Wellness Retreats Are Catering to the Thing We’ve All Lost: Sleep

When I check into Hotel Figueroa in downtown Los Angeles, I’m about an hour recovered from food poisoning. So it’s safe to say I’m exhausted. 

That’s semi-good news, because I’m here to experience the hotel’s new “Rest & Recovery Suite,” where the mattress tracks your sleep and an array of wellness tools are at your fingertips. I will not let some bad taco meat stop me. I’m ready to rejuvenate. 

Tanveer Badal

A sign with two arrows greets me as I open the door. To the left, “Rest.” To the right, “Recovery.” I start to my right. An expansive living and dining room, anchored by possibly the largest television I’ve ever seen, opens up to a small kitchen, where I find packets of Beam’s Elevate Hydration + Energy Mix, full of electrolytes and beetroot. (To say I hastily added it to fresh spring water before gulping it down is an understatement.) The rest of the afternoon is spent discovering new rituals in every corner of the suite, from the bedroom mirror that turns into a digital yoga trainer to the array of body massagers and compression wraps that quite honestly make my legs feel better than they have in days.

But really, it’s the dedicated time spent focusing on myself that feels the most healing. For those who can afford such a getaway, the solo excursion creates space to reset and recharge; an anomaly thanks to years of non-stop work and emotional ups and downs courtesy of the pandemic. When I snuggle under the covers that night, I kind of don’t care that I can’t figure out how to set up the mattress technology because I have a whole bed to myself. 

More from this issue:

• How Seth Rogen Turned Meditative Practices into Houseplant’s Homewares
• Booze-Free Bars and Shops Are Finally Gaining Momentum in the West
• Warmer Weather Is Around the Corner: Your February and March Garden Checklist
• These Wellness Getaways Offer Next-Level Spots to Soak
• New Nostalgia Is on the Menu at Seattle’s Hottest Filipino Restaurant

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Hotel Figueroa is one of many spots across the West that are catering to that thing we’ve all lost in recent years. More than half of respondents to a survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine reported an increase in problems with their sleep during the pandemic. In Hawaii, for example, luxury retreat Sensei Lanai offers a five-day wellness program where you’re invited to wear a wristband that tracks your circadian rhythm. Meanwhile, in Beverly Hills, you can step inside a cryotherapy chamber at The Beverly Hilton’s Upgrade Labs to kickstart a three-part treatment designed to improve sleep.

With travel grinding to a halt amid the pandemic, and many trips canceled or postponed, a lot of people have spent significant time thinking about—and saving for—their next vacation. If you’re looking to splurge on your first getaway in months, maybe years, here are a few retreats with special offers to help you get extra Zs.

THE BEVERLY HILTON

CALIFORNIA

Zeke Ruelas

At the hotel’s Upgrade Labs, billed as a “biohacking human upgrade facility,” the Road Warrior Retreat is an hour-long service in three parts: cryotherapy, an infrared sauna, and compression. Its aim is to improve circulation and sleep, and you don’t have to be a guest to book.

BOULDERS RESORT & SPA SCOTTSDALE

ARIZONA

Courtesy of Boulders Resort & Spa Scottsdale

You don’t have to be a guest at the resort to book a “Desert Dreams” massage, a 50-minute treatment in which spa staff combine chamomile-infused oils and lavender to ease tension in your scalp and face with the hope of relieving insomnia.

HOTEL FIGUEROA

CALIFORNIA

Tanveer Badal

If you just need a night (or two) away from it all, a new “Rest & Recovery” suite at the Los Angeles hotel is ideal for a solo getaway. Indulge in an array of body massagers and compression wraps, or enjoy an in-room yoga session. Then snuggle into bed, where the mattress can track your sleep.

ROSEWOOD MIRAMAR BEACH

CALIFORNIA

Courtesy of Rosewood Miramar Beach

The Montecito hotel launched a two-night series of “Alchemy of Sleep” retreats this month that will last through June, featuring sleep suites with temperature-personalized beds and weighted blankets, aromatherapy spa treatments, meditations, herbal teas, and more.

SENSEI LĀNA’I

HAWAII

Robb Aaron Gordon

Expect a wristband in the mail after you book a five-day wellness program at this luxe resort on the island of Lanai; it’ll be used to track your sleep onsite. (Plus, you’ll get a one-year membership to use the technology.) At the retreat, work with a guide to craft a plan to improve your circadian rhythm.

THE GREEN O

MONTANA

Courtesy of The Green O

Take your forest bathing to the next level at this new retreat within Paws Up Ranch; a 23-foot-high Tree Haus boasts floor-to-ceiling views of the sprawling woodlands, sure to relax your mind as you settle into bed or take a long, relaxing soak in your private outdoor hot tub.