Post by Owen on Sept 4, 2020 19:50:14 GMT
1 ~~~ Biomarkers, Sweat Lodges, and Shamans: Today's Wellness Retreats Go Far Beyond a Detox
www.cntraveler.com/story/whats-next-for-destination-spas-and-wellness-retreats ~ 26 August 2019 ~
As the wellness trend keeps booming, we're well past fancy salt scrubs and traditional spas. Here, the truly effective players—and what's coming next.
Imagine being dropped into the middle of the Namib Desert by helicopter: nothing ahead of you or behind you, only a vast expanse of ochre sand, glaring African heat, a survival pack containing a GPS or compass, and the knowledge that you've been abandoned in one of the harshest landscapes in the world. You'd better hope that you can handle the 100-mile trek along the Skeleton Coast, camping under a canopy of stars so vast it only confirms your own insignificance. Don't freak out. There's nothing like a bit of danger to sharpen your awareness.
One of a clutch of new “get lost” adventures from cool-crowd tour operator Black Tomato, such tests of mental and physical fortitude have become magnets for the disaffected seeking to soul-search through suffering. As a veteran spa journalist, I am far more interested in this sort of wellness experience than I am in a fancy-treatment menu. In truth, we have moved way beyond salt scrubs and meditation labyrinths. We are looking instead for the big emotional, spiritual, and physical recharge, the blood refresher. Calum Morrison, the ex-Royal Marine behind the U.K.-based Extraordinary Adventure Club, arranges extreme expeditions with maxed-out extras for his wealthy-yet-weary clientele looking to face the fear of conscious disengagement: off-grid living with Mongolian camel herders, or an epic Jeep journey from Johannesburg to Khartoum while being followed by a team of life coaches, psychotherapists, and holistic practitioners. This is the new breed of transformational travel.
www.cntraveler.com/story/whats-next-for-destination-spas-and-wellness-retreats ~ 26 August 2019 ~