With Spring just around the corner, now is the perfect time to swing into health and wellness. Envisioning and reflecting on your health goals is a breeze when your home supports and sustains your best self. Wellness themed homes are the perfect balance between comfort and functionality, blurring the lines between a relaxing, replenishing vacation and a regular Thursday night.
Christie’s International Real Estate showcases five beautiful home retreats that are sure to make returning home after a long day as anticipated as jetting off to a luxurious retreat.
Contemporary Mountain Retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Nestled en route to the Santa Fe Ski Basin and miles of hiking/biking trails, this home makes wellness a top priority. Melt stress away in the private spa with a professional-grade gym and indoor hydrotherapy SwimEx pool, and wind down after a long day in the patio hot tub.
Shangri-La on Narragansett Bay in Bristol, Rhode Island
This idyllic waterfront estate was crafted for the outdoor enthusiast and molded for relaxation. Enjoy a sunset walk along the private beach, or evening swim in the heated infinity pool. A serene koi pond invites quiet meditation and reflection. Taking it easy at this quiet seaside retreat is a beach-lover’s dream come true.
Alhambra-Inspired Palace in Marrakesh, Morocco
Nestled in the Palmeraie oasis, this home features designs in the tradition of ancient Moorish baths, and includes an authentic hammam, beautiful relaxation area, a spa, and lounges. Outdoors, guests and residents can relax in the rose and vegetable gardens, a pool area with pool house, or tennis court.
Hot Spring Estate in Ashigarashimo-Gun, Japan
This home is set in one of Japan’s ancient hot spring resorts, Yugawara. The home’s lavish spa amenities include both indoor and outdoor onsen (hot spring) baths, celebrating Yugawara’s rich history as a prominent hot spring, and providing the utmost relaxation.
River Oaks Estate in Houston, Texas
This estate offers ample opportunity for both fitness and relaxation. Achieve healthy eating goals in the custom-designed chef’s kitchen, and exercise in the professionally equipped gym and sauna housed on the top floor. Outside, a pool, tennis court, and practice golf course make fitness and wellness goals a reality.
Photos and featured image courtesy of Christie’s International Real Estate
From healthy food and exercise to spa treatments and spiritual guidance, wellness tourism is putting health and well-being at the center of travel.
By Alyssa Gautieri
Photo courtesy of The James Hotels
Whether a hotel, resort or apartment complex, health and wellness amenities are in higher demand than ever from tourists seeking to enhance themselves physically, psychologically and spiritually.
According to the Global Wellness Institute (GWI), a non-profit organization for the wellness industry, the wellness economy grew by 10.6 percent between 2013 and 2015. Wellness tourists spent about $563 billion in 2015, and the GWI predicts the total expenditure of wellness tourists will grow by another 43 percent between 2015 and 2020.
Curated exclusively for guests of The James Hotels, Four Bodies Wellness perfectly embodies the idea of wellness tourism. The in-room wellness program was designed to help balance all four bodies — physical, mental, spiritual and emotional.
Photo courtesy of The James Hotels
Whether guests feel stressed, disconnected or lacking inspiration, the four partners of the Four Bodies Wellness have curated offerings specifically catered to each area of the body.
From in-room TV Kundalini Yoga sessions, one-on-one sessions with intuitive counselors to in-room TV workout sessions, collaboration among the four partners has led to the creation of a holistic experience. “To feel really well, we need to think about all of the different areas of our well-being,” says Ruby Warrington, the curator of the emotional program.
Photo courtesy of QT Hotels & Resorts
According to Warrington, wellness tourists are increasingly using travel as a way to recharge. “Time alone in a hotel can be very valuable,” she says. “We can really use that time as a way to reconnect ourselves.”
Fulfilling a similar need, QT Hotels & Resorts has introduced “Yoga in the Sky,” a pop-up rooftop yoga series, at QT Melbourne.
The series is an “opportunity for people to connect both with themselves and with others,” according to Lee Davey, general manager at QT Melbourne. “The great ambiance on our rooftop, paired with guidance from professional yoga instructors, the energy of a live DJ and the breathtaking skyline views, all combine to create an absolutely one-of-a-kind experience.”
From Chicago to Australia, wellness tourists are emerging as “people are realizing the importance of taking a moment to pause during the day and re-center,” Davey says. “It’s important to escape for a moment and focus your energy on body, mind and soul,” and wellness tourism allows for just that.
