Wellness in the Wild

Prior to arrival at Arenas Del Mar, you’ll already feel better knowing you’ve chosen the first Costa Rican luxury hotel to receive a Five Leaf Award for sustainability. Once you get there, you’re nestled in a private nature reserve and can arrange to plunge further into the lush landscape with jungle bathing. On this excursion, you hike through the rainforest to Nauyaca Waterfalls with its stunning twin cascades that flow into a 1,000 square-meter pool you can bathe in below.

Arenas Del Mar is pictured in the article’s cover shot.

A solo session of in-room yoga is certainly convenient, but at Rancho Santana, you’ll want to venture out for a class. The Nicaraguan resort boasts a treetop yoga palapa, open to verdant foliage, warm breezes and Pacific Ocean views—you’ll be tempted to leave your eyes open and head propped up for Savasana. Choose from six different styles of classes, including Vinyasa and Yin, that can be taken communally or booked privately. Follow up your session with a refreshing dip in the ocean.

Embedded in the jungle just outside of Ubud, COMO Shambhala Estate sets you up in a sublimely soothing setting. Then it invites you to join daily wellness activities, including Qigong and Flow in the open-air Yoga Pavilion or Therapeutic Hydrotherapy in the Vitality Pool. For even more, you can choose one of the Wellness Paths, such “Connect to Rebalance” which includes a Balinese water purification ceremony at the Kedara Water Garden.

On the volcanic soil-rich slopes of Mount Etna, a 17th-century Augustinian monastery is now Monaci delle Terre Nere Etna Wine Resort. Here, in addition to serving up organic wine traditionally pressed from the grapes of their own vines, the resort invites guests to commune with all the other abundant natural splendor that surrounds them. A yoga or meditation class in the garden, open-air massage treatment or sensory botanical walk are a few splendid ways to do that.

Fronting the Port Launay marine national park and surrounded by 120 verdant hectares, Constance Ephelia Seychelles takes you away from it all. Then the spa takes you further—it’s its own separate village hemmed in by a forest of trees and dotted with palms. To help quiet the mind and refresh the body, there’s a series of pools, including still and reflective ones. Opt for the mindfulness package and you get daily yoga, meditation and massages using natural ingredients.

Put yourself a world away from life stressors at InterContinental Bora Bora Resort & Thalasso Spa in the middle of the South Pacific. Here, the Deep Ocean Spa sits nestled in tropical gardens with a lagoon on one side and the ocean on the other. Their overwater glass-bottomed treatment rooms let you also take in a vibrant blue view from above.

Based on its combination of height and width, Mosi-oa-Tunya (“The Smoke That Thunders”) is considered the largest waterfall in the world. Staying at The Royal Livingstone Victoria Falls Zambia Hotel by Anantara puts you right beside this astounding natural wonder. If that proximity alone weren’t replenishing enough, the hotel’s spa offers massages in an open-air pavilion next to the Zambezi River—as it flows by, it’s bound to draw any intrusive thoughts away with it.

Resting at the foot of the Hidari Daimonji mountain, under canopies of trees, Aman Kyoto is the epitome of serenity. The landscape, the architecture, the experiences—they all align to foster deeper connection with nature and oneself. In addition to ample forest bathing terrain, the resort has indoor and outdoor onsen mineral-rich hot spring baths and offers yoga and mindfulness sessions in the garden.

Tucked into a remote inlet within Canada’s wild Great Bear Rainforest, Nimmo Bay is a wholly restorative escape only reached by boat or floatplane. Speaking of things that float, this intimate resort features a floating sauna you can kayak, paddleboard or swim to, as well as cedar hot tubs situated right by a natural waterfall for the ultimate combination of water and sound therapy.

At Heckfield Place, you’re surrounded by 400 acres of secluded English countryside and these grounds play a powerful role in restoring mind and body. There’s cold water immersion, which starts with a walk or jog around the lake to warm up, followed by stretches and breathing exercises, then a brisk dip. Those who want to bathe without getting wet can go forest bathing. For sweat-induced endorphins, the outdoors are also a personal training playground.