Wellness Black Book

Traditional wellness cultures have always fascinated me—the way that in France, for instance, there are thermal spa towns like Castera-Verzudan, where the government pays for patients to take the healing waters to cure things as specific as mouth and teeth issues. Or how on the Italian island of Ischia, each natural spring contains different healing properties: Nitrodi for your skin, Castiglione for respiratory concerns, Mezzatore for the skin-softening mud. In the Alpine regions, the traditions are a little different. I’ve been mildly obsessed with Swiss clinics since reading Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain in college, and as soon as I could afford it, I went to Therme Vals, a hotel/spa/thermal-spring complex (since renamed 7132 Hotel) in one of the most brilliant pieces of architecture in hospitality, designed by Peter Zumthor. Then a year ago in January, Matt and I went to our first true medi-spa, Buchinger-Wilhelmi in Germany, for a gut reset, and loved the results so much we returned this year. I still have never tried a true Ayurvedic Panchakarma cleanse, but can’t help but be a little curious about it, especially when it’s done in a tidy, old-school “hospital” surrounded by lush gardens in Kerala. Or a Mayan temazcal ceremony in the Mexican Yucatán. Or a soak in a Japanese onsen alongside grandmothers and little kids.

All to say, some form of these health-pilgrimage destinations can be found all over the world, many of them reflecting age-old traditions—but they take a little bit of digging to discover. So this year, we decided to dedicate our spring issue of Yolo Journal to this theme, and called it The Cure. It’s a reflection of our curiosity about wellness travel, from hot springs hotels to Alpine medi-spas, hiking boot-camps to spiritual retreats. During our research, we compiled a long list of wellness stays, sourced in large part from our own and friends’ experiences, which we’re sharing with you here. But we also included many that we just thought looked and sounded cool, so—disclaimer!—you can do your own vetting. We also skipped some of the most obvious ones—the Canyon Ranches and Miravals of the world—because you don’t need us to tell you about them. Please add any of your favorites in the comments so we can keep improving the list!  —Y.E.