Detoxes don’t have to be punishing. In fact, taking the time to focus on your mind, body or spiritual side can give you the energy to recharge and reach your goals. Here are a few of the finest to try this year.
Designed by psychotherapist and healer Fiona Arrigo, the Arrigo Programme combines ancient teachings with a clinical approach to dealing with deep-set issues. That means whether you’re grieving or struggling with burnout, the retreats – individual or group, and based in the UK, Spain and India – help you get to a place where you can celebrate life.
Consider this the ultimate emotional detox, with comfy accommodation, soothing candlelit rooms and nourishing food, as well as expert therapists.
thearrigoprogramme.com/group-retreats-uk
When you detox your body, the mind follows – or at least that’s the thinking at this long-established fasting retreat in Lake Constance. Over a minimum 10-day programme run by medical consultants, you’ll eliminate toxins from your body by following a strict (but strangely liberating) regime.
Once through the initial days, guests report boosted energy, creativity and life-changing introspection. Fans also say it helps with a myriad of health-related woes, both major and minor.
buchinger-wilhelmi.com/en/
If you feel like your life is lacking peace or spirituality, this atmospheric retreat – at the lush Four Seasons Sayan in central Bali – will give you the space to look within. Led by former Buddhist nun Heni Ferawati, you’ll undergo candlelit meditation, yoga classes, blessing rituals and spa treatments.
Everything is in aid of deepening your connection to yourself and finding meaning. While you reflect, take advantage of the epic Four Seasons amenities, including your villa’s private plunge pool.
fourseasons.com/sayan/offers/guided-by-gratitude-wellness-retreat/
You may have heard of the Chenot method, combining Chinese and Western practices. It aims to rebalance your body, so it can tackle health problems before they even start. And this property, set in a historic pile on the shore of Lake Lucerne, is its slick new base.
Drop your bags in one of the plush modern rooms, then meet the doctors who will run various diagnostics. Next, make for the restaurant: this might be a wellness retreat, but the food – for example, olive and caper stuffed gnocchi – is a serious highlight.
chenotpalaceweggis.com
If you like the idea of trying a dietary detox, but want a gentle intro, Kamalaya is your place. Not only will you have the benefit of the sensational surroundings of Koh Samui – Kamalaya is cloaked in tropical foliage and steps from the beach – but you’ll get a healthy reset on a low-sugar, low-fat, low-dairy diet embraced at your own pace (there is wine and chocolate available, should you really want it). Meanwhile, an excellent yoga programme with one-on-one support from teachers helps to balance your mind as well as your body.
healingholidays.com/retreats/kamalaya/intro-to-detox/details
Daily massages, long walks along the dramatic Devon coastline, hearty platefuls of vegan cuisine – Yeotown’s five-day ‘Yeotox’ might technically be a detox, but it’s not about abstaining from the good stuff. Rather it encourages you to adopt a long-term healthier lifestyle by getting you to move more and learn to fuel up with virtuous food rather than junk. One of the highlights? An epic bike ride through dense forest. Come evening, you’ll never have felt more ready for the muscle-melting Thai massage.
yeotown.com
Freshly opened at the end of last year, this impressive new retreat has upped the ante for wellbeing getaways in the Maldives. In fact, it’s the country’s first island resort completely dedicated to wellness.
While it’s not strictly a detox retreat, it does have immersion programmes that let you target specific concerns: boosting energy, say, or reducing stress. A skin-focused programme helps with dehydration; a weight rebalancing one optimises digestion and reduces bloating. The backdrop? Pure Maldivian paradise: palm-fringed beaches and turquoise seas into infinity.
joali.com/joalibeing
