Anne Nebenzahl

As a Pilates instructor and a yoga practitioner, I am a huge fan of wellness travel, from spas to yoga retreats to fitness-focused getaways. Many people find spas and wellness retreats a meaningful focus for a friends reunion or a couples getaway, while others prefer to go on their own so they can accomplish a specific goal. In fact, I have seen wellness-focused getaways help people shed bad habits and kick-start beneficial new ones. Meditation, yoga, and pilates are among the mindfulness tools that often help people reconnect with themselves and what is meaningful to them. 

My first question when someone says they want to take a wellness trip or go to a spa is the reason behind it. The choice of experience will be very different if you are trying to reconnect with or reinvent yourself versus wanting to be pampered and come back feeling relaxed. Wellness retreats can be a kind of pilgrimage to health and wellbeing, where you clear your mind, cleanse your body and set yourself up to come home with more healthy routines.  

I am in the midst of planning a yoga retreat for a group of 15, including myself, at the Hotel Boulderado, a beautiful Victorian landmark in Boulder, Colorado at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It will be led by my incredible and charismatic yoga instructor. I’ll also provide pilates classes for those interested. Weather-permitting, we will have morning and afternoon practices outdoors, along with a number of adventures in nature, including Class 2 whitewater rafting and guided hikes. We will also leave plenty of free time for shopping, spa treatments and relaxing.   

Wellness seekers will find everything they need at Rancho La Puerto. They have great instructors offering all kinds of classes, including yoga, meditation and meal preparation. There is also private coaching in lifestyle and exercise, as well as spa treatments and they tailor the experience to each guest’s needs. Canyon Ranch also offers great wellness programming. 

For people who want to de-stress but are not looking to make wellness the focus of their stay, I can suggest amazing spas around the world. Some of my personal favorites are in California and Costa Rica, where you have diverse options for enjoying nature and resetting your brain and body.  

Call me if you are looking to design a cohesive, wellness mind/body experience that you can bring savor and then bring home to make your world a better place for yourself and the people in life that matter to you.