PART 2 – Bringing The Magic of A Wellness Retreat Home

 

Following on from our blog on global wellness retreat trends we’re now focusing on how to bring the magic you’ve experienced home!

 

 

After the amazing all-consuming experience of a wellness holiday the positive effects can wear off after a short time back in your ‘old’ life, even if you’ve found your break away completely transformative.

 

 

However, recreating some of the magic you experienced during your wellbeing retreat really is possible in your own home.

 

There are several ways to achieve this; the first one is – to move! This sounds quite dramatic but if you’re looking for a place that completely supports your wellbeing there are more and more real estate options that cater to this need.

 

Responding to consumer demand, wellness real estate is a multi-billion growing industry (19bn+ in China) that caters to individuals, families and communities. Creating homes that focus on green living and health and support physical and mental wellbeing through design that nurtures healthy behaviors. You can now even purchase a vacation property at some high end spa hotels to spend holidays or even live there full time.

 

If this is not an option open to you, much can still be achieved by making inspiring, meaningful and lasting interior design changes to your own home such as redesigning your bathroom to incorporate spa facilities.

 

Wellbeing design is becoming far more usual, now including wellness elements such hydrothermal features, small private saunas and other spa and wellness ideas tailored to specific residences. Think beyond a small space as so much more can be incorporated these days.

 

 

There are also simpler changes you can make to remind yourself to take that time to practice what you’ve learnt and to give you space to drop back into the feelings you had while you were away.

 

Here are some suggestions on how you could bring the magic of your spa experience into your own home!

 

1. Create A Wellness Spa At Home

 

Alter your perception of your home and see it as a place to relax.

 

When we design luxury homes we look for every opportunity to incorporate wellness designs that nurture our clients, especially unusual or inspiring bathrooms that are out of the ordinary and bring a spa feel. We have recently incorporated wellness facilities such an Onsen tub, to make wellbeing an every day experience rather than a luxury.

 

Another property in Hong Kong has a spa floor with sauna, massage table area and outdoor Jacuzzi so that our client has unlimited access to a wellbeing space that suits their needs.

 

Full home water filtration systems and vitamin C showers leave your skin and hair feeling smooth and silky.

 

You can transform your home into a wellness retreat for a day or even a whole weekend by styling it to create a spa-like ambience, for example roll up your towels and display them, as they would be in a spa.

 

In your bathroom, minimize all bottles and other items and try to store them in a cupboard or drawer, only bringing out the ones you need when you need to use them. A few beautiful, refillable bottles will bring you a lot of pleasure displayed minimally on the surfaces.

 

Use an existing space such as a bedroom or office as an area that can be transformed into a space for mediation, yoga or for a local massage or alternative therapist to set up for an hour or two. Many therapists will make home visits and you can book this into your home wellness retreat day.

 

 

2. Remember Your Transformational Travel

 

Bring cultural meaning to your home design with patterned accents or vernacular materials from the area that you live. You can also add minimal display shelves to your home spa and style it with cultural artwork from a place you’d like to connect to.

 

Encourage personal and spiritual growth with décor items that will bring mindfulness, reflection and lasting changes to your daily life.

 

3. Mental Health Wellbeing as a Daily Practice

 

Create a secluded space in your home that can be transformed to be your mental relaxation sanctuary.

 

Make sure it’s clutter free and quiet, a free space to practice your personal mindfulness rituals.

 

Use an app like Calm to go through a meditation or mindfulness session, continuing your commitment to supporting your mental health. If you feel you’re disconnecting with your practice, an online course from Gaia or listening to podcasts on the ideas you’ve opened up to can also help.

 

 

Remember the mantra that “Nothing has more power to heal and transform the body than the mind” Deepak Chopra.

 

 

4. Ayurveda Lifestyle Change

 

 

Take some time to buy and prepare an ayurvedic or vegan meal to nourish you during your home retreat day.

 

 

Or indeed alter your daily diet to incorporate your Ayurvedic knowledge; there are many cookbooks that provide recipes to continue eating the way you wish. Buying fresh fruit and vegetables from a local market can help your connection with your food and community.

 

 

Growing herbs and micro greens on a shelf or indoor garden is a great way to connect with the earth and supplement your diet. Drink fresh filtered water for cleansing.

