My abs are screaming, but I haven’t done a single sit-up. I’m lounging on a swinging daybed at The Retreat, a wellness resort hidden in the Costa Rican rainforest 45 minutes west of the country’s capital, San José. My core workout is courtesy of my new friend, Marco, who has me in stitches recounting his first hot yoga class some years ago. “She told me a Speedo was mandatory,” he says, nodding in the direction of his wife, Anna, who is soaking in the hot tub. “Of course, everyone was dressed in shorts and I looked like an Olympic swimmer.”
Lobby at The Retreat’s Vida Mia Healing Centre and Spa
The Retreat
I had met the couple two days prior at The Retreat’s daily restorative yoga class – and found myself reconnecting with them, and other guests, over mocktails and during hikes throughout my four-day stay. It was a delightful departure from my recent experiences at destination spas, where the majority of my interactions were with clinicians and therapists behind closed doors.
After the pandemic, Diana Stobo, who opened The Retreat in 2016, noticed a lot of pent-up desire for social interaction. Guests would gather to chat on the meditation deck and staff would have to shush them so as to not interrupt spa-goers. “No one hangs out anymore,” Stobo observed. “Everyone is on social media, or working alone in a cubicle or at home.”
But, as she gleaned, guests were craving contact and connection. So, last June, she opened Santosha Wellness Club, a $4 million expansion intended to create a sense of community. Set below the main hotel, the new open-air clubhouse includes 10 guest lofts, a gym and yoga studio, an infinity pool and two restaurants led by acclaimed Costa Rican chef Pablo Bonilla. While the resort’s original spa and restaurant areas are intended for quieter, more introspective moments, here guests can mingle over cocktails and live music.
