Health and wellness has become a major component of the meetings industry, and shows no signs of slowing down. In fact, it’s expanding 50 percent faster than the overall tourism industry and is expected to become a $680 billion niche by next year, according to Global Wellness Summit, an international organization.
So, meeting planners have no problem finding places that offer outdoor activities, healthy cuisines, and massages and other treatments. But it’s challenging to find places that offer truly unique wellness options. Here are a few of the best.
Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tennessee, brings farm-to-table dining to life by showcasing its bakery, butchery, creamery and gardens in multicourse meals. Plus, guests are able to roll up their sleeves to participate in farm activities, or simply observe. They can spend time with farmstead artisans from all around property, including the garden and kitchen.
Like some other hotel companies, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts provides complimentary jogging and walking tours, but some of its properties take it a step further by designing courses that pass by city landmarks and other historical sites—thereby adding an educational element.
Miraval Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona, offers an unforgettable massage experience. Thai massage masters use strands of hanging colored silk as an extension of their body that enable them to suspend themselves and support the client. This Naga healing experience involves deep massage and stretching that restores circulation and relaxes the client.
In Krun, Germany, Schloss Elmau Luxury Spa, Retreat and Cultural Hideaway features a Turkish hamam containing domed rooms with hot stones, tubs, steam baths and a tea lounge.
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) not only has a yoga room with mats, mirrors and bamboo to create a calming space for your practice, but also a 900-square-foot soilless aeroponic garden that springs up vertically from the mezzanine level of Terminal 3. A farmer manages the garden’s crops.