 

 

5. Connecting With Nature

 

Find a space in your bathroom or bedroom for plants; perhaps on a shelf you can turn into a stylish mini jungle to connect you with nature. Plants are a healing tonic for humans to live alongside and you can also grow medicinal plants to supplement your health. Flowers bring rejuvenation and a sense of season and place.

 

 

Plants also contribute to improving air quality, regulate humidity and absorb harmful chemicals. Purifying the air with a full home air purification system or stand-alone unit can also make you feel better that your natural home is not being polluted.

 

Connecting with nature can also be done through playing nature sounds in your home, birdsong is wonderful in the mornings and waves lapping against a shore in the evenings can be very soporific

 

6. Water Therapy In Your Bathroom

 

Home bathroom design is changing to become more inspiring and less fixed on the functional elements. Recreating a spa feel in your own home is now much more common.

 

Focus on flotation in the bathtub, this is one of the most relaxing therapies, add minerals and natural scents to the bath to create a restorative infusion. Relaxing indirect lights and a good sound system playing meditative music can also help you to relax.

 

You could even take a freezing shower for 5 minutes followed by a long hot bath to emulate the hot/cold therapy that invigorates and relaxes!

 

7. Crystals Healing Your Home

 

Healing vibrations from crystals can be used to bring positive energies into our homes.

 

 

Placing crystals in particular locations can deal with different elements of wellbeing and can also be used in feng shui or incorporated into designs.

 

Find out more about using crystals in your home here and here.

 

 

8. Technology & EMF Free Time

 

We all need to switch off from technology from time to time but for some of our clients a home with reduced EMF exposure is essential. We create homes that are designed with features in place to limit EMF. To find out more our blog on EMF provides lots of information.

 

 

You can also turn off all your electrical devices apart from the ones that are completely essential and enjoy the silence (or the ambient noises outside) giving yourself space to have a digital and EMF detox even for an hour or two.

 

9. Regulating Your Circadian Rhythm

 

Full ambient lighting schemes can be created within your home using lighting design to harness technology to keep you in sync with your circadian rhythm. Using warm, dim lighting in the evenings enhances sleep and increases energy levels for the following day; wake up lights can also help with maintaining health. To find out more about our circadian lighting design take a look at this blog.

 

To emulate this you can also light some natural candles with evocative scents to create a relaxing and meditate vibe, especially in the area of your home you will be relaxing. 

 

 

Philips Hue light bulbs also create different ambience lighting, such as sunrise or sunset, depending on what feeling you want to take from the experience.

 

Have a nap! Sleep can be the most restorative element we have at our disposal and we often don’t give in to it enough, it is not a positive to have too little sleep.

 

 

10. Sound & Scent Therapy

 

Placing a linen drawstring bag filled with lavender or dried herbs in a basket of towels or spraying them with a homemade lavender linen spray will scent your whole experience of your home.

 

 

Scented diffusers with essential oils can also have a calming or energizing influence on your mood.

 

 

Set up your hub to play soothing music playlists, such as a soundtrack from your wellness retreat. If you have speakers into your bathroom this will help to create an ambience while you bathe.

 

 

11. Home Exercise & Fittness

 

 

Home exercise can be a great (and free!) alternative to using a gym. We create transformable spaces that can be used for exercise by rolling out a yoga mat and taking equipment from a designated drawer or cupboard.

 

There are so many fitness alternatives available online to follow that exercise at home can easily become a regular activity to keep connected with your health and wellbeing.

 

12. Optimized Nutrition

 

Plants for nutrition such as salads leaves and micro greens can be grown at home in an urban cultivator fitted in your kitchen. 

 

Alternatively, herbs can be grown on shelves or in a small garden on a windowsill or balcony as an essential for nutritional health.

 

 

How do you feel about bringing the magic of your wellbeing retreat back to your home? 

 

Some of these ideas involve a full home redesign but many of them are easy to achieve with some thought and time. However they will all help to curate magic moments in your own home that can continue or build upon your experience.

 

Please let us know your recommendations if you go on a wellness retreat trip and if you are able to create the wellbeing vibe in your own home using our tips!