Menopause retreats are the latest in wellness travel
A growing number of spas and resorts are offering programs targeting the changes associated with perimenopause and menopause. The biggest benefit might be the ability to bond with other women going through the same thing.
With increasing numbers of women approaching the age of change hormones — by 2025, approximately 1.1 billion women worldwide will have experienced menopause. The travel industry is catering to a new niche: women who want help managing everything from hot flashes to mood swings, perhaps with a few classic spa treatments.
< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Menopause-focused offerings vary widely, from mindfulness techniques and herbal remedies to nutritional counseling and exercise. Sometimes the most important activity is simply the opportunity to connect with other women facing the same issues, experts say. “There is great healing and great discovery when a group of people go through a similar situation,” said Melissa Biggs Bradley, founder and CEO of Indagare, a membership-based travel agency that recently announced her first quarantine and menopause retreat.< /p>At the Six Senses Hotel & Spa in Portugal's Douro Valley, I recently attended a bespoke retreat of three days against menopause to treat my night sweats, migraines, joint pain and mood swings, and to better understand the hormonal roller coaster I've been through (rooms from 850 euros). After a health check, I received a tailored program to nourish and balance my aging and changing body. First, a personalized weight training session – squats, lunges, planks and exercises with resistance bands – to remedy my joint pain and strengthen my bones.
For my excessively dry skin I was given a collagen boosting facial - collagen production goes down with loss of estrogen that accompanies menopause - filled with serums and a mask for hydration. To reduce inflammation, I shivered on a daily cold dive, followed by 15 minutes in an infrared sauna. The finale was a 30-minute bio-hacking treatment, during which I wore thigh-high compression boots – think pulsating, vibrating currents running up and down your legs – to improve lymphatic drainage and relax muscles. sore; listened to a guided meditation with headphones while wearing an eye mask; and I experienced infrared light stimulation on my face which is supposed to heal the cell renewal process and again stimulate collagen.
To At the end, my whole body felt relaxed, but it's hard to tell what all this culminates in. Dr. Lauren Streicher, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University and host of the Menopause podcast, is skeptical when it comes to claims that spa treatments will reduce menopausal symptoms. Dr. Streicher warns women to beware of medical claims made by spas. "It's okay if you want to talk to other menopausal women, share information and get support," she said. “The problem is when the information is presented as if it were scientific. It can be manipulative to say that a smoothie will make your vagina less dry. »
A growing number of spas and resorts are offering programs targeting the changes associated with perimenopause and menopause. The biggest benefit might be the ability to bond with other women going through the same thing.
With increasing numbers of women approaching the age of change hormones — by 2025, approximately 1.1 billion women worldwide will have experienced menopause. The travel industry is catering to a new niche: women who want help managing everything from hot flashes to mood swings, perhaps with a few classic spa treatments.
< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Menopause-focused offerings vary widely, from mindfulness techniques and herbal remedies to nutritional counseling and exercise. Sometimes the most important activity is simply the opportunity to connect with other women facing the same issues, experts say. “There is great healing and great discovery when a group of people go through a similar situation,” said Melissa Biggs Bradley, founder and CEO of Indagare, a membership-based travel agency that recently announced her first quarantine and menopause retreat.< /p>At the Six Senses Hotel & Spa in Portugal's Douro Valley, I recently attended a bespoke retreat of three days against menopause to treat my night sweats, migraines, joint pain and mood swings, and to better understand the hormonal roller coaster I've been through (rooms from 850 euros). After a health check, I received a tailored program to nourish and balance my aging and changing body. First, a personalized weight training session – squats, lunges, planks and exercises with resistance bands – to remedy my joint pain and strengthen my bones.
For my excessively dry skin I was given a collagen boosting facial - collagen production goes down with loss of estrogen that accompanies menopause - filled with serums and a mask for hydration. To reduce inflammation, I shivered on a daily cold dive, followed by 15 minutes in an infrared sauna. The finale was a 30-minute bio-hacking treatment, during which I wore thigh-high compression boots – think pulsating, vibrating currents running up and down your legs – to improve lymphatic drainage and relax muscles. sore; listened to a guided meditation with headphones while wearing an eye mask; and I experienced infrared light stimulation on my face which is supposed to heal the cell renewal process and again stimulate collagen.
To At the end, my whole body felt relaxed, but it's hard to tell what all this culminates in. Dr. Lauren Streicher, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University and host of the Menopause podcast, is skeptical when it comes to claims that spa treatments will reduce menopausal symptoms. Dr. Streicher warns women to beware of medical claims made by spas. "It's okay if you want to talk to other menopausal women, share information and get support," she said. “The problem is when the information is presented as if it were scientific. It can be manipulative to say that a smoothie will make your vagina less dry. »
What's Your Reaction?
