Wellness retreats use many complementary, holistic therapies, yet there have been no published studies on the health outcomes for wellness tourists that experience these immersive environments. A new study from Australia’s RMIT University represents the first, measuring multiple health/wellbeing dimensions of guests at arrival, on departure and six weeks later. The findings: a one-week retreat including educational, therapeutic, and leisure activities and an organic, mostly plant-based diet resulted in substantial improvements in everything from weight to blood pressure to psychological health – and sustained at six weeks.
I agree, Pippa, that there is a need for more studies on the impact of wellness retreats (and at different stay-spans) on guests’ physical and mental health – and that is why this study is so welcome! Because a wellness retreat, by nature, involves immersion in a host of therapies, experiences, treatments and environments – it is uniquely challenging to "unpack" their individual effects and outcomes. Hopefully, more studies are to come – and will begin to tackle this.
I am shocked that there have not been any studies into this, especially given the proliferation of ‘wellness retreats’.
As a wellness architect, I am specifically interested to know if there are in fact benefits at all, beyond just the ‘day spa’ and ‘yoga / meditation’ services. I spend a lot of time visiting and understanding how wellness retreats are actually designed, from what materials are used, water / air / light filtration (if any), and how they are specifically tailored to wellness beyond just general spa services.
Great article!
Pippa Lee