subjects. As part of the comprehensive reset, guests receive pre- and post-program assessments, including advanced body composition scans and metabolic markers to track real changes during their session. Not just a wellness-focused week away, Mountain Trek effects change, bringing about measurable results. Just ask the many return guests who sing the program’s praises.
The Retreat Costa Rica
In terms of energetic shifts, what could be more mystical than a resort perched on a 60-acre, crystal quartz mountain that overlooks the Nicoya Peninsula, a documented Blue Zone culture? Drawing from the healing nature of its locale and the Sanskrit concept of Santosha (harmony with nature), The Retreat Costa Rica was founded by celebrity chef, bestselling author, and health and wellness life coach Diana Stobo in 2015. Her vision: to address energetic and emotional healing, offer ayurvedic and farm-to-spa treatments, and introduce a new regenerative medicine menu for guests. With an organic farm and coffee plantation, saline pools, and an 8,000-square-foot spa, The Retreat has recently added bio-hacking strategies, such as intravenous infusions, aesthetic and cosmetic enhancements, biostimulators, hormone replacement therapy, and regenerative hair restoration and face rejuvenation treatments — all overseen by experienced medical professionals. Recently expanded, The Retreat now holds 25 luxury lofts.
Lefay Resorts, Italy
There’s no deprivation at Lefay Resorts, only bountifulness. After all: this is Italy. Lefay is a place to find yourself — whoever you are. With two spa resorts in Italy, Lefay began on Lake Garda in 2008, then opened its Dolomites location in 2019. The brainchild of savvy airline entrepreneurs who wanted to shift the course of tourism to something with more gravitas and meaningfulness, Lefay’s flagship sits amongst lemon groves on the Riviera dei Limoni, the mesmerizing glimmer of Lake Garda. On 27 leafy acres, Lefay Lake Garda boasts 46,000-square-feet of pools, gardens, grottos, trails, and cutting-edge fitness facilities. Partake of Lefay SPA Method, which combines Western and Classic Chinese Medicine. Guided by top-notch professionals, it can address everything from stress to fertility to boosted immunity.
Palmaïa – The House of AïA
Palmaïa founder Alex Ferri had a vision. He wanted to demystify energetic healing and plant-based nutrition by creating a bolthole in the jungle that gave guests options. “This is meant to be a place to experiment,” he says of the intimate hideaway nestled between palm, mangrove, and sea grape trees beachside. Wedged artfully between resorts in Playa del Carmen, Palmaïa, with several cenotes on property, feels privately sequestered away from the area’s crowds. A meditative place, it offers a dominance of plant-based menus, mocktails, matcha, and more, as well as meat add-on options and the best margaritas you’ll sip in Mexico. Programs with self healing and introspective themes, yoga, art classes, fitness challenges, journaling, sound baths, dance classes, and the en plein air Atlantis Spa guarantee guests leave with raised vibrations and a new lease on life.
Schloss Elmau, Germany
Giving the gift of repose has been a tradition for generations at Schloss Elmau, a sublime, five-star wellness resort in Germany’s Bavarian Alps. Under the worldly eye and independent spirit of CEO Dietmar Mueller-Elmau, the grandson of the lodge’s founder, Schloss Elmau approaches wellness from a holistic, multidisciplinary perspective. Pocketed into a valley near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the resort sits on 300 acres of untrammelled, pine-tree-peppered nature. Two main buildings hold 162 rooms and suites, as well as six spas, eight restaurants (including Michelin-starred Ikigai) and bars, libraries, yoga rooms, a plethora of indoor and outdoor pools, plus a famous concert hall. Offering a wide range of winter sports (skiing, snow-shoeing) and summer activities (hiking, biking, archery, soccer) seasonally, Schloss Elmau hosts yoga retreats, Gaga workshops, lectures, and book festivals year round. “You’ll find something that speaks to you here; something that invites you to transform,” says Mueller-Elmau. “This is the place to find yourself.”
Ananda in the Himalayas, India
It’s far flung and exotic, two traits which bring you instantly to your pivotable edge. Something magical can happen here; you can feel it. Set atop a hill overlooking the sacred city of Rishikesh and the snaking Ganges River, this former palace bases its raison d’ê·tre on the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda, a 5,000-year-old science. With the goal of bringing and teaching balance through spa rituals, nutrition, yoga, meditation, and understanding our body types, Ananda in the Himalayas also embraces emotional renewal. One of the first wellness resorts to fully address sleep issues, Ananda in the Himalayas offers a sleep enhancement program that blends Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Yoga Nidra, and emotional healing. Consider one of the hideaway’s customizable programs to address issues from menstrual health to chronic pain to diabetes management.
Feature image by Tanveer Badal, courtesy of Sensai Lānaʻi, a Four Seasons Resort
