These Iconic Wellness Retreats Should Be on Your Travel Bucket List
Well-known relaxation resources that truly live up to the hype.
Courtesy of Rancho La Puerta
The Sunset Wellness & Beauty Awards celebrate the rituals, retreats, and remedies that actually move the needle. These four locales are the 2026 winners of the Best Iconic Retreats category. Check out the complete list of winners here. For our definitive and searchable guide to wellness in the West, click here.
Royal Palms Resort and Spa
Royal Palms Resort and Spa
A premier well-being destination in the greater Phoenix and Scottsdale area for over 75 years. The resort’s Mediterranean–inspired design, outdoor showers, and that restorative desert air coalesce in a space that bridges past and present. Opt for a Desert Sage Salt Stone Massage featuring warmed Himalayan pink salt stones, or simply practice yoga and meditation in a setting that soothes and heals.
Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa
Courtesy of Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa
This historic, 53-acre perch offers a Sanctuary Spa with 12 indoor and outdoor treatment rooms opening onto a Zen meditation garden, reflection pond, and co-ed quiet room. Therapies range from the Golden Lotus Balancing Ritual and Coconut Sumatra Body Ritual to Zen Shiatsu and Luk Pra Kope (Thai herbal massage). For more intensity, try Cycle Sculpt—Keiser-bike cardio plus strength—or hike nearby Echo Canyon.
Rancho La Puerta
Courtesy of Rancho La Puerta
Founded in 1940 at the base of Mount Kuchumaa in Tecate, Mexico, “The Ranch” spans 4,000 acres and offers about 40 classes daily—yoga, Pilates, TRX, pickleball, forest bathing, dance, birding, and advanced hikes—plus sunrise breakfast walks to its six-acre organic farm. Specialty weeks bring authors, musicians, artists, MDs, and other experts. A pioneering destination fitness resort that still sets the bar.
Golden Door
Thomas J. Story
Midway between San Diego and Los Angeles, this 600-acre sanctuary blends ancient healing with modern practice, supported by a biointensive farm. Dedicated women’s weeks, men’s weeks, and select co-ed food and wine weeks are intentionally structured to recharge and transform. Golden Door donates 100% of net profits to aligned causes, pairing luxury with purpose and a clear mission for impact.
