Recommendations for Outdoor Fitness Retreats

The main benefit of a dedicated fitness retreat for me is to train outdoors in a group setting, act like a kid again, enjoy nature, and make working a social event. 

Here are my favourite destinations for outdoor fitness retreats at the moment:

Six Senses Zighy Bay,Oman:  This is a stunning resort with a luxury eco-concept that I stand behind.  They offer locally grown, organic cuisine that is healthy and deeee-licious! They have an incredibly indulgent spa for relaxation treatments, a dive centre on site with two boats for scuba diving, and personal trainers that give you the attention and encouragement that you need to push yourself without getting bullied by a drill sergeant. As if that’s not enough, you can choose from hikes, kayaking, mountain biking, and even paragliding!

Mii Amo, USA: This beautiful spa is nestled in the red rock canyon of Sedona, Arizona, not too far from the Grand Canyon.  Sedona is touted as a vortex of energy by local new agers and the spa embraces Native American elements in their treatments.  Guided hikes through the rock formations not only makes you fit, it leaves you spiritually revitalized!  The weather is almost always sunny and warm, but because it is much higher in elevation than Phoenix, you don’t get that scorching desert heat.

COMO Shambala, Indonesia:  In addition to the fitness facilities and spa located at the resort, Bali offers unique opportunities for outdoor adventure including volcano hikes, river rafting, rock climbing, canyoning, paddle surfing, and guided group challenges.  They even offer a fantastic biathlon where you trek through the rice paddies, then bike through the jungle gorges. Indonesian food is fresh, healthy, and can have a tasty kick!  Their juices are outstanding too!

Chiva Som, Thailand:  I love Chiva Som because it is a world-class spa with both Eastern and Western treatments, located on the beautiful,sunny beaches of Thailand.  It is a great retreat for relaxation and rejuvenation, but it offers excellent training facilities and fitness programmes too.  The instructors offer free form training and actually create an entirely custom workout regiment for you, like you deserve.  They take into account your goals and your injuries, but most importantly, they listen and they make working out fun.  For those of you that need some tough love, their boot camp retreat is excellent for a challenging workout and for camaraderie.  There is nothing like an intense session on the beach, then jumping right in the ocean to cool off!

Ananda, India:  Ensconced in the foothills of the Himalayas, Ananda Active, is a fitness retreat that is totally unique. They offer outdoor activities like trekking, white water rafting, and yoga.  They also have a decadent spa where they have designed relaxing and rejuvenating treatments to help you recover from your daily adventures.  As the spa is in India, the healing philosophy is based around Ayurveda, which is fascinating.  The pranayama (breathing) sessions improve your stamina while exercising and help to cleanse your body.

Let me know what you think about these suggestions.  Please tell me what your favourite spa is for an outdoor fitness retreat – I’m always in search of new resorts to add to my wishlist!

By Spa Samurai

Guide to the Different Types of Spas

Spas are the perfect place for you to focus on your health and well-being, to regain balance and clarity in your life and to heal yourself.  There are many types of spas offering unique treatments and varied outcomes, so it is important to under the various types of spas available to ensure that you get the results you are looking for and to make your experience at the spa as beneficial as possible.

These days, mini-spa treatments are becoming easier to find – at the mall, at the airport, at a salon, at a health club, and even at the Chinese medicine shop on the corner.  While most of these “express spas” offer short massages and superficial facial treatments with varying degrees of privacy, serious spa goers choose either destination spas or resort spas to enjoy the benefits of some of the world’s top facilities and the best practitioners.

Day Spas offer a selection of spa treatments and often provide salon services as well.  Day spas are a good choice for people who are too busy for an overnight stay at a spa or simply can’t afford the full spa experience.  The main complaint with day spas is that due to limited space and high traffic, treatment rooms can be very small and nosy.  The quality of practitioners and the level of service at day spas is not up to the same standards of resort spas or destination spas.

Resort Spas (or Hotel Spas) are basically Day Spas located in hotels that offer spa treatments, fitness classes, and (sometimes) spa cuisine.  Often times the resorts also offer other activities such as golf, so a resort spa is a good choice when one person wants to relax at the spa and the other person wants to spend their afternoon golfing.  Resort spas allow you to enjoy spa treatments and facilities, but also have the option to eat meals that are not part of the spa diet or drink alcohol (after all – it is still a holiday!).  Although resort spas do not offer dedicated spa retreats, the quality of the accommodation, treatments, and cuisine can still be top class, particularly at spas at the world’s premier luxury hotels.

Destination Spas are the sanctuaries for the spa aficionados.  In addition to offering the a la carte treatments that resort spas feature, destination spas provide various healing programmes that include consultations with doctors and/or specialists, accommodation, meals, treatments, and educational classes by experts in their fields. These programmes, often referred to as retreats, focus on a specific purpose (detoxification, weight loss, stress relief, etc.) and are an excellent way to make a major, long term change to improve your health and habits. Destination spas offer personalized programmes based on your goals which often include a tailor-made diet of healthy spa cuisine, exercise, relaxation, and pampering.  Alcohol and food outside of the restricted menu may be allowed depending on the spa and the programme.  A minimum stay of two nights is imposed by most destination spas, although typically people go to destination spas for a 7 night programme to achieve the maximum results.

Medical Spas are a hybrid between a medical clinic and a day spa.  Medical spas are a comfortable environment to undergo medical procedures while ensuring a high degree of comfort and privacy.  Medical spas offer treatments that cannot be provided by traditional aestheticians. Medical treatments such as microdermabrasion, chemical treatments (e.g., chemical peels), injectables (e.g., Botox, fillers), and laser treatments (e.g., photofacials)  require a doctor’s supervision, but relaxation treatments such as massage are also available for you to pamper yourself.  Medical spas are much more clinical than day spas, but provide a much higher degree of comfort and luxury than hospitals. Many medical spas now offer nutritional counselling, acupuncture, and holistic treatments as well.

MY RECOMMENDATION - 

I always speak to the experts at Healing Holidays who help me choose the right type of spa to best suit my needs and they take care of all of my travel arrangements.  Healing Holidays can provide first-hand advice to guide you to the world’s best resort spas, destination spas, and medical spas, but please be aware that day spas and spas in the UK are not featured. Ask for Jo, she knows her stuff!

By Spa Samurai