Beyond Kimpton, whose Talkspace partnership concludes at the end of the month, the holistic wellness-minded Miraval Resorts is collaborating with The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) to create virtual events and video content, all designed to increase awareness of mental well-being and widen access to resources for travellers who might be struggling with their own mental health. Sleep, a continually elusive mistress for millions, is being touted as a new luxury at wellness retreats across the globe – a trend that took root before the pandemic and has only grown in popularity. Meanwhile, at 30,000 feet, anxious fliers are finding succour with targeted video content: JetBlue reports that its guided breath work and meditation videos, produced in partnership with Mindfulness studio Open, are now the second most-watched in-flight content on their planes after Curb Your Enthusiasm.
But as the wait lists for the services of seasoned mental health professionals continue to grow, some travellers are craving in-person treatment and connection. And properties are stepping up, adding psychotherapists and counsellors to their staff so guests can schedule a therapy session as easily as they might order a burger from room service.
“Hotels have been offering different workout classes and gyms for a while,” says Logan Brantley, a licensed psychotherapist and clinical social worker, who starting in February will offer couple’s therapy sessions to guests at San Diego’s The Guild Hotel. “Now they’re bringing mental health into the playing field and showing it’s important – and you can access it during your stay. We’re turning the page in the treatments we offer, and including mental health in overall wellness.” Her presence at the historic property, which sits in a renovated former YMCA building in the heart of San Diego’s downtown, is part of a new package, “Work It Out,” which offers couples a one-night stay in the hotel’s penthouse along with private yoga and kickboxing workshops, and a therapy session with Brantley.
At Sensei Porcupine Creek in the mountains of Rancho Mirage, California, evidence-based healing has become a foundation of the property’s wellness philosophy, and some packages, including the Guided Wellness Experience, see guests paired with personal guides who hold PhDs in psychology and provide private, one-on-one sessions.
Preidlhof, an award-winning wellness resort in northern Italy, bills itself as a “healing hotel,” offering five, six, and 10-day retreats focused on helping guests with unlocking and releasing trauma. Renowned trauma healer Stefano Battiglio is on staff, as is an in-house psychologist who teaches classes on mindful eating and yoga nidra, and a medical doctor who uses biofeedback to help guests understand how their state of stress affects their body.
“This has been my passion for the last 18 years,” says Patrizia Bortolin, Wellness Project Manager and Director at Preidlhof. “And now everybody is in need and asking for this kind of approach.”
Lingering stigmas continue to deter some travellers from seeking help for mental health issues, specialists say. So the integration of tourism and psychological care, at a time of increased need, is particularly powerful.
