Forget spa weekends and typical wellness getaways. Star bathing, yoga with goats and beer spas are the unusual wellness experiences travelers are now booking, a Euronews report reveals.
Wellness is no longer just about booking a spa or a yoga class in between sightseeing.
The global wellness industry is now worth several trillion euros, and travelers are adopting some increasingly bizarre ways to feel better.
From sleep retreats and forest baths to cold water dives and digital detoxes, wellness vacations are less about simply relaxing and more about striving for something completely different.
If you’re tired of the traditional massage and meditation package, these are some of the morequirky trends in wellness travel.
Bathing in the sand
In some parts of Japan, wellness is taking an unusual turn, with travelers invited to be buried up to their necks in naturally heated volcanic sand.
Known as “sunamushi,” the traditional practice involves visitors lying on specially prepared sand, leaving only their heads exposed.
The heat is said to encourage relaxation and improve blood circulation, while the weight of the sand creates a strangely comforting feeling of being covered in a cocoon.
It’s certainly not your average spa treatment – and being gently roasted like a potato may not be to everyone’s taste – but for those willing to give it a try, it’s an unforgettable way to experience one of Japan’s most unusual wellness traditions.
Donkey milk and cocoa spa
A spa in Italy takes wellness in a decidedly more unusual direction than your typical spa day.
At the Il Salviatino hotel—a 15th-century Florentine residence surrounded by 12 hectares of gardens—the treatments are based on ancient beauty rituals, alchemy, and local ingredients, including two rather unexpected ones: donkey milk and cocoa.
The “nourishing donkey milk ritual” is inspired by the beauty practices associated with Cleopatra, using vitamin-rich donkey milk as part of a treatment designed to leave skin smoother and brighter.
Then there’s the cacao ceremony, an alchemy-inspired treatment that uses cacao as part of a ritual aimed at encouraging relaxation and emotional well-being.
If these don’t appeal to you, you could always look into other options, such as crystal therapy, personalized herbal elixirs, or herbal medicine.
Observation and “star bathing”
Everyone who knows anything about wellness is well-versed in forest bathing these days, but ” star bathing ” is something new to most.
Stargazing and stargazing are becoming increasingly popular ways to relax. Spending time under a clear night sky takes you away from screens and gives your brain a break from noise.
Hotels and lodges in destinations with low light pollution are now following the trend, offering everything from night sky tours to observatories.
At the 3100 Kulmhotel Gornergrat, Switzerland ‘s highest hotel, guests have the opportunity to explore the stars from one of Europe’s highest planetariums. In Iceland, Hotel Rangá has its own observatory, where tourists can observe the Milky Way and, if they’re lucky, the Northern Lights.
Beer spa
Beer spas may sound like something fantastic, but they are something that actually exists.
They’re especially popular in the Czech Republic, and the idea is pretty simple: You step into a warm wooden tub filled with a mixture of beer ingredients, like hops, barley, and yeast, while enjoying a real beer from a tap next to you.
These baths are said to help you relax while leaving your skin soft, but their real appeal may be the ability to say you spent your vacation bathing in beer.
Yoga with goats
Goat yoga is exactly what it sounds like, a yoga class with humans and goats. Participants do yoga poses while a group of goats roam freely around the space, often climbing on mats, nibbling on clothing, and occasionally finding someone’s back to sit on.
The idea is about having fun, going out, and enjoying whatever improves your mood when you spend time with animals.
For travelers who consider traditional yoga retreats a little too serious, it offers a much more…chaotic alternative.
Besides, it’s hard to worry about your inbox when a goat is trying to climb on your head.
Source: tourismtoday.gr