7 Stunning Retreats To De-Stress and Revive

Feeling stress is starting to affect your holistic health? Then you should definitely check out these amazing retreats that will help you take back the reins of your life! Stress, put simply, is the set of reactions of our being in cases of sudden or excessive pressure.

Though it may at first appear as a benign ‘energy booster’ as it stimulates our adrenaline hormone and sharpens our senses, if not managed properly, it may easily become chronic and lead us to physical, mental and spiritual health problems unresolvable without aid. 

That’s where anti-stress retreats can come into play. These retreats are holistic self-care dynamics dedicated to providing us with such aid we need, toughening our resilience to stress and helping us achieve a calmer flow. After all, as Henry Kissinger said, “A diamond is just a chunk of coal that did well under pressure”...

In these last days of the esteemed International Stress Awareness Week, we’re sharing 7 anti-stress retreats from all around the world.

Amanpuri, Thailand - Intensive Mindfulness & Stress Management Immersion Programme

Settled in a resplendent haven of Phuket, Amanpuri’s immersion, with a minimum five-night stay, is a bespoke programme tailored at our arrival after high-tech examinations such as blood panel and OligoScan, and Traditional Chinese Medicine consultation. Uniquely blending innovative and traditional health approaches, the intensive immersion includes a personalized nutrition plan and daily exercise sessions including balancing activities such as Qi Gong and Meditation, as well as signature spa treatments; age-old healing therapies such as Abhyanga, Acupuncture, Reiki and modern wellness treatments like Ozone Therapy, Moxa, IV vitamin infusion. With this retreat, aiming to bring us to the needed serenity of spirit and mental awareness, we can both dispose of the negative effects of stress on our health and face stress with a more constructive approach in the following flow of our life.

Ananda Spa, India - Comprehensive Stress Management Program

Nestled in the sacred Himalayan foothills, Ananda Spa offers a comprehensive program of 7 to 21 nights, combining Ayurveda, Yoga and emotional healing practices in a customized holistic approach to help us cope with stress naturally. From the outset, the program progresses under the consultation and monitoring of physiotherapists and traditional practitioners, and comprises many amenities, including Reiki, Aromatherapy, Pranayama sessions, Hydrotherapy, healthy eating workshops and nature excursions. Through Ananda’s healing retreat, we can release the blockages caused by stress in our bodies and energy pathways and reconnect with the deep healing power at our core.

Lefay Resort & Spa Lago de Garda, Italy - Anti-Stress Programme

Dedicated to restoring the harmony of body-spirit-mind that has been weakened due to long-term effects of stress, Lefay’s Spa Methodology integrates neuroscience treatments such as ANS-guided breathing exercises and NanoVi-assisted cellular repair therapies with long-established Chinese practices such as Acupuncture, Qi Gong, Reflexology and energy massages. This relaxing retreat, available for five or ten nights, may indeed allow us to deeply de-stress while reaching a profound inner peace with signature spa treatments, taking in the magnificent panorama of Lake Garda.

Park Igls, Austria - Stress Relief with Mayr De-Stress

Created by one of Austria's favorite medical spas, Park Igls, to help us permanently counterbalance the excessive fallouts of stress, this retreat is centered on the Spa's own Mayr De-Stress treatment module that stimulates naturally our “happy hormones”. This unparalleled 7-night retreat further incorporates focused healing practices such as active and passive anti-stress exercises, Craniosacral Therapy, Acupressure, Kneipp and connective tissue treatments led by expert coaches. With an understanding that a fast-paced lifestyle does not mandate us to adopt a stressful and hasty approach, this programme might guide us to achieving our goal to deal with stress with calm, steady and safe steps.

Sayanna at Epic Sana, Portugal - De-Stress Retreat Programme

Taking its guests on an ultra-comfy selfcare journey at Epic Sana located in Portugal’s idyllic Albufeira region, Sayanna Wellness & Spa's this 7-night retreat promises to sustainably imbue in our lives the ability to manage our daily stresses through meditation and mindfulness training. While on one hand putting this promise into practice, the programme further encourages our true inner peace with relaxing massages like energy treatments, Aromatherapy, Hot Stone massage and deep relaxation experiences on its private beach or well-equipped Spa areas, and promotes our longevity through personalized osteopathic treatments. That’s probably why this retreat is one of the most favorite examples that a stress-free and healthy life is closer than we think.

SHA Wellness Clinic, Spain - Rebalance & Stress Management Focused Programme

Spain’s renowned medical spa SHA’s rebalancing 7-night or realigning 14-night retreat programs marvelously combine cutting-edge Western treatments such as Ozone Therapy and Indiba with propitious natural therapies such as Chi-kung and Thai massage. The retreat includes an array of stress-management focused therapies consisting of innovative practices such as Psammo therapy and brain photo-biomodulation and therapeutic treatments such as Watsu therapy and Tibetan Singing Bowl, while also teaching us the consciousness-raising techniques of psychotherapy coaching and personal training sessions. Thanks to this facilitative program, even in the face of stressful events we may experience after leaving the Spa, it becomes more likely for us to respond to them without falling into anxiety, simply taking a deep breath.

Song Saa Private Island, Cambodia - De-Stress with Khmer Blessing Rituals

As the name suggests, Song Saa invites us to a literally ‘private’ retreat journey on its enchanting island. With 5- and 7-nights’ accommodation options, the holistic retreat offers us a combination of regional  treatments including Khmer, Metta and Champi massages and exotic bath rituals to cleanse our bodies of burnouts, personal Yoga and Meditation sessions to help us untie our mental knots, and enticing experiences such as Bioluminescent Swim, Monk Ceremony, Khmer Cooking workshop to strengthen our bond with Mother Nature and breath in the serenity of present.  

May we achieve moments when we can approach our stress and anxieties in a way that suits our quintessence, in other words, when we can act freely without straining under their influence... See you at other angles of the Spa that holistically benefits our health!