The 10 best California wellness retreats

Of all the health retreats California rustles up, The Ashram, Calabasas is one of the more intense, open to Hollywood elite and determined guests for almost 45 years in the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains. Not everyone’s cup of tea, The Ashram is rumoured to have made Oprah cry and Julia Roberts flee after just a few days on its weeklong deprivation schedule. On arrival, you’ll be put in a shared bedroom with few perks before being taken off for a rigorous five-mile hike through the rocky valleys. This is just the warm-up. Everyday thereafter, you’ll be woken up at 5:30 AM for a somewhat brutal schedule consisting of multiple fitness classes, 12-plus-kilometre hikes through Californian desert, followed up with restricted meals of oatmeal, tofu salads and organic produce. The consolation of staying at The Ashram will appear later when the sugar withdrawal has worn off and suddenly the smiles of the instructors, the tranquillity of the poolside massages and the renewed ease of the workouts all begin to make more sense.

Also popular among Hollywood stars is Two Bunch Palms, having opened its doors 75 years ago to welcome the likes of Al Capone, Meryl Streep and Madonna to its aquifer healing centre. Located just 30 minutes from Palm Springs under the shade of tamarisk trees, Two Bunch Palms claims to be the first carbon-neutral resort in North America, boasting its own solar farm to generate electricity needs. Venture to the centre of the spa’s 77-acre gated grounds to find a multi-million dollar property, complete with renovated hot springs spa, fitness centre, pool and yoga dome, all in reach of hiking trails, lakes and wide open desert. Expend your extra energy on the tennis court or at one of many movement classes, sitting down for a gourmet farm-to-table experience at Garden House, all served with views to die for.

Reminiscent of a French village tucked away in northern San Diego County is our next offering; the Cal-a-Vie Health Spa. Hospitality comes first at Cal-a-Vie, with five staff members to every guest, who collectively take care of your fitness schedule, beauty treatments and body-spirit balance. Go for the spa’s Vinothérapie treatments, getting slathered in organic grape ingredients straight from the garden, completing the relaxation with additional hairstyling, reiki and acupuncture services. For mind-body connection, the go-to classes are meditation, Tai Chi, guided visualisation and chakra yoga, but sometimes a simple hike through the Vista hills, followed by a homemade meal in the rustic chateau is all you could ever need.

Transporting you from the Pacific Coast to the Mediterranean is Casa Palmero, lying to the south of San Jose on the edge of Del Monte Forest. Here you’ll find the most perfect views of Monterrey Bay from a rustic estate fitted with a 22,000-square-foot spa and courtyard pool. Other elegant facilities include woodburning fireplaces, soaking tubs and trellised walkways, all giving off that European vibe. Named as one of the top resorts in Northern California by Condé Nast Traveller, Casa Palmero can satisfy your every wellness need, helped by personal coordinators who’ll arrange a round of golf, hors d’oeuvres at one of five upscale restaurants and unlimited California Skin Institute dermatology services all to fit your schedule.

One last retreat within Sonoma Valley is Gaige House + Ryokan, a health-focused hideaway providing guests with a tranquil wine country experience like no other. Besides revelling in the rolling vineyard surroundings, those staying at Gaige House can unwind through customizable meditation, yoga and shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) sessions, walking the grounds and Zen gardens to truly let everything go. The artful Japanese design flows from the garden to the ryokan suites, which come with granite soaking tubs and yukata robes, all blended with a little contemporary Californian flair. Look out from the top-floor terrace and spa loft atop the Edwardian main house, moving downstairs to the pool area for cooler nights beside the firepits. Come morning in the dining room, you’ve got an American breakfast of champions to tackle, inclusive of goat’s cheese omelette, artichoke quiche and apple-spice cake for elevenses.

Whether you want a resort vacation, wildlife safari, city break, luxury cruise, wellness retreat, honeymoon, once-in-a-lifetime adventure or weekend escape, the trip curation experts at Mr Hudson make travel planning a breeze. Find out how we can handle the finer details of vacationing in style.