It’s official: According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness market is beyond “pandemic recovery mode,” with all 11 sectors — including wellness travel — exceeding their 2019 values to an astounding $6.8 trillion in 2024. That number is expected to climb to $9.8 trillion by 2029.

And what will wellness travel mean in 2026? Today’s travelers use their out-of-town time to take advantage of high-tech diagnostics to help them develop targeted, multifaceted longevity plans that include sleep routines, nutrition, exercise and other factors. But they’re also looking for the peace that comes from deeper connections to people and places, either through nature-based programs or group activities. “Quiet community experiences, sharing time and space with others, and feeling connected to people and to nature naturally help the body move out of stress and back into coherence,” said Diana Stobo, who founded The Retreat Costa Rica in 2016. “That’s where true wellness begins.”

Binaural wave therapy © Palazzo di Varignana

LONGEVITY
Just outside Rome, Palazzo Fiuggi delivers cutting-edge medical science backed up by centuries-old therapeutic traditions. The result? Deeply personal longevity programs.

“While our team of physicians uses advanced diagnostic technologies and evidence-based longevity protocols to evaluate metabolic health, mitochondrial function and stress physiology, the experience remains deeply rooted in the natural resources that have made Fiuggi renowned for generations,” said Dr. Fabrizio Di Salvio, chief medical director. “Clients find that biological balance is restored and performance optimized.”

Similarly, Carillon Miami Wellness Resort’s up-to-the-minute diagnostics measure everything from brain health to mitochondrial energy, giving staff the data they need to create unique anti-aging plans that combine cellular treatments with feel-good therapies such as salt-stone massage and rejuvenating facials. Like its West Coast sibling, The Ranch Malibu, The Ranch Hudson Valley utilizes a combination of rigor and refinement to help guests begin their path toward healthy living: daily hikes and fitness classes followed by deep-tissue massage, saunas, cold plunges and group meals.

Add-ons like colonics, hypnotherapy, Reiki, cupping and acupuncture deepen the experience.

Herbal tea © Palazzo Fiuggi

SLEEP OPTIMIZATION
For many, a good night’s sleep is the ultimate luxury. According to the American Medical Association, about a third of all adults experience acute insomnia. To help guests find their sleep balance, Palazzo di Varignana in Bologna, Italy, created a multiday program incorporating personalized nutrition and fitness with targeted spa treatments and specialized experiences such as guided relaxation sessions with binaural wave therapy.

The Sleep-to-Wake Ritual at Conrad Singapore Orchard lulls guests to sleep with tea from local plants, sound baths and ambient lighting. In the morning, soundscapes and botanicals nurture a gentle awakening. Within Zadún Los Cabos, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve property, Sensei Wellness & Spa unveiled a five-day Rest and Reset program. Before arrival, guests receive a wearable device to mine a week’s worth of sleep data; once they’ve settled in, one-on-one wellness consultations, spa treatments and movement classes reset body and mind so sleep can come naturally.

Movement Lab © Palazzo Fiuggi

NICHE WELLNESS
Thanks to a shift from large-scale programming to highly specialized, empathetic and expert-led treatments and retreats, those struggling with new motherhood, menopause, cancer recovery and other life experiences of intense transformation can find support when they travel. Just outside Manhattan in the Hamptons, Shou Sugi Ban’s Matrescence Retreat is designed as a half-day, full-day or overnight immersion supporting new mothers through postnatal healing rituals that include Ayurvedic massage, facials and body wraps, Reiki energy work, and customized postnatal yoga and breathwork.

To ease the pain of cancer treatment and, perhaps, for just a few moments, allow anxiety to lift, spa therapists at San Diego’s Rancho Bernardo Inn created Supportive Touch Oncology Massage, which soothes the nervous system and restores a sense of connection to the body. And The Retreat Costa Rica was one of the first spas to help guide women through the stress of menopause; today, the finely tuned, weeklong program utilizes physical development (think yoga, weight work and hikes); workshops; classes; and daily spa treatments to build strength, confidence and calm.

© Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape

IMMERSION IN A DESTINATION
Perhaps as a backlash to standardized corporate wellness programs and influencer-inspired drive-through travel, today’s wellness travelers want to soak in the culture and landscape of their destination with spa treatments based on local traditions and utilizing indigenous ingredients, outdoor programs that allow time to enjoy natural wonders, and easy access to greenspace. Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape in Bali, takes immersion in nature literally: Participants in the resort’s Soul Freedom Journey enjoy a guided meditation ritual that ends with a walk through the crashing Tjampuhan waterfall.

Set on a vast ridge overlooking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Blackberry Mountain Resort draws guests into the landscape with forest bathing experiences that allow for personal preference — some are movement driven while others allow for perfect stillness among the trees. Guests can also participate in traditional Blue Ridge art forms including ceramics, outdoor painting sessions and basket making.

© The Retreat Costa Rica

COMMUNAL EXPERIENCES
In 2026 wellness travelers are adding another real-life element to their travels: participating in shared activities. One that’s seeing a surge in popularity is Aufguss, a group sauna ritual led by a sauna master who uses music and aromatherapy to distract the naked audience from the blinding heat. Within the glass-walled sauna at Aqua Dome in Langenfeld, Austria, spa goers look out over snow-covered mountains as they sweat; those who make it to the end cool off in an icy shower carved from a giant boulder.

Visitors to The Springs Resort in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, can participate in group classes and rituals such as a guided hot and cold plunge within the resort’s 50 thermal pools and icy mountain river. In Scottsdale, Arizona, the newly refurbished spa at JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa pairs restorative body therapies with corresponding group wellness activities such as guided hikes, desert bathing and sound baths. And Palazzo Fiuggi’s multiday hiking, walking and cycling for longevity programs immerse participants in the ancient landscape of the Apennine Mountains.

Wellness waters © JW Marriott Scottsdale

BIOHACKING 2.0: NEUROWELLNESS
While biohacking relies on D.I.Y. tools — such as step-counting wearables, strap-on heart monitors and glucose test strips — to provide useful data like heart and respiration rates, blood sugar levels, and walking symmetry, neurowellness programs give participants the tools to help regulate their nervous system’s response to stress. The Retreat Costa Rica’s neural therapy program helps reset disrupted nerve pathways, while practices like sound healing, breathwork, restorative yoga, lymphatic therapies and time in nature gently guide the body back into parasympathetic regulation.

After identifying hormonal imbalances, nutrient deficiencies and nervous system dysregulation, the care team at Rakxa in Thailand (as well as the resort’s other locations) uses acupuncture, Chinese herbs, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, targeted massage and supportive supplements to increase energy levels, enhance mental clarity and regulate the body’s stress response.

LED light therapy © Palazzo Fiuggi

EXPERT-LED PROGRAMS
Dana Childs, who leads energy-healing workshops for guests at various Four Seasons and Auberge properties, sees a huge rise in demand for focused workshops and retreats. “People have done so much in isolation, they’re desperate for connection,” she said.

“A group session creates its own small, safe community.” Ila Sarley, director of programming, Art of Living Retreat Center in North Carolina, noted, although meditation and mindfulness programs form the core of the center’s offerings, programs explore everything from intuition and personal insight to creative writing, herbal traditions and nature-based healing.