Travelers are increasingly seeking to pair high-intense activities with quieter, more contemplative moments | Photo courtesy of Resurface
Dual-track wellness
In a world of constant pings and 24/7 updates, 2026 will see operators responding to our collective sense of digital overwhelm with programmes that embrace contrast: demanding hikes, surf sessions or long mountain treks one day; deep rest, thermal bathing or forest immersion the next. The emphasis is on choice – honouring fluctuating energy levels rather than pushing through them. We’ll be stepping away from our phones and making the most of advances in mindful escapes everywhere from Spain’s Andalusian mountains to the rainforests of Costa Rica – while taking in as many or as few sights as we fancy. Interspersing fast days with slow ones, these flexible journeys will invite action, but also its total absence.
This sense of balance is increasingly being reflected in therapies, too. At London’s Hotel Café Royal, the Akasha Spa has partnered with Therabody to introduce a new generation of “high tech, high touch” treatments, blending traditional massage with SmartGoggles, RecoveryAir JetBoots and percussive therapy to enhance circulation, recovery and deep relaxation – and some of them are available in-room.
Feel most at one with the world when in the water? Surf-therapy specialist Resurface is expanding its expert-led burnout and balance retreats to Morocco’s wild Atlantic coast near Agadir, where cold-water immersion, breathwork and wave time are paired with long, restorative pauses on land.
Living medicine
As wellness travel comes of age, 2026 marks a shift away from optimisation culture and towards something older, slower and more rooted: living medicine. Around the world, ancient healing practices are being revived and integrated into contemporary settings – not as spectacle, but as a means of reconnecting guests with land and lineage. The “ancient wisdom, modern application” approach sees wellness as cultural rerooting, and, while the quick fixes might be fewer, the sense of belonging goes a lot deeper.
Where to try it? At Six Senses Ibiza, cacao ceremonies, harvesting experiences and sacred customs offer grounding through simplicity and intentional presence. Spa director Tania Alves, says: “The Farm is our living classroom, where we reconnect with the land and the source of our nourishment. Guests not only dine on produce from the land, but also participate in harvesting, herbal workshops, and composting, creating a direct and healing connection between soil, health and human health.” In Thailand, Layan Life by Anantara will be spotlighting traditional Thai medicine and its four-element system balancing earth, water, wind and fire – within a contemporary integrative framework. And, in Italy’s Dolomites, spa highlights at hotel La Majun include a wooden tub filled with sweet-smelling hay and alpine flowers, traditional farmhouse beds for blissful relaxation, and a line-up of new-meets-old treatments in which mountain botanicals are put to excellent use.
