Sleep tracking, “snow showers” and underwater “soundscapes” are among the offerings at resorts that also happen to be in dream locations.
Wellness travel is booming, and hotels large and small are wooing guests with state-of-the-art spas, fitness centers, classes and retreats. Here are some of the latest properties, where wellness goes beyond facials and yoga to sleep tracking, local rituals and even medical services like getting an echocardiogram. Whether you want to sink into a hot spring in Japan or receive a massage on a train as it rolls toward a Malaysian jungle, these getaways strive to transport you in more ways than one.
Banyan Tree Veya, Valle de Guadalupe
Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California, Mexico
Fernando Marroquin
About an hour and a half from the U.S. border, among the hills of western Mexico’s Baja California wine region, this new 16-acre escape has its own winery as well as a spa with treatments that incorporate Asian and local Indigenous rituals, along with plants from the property’s garden. Take part in a ritual during which a temazcalero, or guide, will lead you through breathing exercises, chants and drumming with the aim of renewing your energy, followed by time in a temazcal dome, where steam rises from hot stones. Attend a class like singing bowl therapy or meditation. Learn how to make essential oils and herbal pillows at an aromatherapy workshop. Or take a contemplative walk in the labyrinth. There’s also a fitness studio, two hilltop pools and water-themed therapies, including an ice bath, at the hotel’s Desert Springs hydrotherapy facility.
Back in your room, wellness continues. Each of the hotel’s 30 modern villas have plunge pools, yoga mats, resistance bands and singing bowls. In the evening you’ll receive aromatherapy sprays to help you unwind.
Designed by the Mexican architect Michel Rojkind, the hotel is the first standalone property for the Banyan Tree Group’s well-being brand, Veya. You can explore the area’s vineyards, visit the tasting room at the hotel’s winery, swim and grab a snack at Roka, the pool bar, with food truck fare like tacos and Baja empanadas. Or stop by Atalaya, a lobby bar with views of the valley, for local beers, wines and bites. Among the other spots to enjoy a meal is Aldea, which offers all-day dining, including a breakfast buffet, inspired by the local cuisine. Prices from 10,745 pesos, or about $580 a night.