Grab your girlfriends and celebrate the healthy way — at these pampering fitness retreats.
By: Jenna Mahoney
Photo courtesy of Como Hotels and Resorts
The Ranch at Live Oak 4.0, Los Angeles
When Alex and Sue Glasscock began the Ranch at Live Oak, an intimate wellness retreat in the hills of Malibu, they immediately became the toast of all fitness-loving Type-As from Hollywood to Wall Street. The only snag in the formula—a.m.-guided hikes; afternoon gym classes; restorative and energizing yoga sessions; and a strict 1,400 calorie diet—was that many people weren’t able to do a full-week program.
Photo courtesy of The Ranch at Live Oak/Malibu
Enter the Ranch 4.0, a condensed version based at the Four Seasons Westlake Village. The concept is the same and there are still daily in-room massages for every guest.
Note: Participants are encouraged to go caffeine-, alcohol-, sugar-, gluten-, meat- and dairy-free before arriving, as per the program’s protocol (rates are $3,800 per person for the four-day program and are all-inclusive; theranchmalibu.com).
Photo courtesy of The Ranch at Live Oak/Malibu
Parrot Cay by Como, Turks & Caicos
Total wellness is the mantra at this Caribbean enclave. Guests are encouraged to recharge on the white sand beach as much as in the yoga, fitness and Pilates studios. Daily activities include the aforementioned in addition to biking excursions, snorkeling and pool time. Individual training is also available. The spa is a celebration of Asian healing therapies, including Ayurvedic treatments.
Bachelorette bonus: No guests under the age of 16 are welcome. Looking for a closer option? Check out the newly launched sister property in Miami (room rates start at $500 a night and include breakfast; comohotels.com).
Photo courtesy of Como Hotels and Resorts
Canyon Ranch, Lenox
Canyon Ranch is a spa legend with a philosophy that’s self-reliant and self-directed. It’s great for groups, especially of different generations, since you can devise your daily schedule. Workout classes range from yoga and Pilates to swimming and tennis lessons, hikes of various levels and indoor cycling. And there are lectures and experiences on metaphysics, qi gong, African drumming and more. Meals are taken in a Berkshires summer cottage from the Gilded Age and all menu items have the nutritional info clearly indicated. There’s no need to feel as if you are doing without—dessert and coffee are available.
Tip: The best coffee is the French press served at Tasso, the café. Evenings are spent by the fire in the library, getting a tarot reading or reposing in the wet rooms at the spa (room rates start at $420 for a three-night stay and are all-inclusive; canyonranch.com).
Photo courtesy of Canyon Ranch
