The Best Places for Wellness Retreats Around the World for 2025

Thailand has been a go-to for wellness travellers for decades, and for good reason. Whether you’re heading to the beaches of Phuket, the jungles of Chiang Mai, or the wellness resorts around Hua Hin, you’ll find everything from traditional Thai massages to full health retreats focused on detox, fitness, and mindfulness. Thailand’s welcoming culture, warm weather, and fresh, healthy cuisine make it easy to feel relaxed from day one.

It's also one of the more affordable wellness destinations, meaning you can enjoy yoga, spa treatments, and holistic therapies without the hefty price tag.

If fresh mountain air and clinical precision sound like your idea of wellness, Switzerland might be the perfect fit. It's home to some of the world's most advanced medical spas, offering longevity treatments, detox programmes, and cutting-edge diagnostics.

But if you’re less about the science and more about the scenery, Switzerland doesn’t disappoint here. This tiny European gem is famed for its gorgeous vistas around every corner, and the retreats are often set against phenomenal backdrops like lakes, forests, hiking trails, and peaceful alpine villages. You might find yourself in thermal baths in Bad Ragaz or hiking through the Bernese Oberland. Wherever you end up, the focus in Swiss wellness retreats is on total regeneration in stunning surroundings.

Ubud is Bali’s unofficial wellness capital, where you’ll find yoga retreats, sound healing, traditional Balinese massages, and plant-based restaurants around every corner of this jungle town. But the wellness scene extends to coastal areas like Canggu and Uluwatu too, where surf retreats and beachfront yoga classes bring movement and relaxation together.

Plus, during your downtime you can explore the cultural and spiritual side of the country. There’s so much to do that wellness could be a little aspect of the holiday, or a really large part of it. Whatever you prefer! Put simply, Bali is ideal for travellers who want a mix of nature, culture, and affordable wellness.

Costa Rica's “pura vida” way of life makes it a natural choice for anyone looking to live the good life and enjoy a bit of TLC on a wellness retreat. Costa Rica’s incredible biodiversity, easy going people, and sustainable lodges and retreats all help create the perfect backdrop for a holistic escape.

Lots of the wellness retreats here focus on eco-conscious living, outdoor fitness (surfing, hiking, zip-lining), and stress reduction through nature immersion. In places like Nosara and the Nicoya Peninsula, you can practice yoga in open-air shalas, eat farm-to-table meals, and explore national parks packed with wildlife.

What would a wellness list be without India taking up a spot? A true stalwart of the wellness world (we see you, Eat, Pray Love’), Indiais the birthplace of yoga, meditation, and Ayurvedic healing. So, it’s no surprise that India is a top choice for serious wellness travel.

The options are almost overwhelming: a yoga teacher training course in Rishikesh, a panchakarma detox at a Kerala Ayurvedic centre, or even a meditation retreat in the Himalayas. Whichever way you look at it, wellness travel in India is often deeply spiritual and authentic. It’s a great option if you want more than just a bit of relaxation and rejuvenation, but are hoping for something truly transformational.  

Greece offers a different kind of wellness: slow living, nourishing food, sunshine, and simplicity.

On the mainland and islands alike, the Mediterranean way of life reigns supreme. Usually that means long lunches, coastal walks, outdoor swimming, and reading with the sunshine on your face.

Some newer wellness retreats in Greece combine spa therapies with local traditions like thalassotherapy (sea-based healing), forest bathing, and herbal medicine. However, the real draw might be in the fact that Greece is one best places in Europe for "self-guided wellness," meaning you don't need to book a retreat to feel the benefits. Rent a villa, swim in the Aegean, eat fresh seafood, and watch the sun go down with nowhere else to be.

Japan’s approach to wellness is beautifully understated and traditional. Wellness here doesn’t just mean that you can get a bunch of spa treatments (although the hot spring culture, or onsen, is a big part of it), the overall theme is more about simple, mindful living.

Visitors can take part in forest bathing (shinrin-yoku) in ancient woodlands, soak in traditional hot springs, practice Zen meditation, and eat seasonally driven, beautifully presented meals. Destinations like Kyoto, Hakone, and the Japanese Alps might be just the ticket for wellness travellers who appreciate simplicity and nature.

Still not sure which destination is right for you? Here are a few tips:

• If you love luxury and science-led wellness, consider Switzerland.
• If you want something more spiritual or traditional, India or Bali could be your perfect fit.
• If outdoor adventure is your idea of self-care, look at Costa Rica or even stay local and book somewhere far away from the madding crowd in South Africa.
• If you're dreaming of sunshine, sea, and slow living, Greece and Thailand are excellent choices.
• If you want cultural depth and peacefulness, Japan should be on your shortlist.

Wherever you go, remember the goal is the same: to come back feeling better than when you left.

Wellness retreats aren’t just about massages and green juice, although there certainly can be elements of that! They’re also about investing in yourself and your own health. Whether you're looking to recharge, heal, or just feel like yourself again, there’s a retreat that’s right for you.

Explore our relaxing holiday packages, or chat with a Flight Centre expert to find your perfect wellness getaway for 2025. Your centre for travel has it all, and our experts are ready to start planning your wellness retreat when you are.