The Best Wellness Retreats in California

Imagine waking up to a raspberry-colored sunrise, projected onto the rounded contours of the Alabama Hills in the Sierra Nevada. This trip will take you there. On this three-day, female-only retreat at Whitney Base Camp and Climbing School, your instructors Amy and Casey will host daily hatha yoga sessions and mindfulness exercises, plus teach you how to rock climb. Enjoy campfire dinners with new friends.

In the real world, it’s difficult to avoid screens and be present. This digital detox escape is the cleanse you need. Run by SoCal Wellness Retreats, enjoy open-air yoga classes, hikes and meditation sessions inside the 2,000 acre (809ha) Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. In the comfort of the Serenity Estate Ranch in Ramona, learn about the benefits of a plant-based diet while eating nutritious meals.

Sometimes, all you need is a quick reboot to feel balanced again. This four-day retreat is short and intimate. Arrive at Santa Barbara Yoga Centre, which was established in 1992 and is now one of the leading yoga studios in California, ready to deepen your practice across eight styles including vinyasa, kundalini and yin. There is also an opportunity to enjoy massage, sauna and acupuncture. The center is very close to beautiful beaches and you will have your own private practice space.

Meet your spiritual teachers Memo Ozdogan and Jennifer Robinson, co-founder of Love is the Prize, a sustainable spiritual coaching retreat center in Santa Ysabel. This four-day Find Your Secret Key Yoga and Detox Retreat includes group discussions, sound baths and daily detox drinks. Their aim is for you to leave with a life-is-good attitude. Embrace your inner hippy and sing songs around a campfire each night.

Are you craving a total mind, body and soul rest? This four-day self-development retreat offers just that. Get ready to change your perspective, guided by instructor Katharine Hargreaves, an LA-based culture alchemist, writer and transformational facilitator. Enjoy outdoor yoga sessions, self-development workshops and one-to-ones with Katherine. The retreat takes place in the tumble-weed solitude of Joshua Tree desert and is capped to 10 people.

Three days of twice daily outdoor yoga sessions, long walks on Avila Beach, soaks in natural hot springs and delicious dinners made using ingredients from the chef’s own garden. Pretty dreamy, right? Your experienced yoga teachers Jahan and Demi come from Hollywood studio Ella Yoga; now hosting this retreat in San Luis Obispo, one of the oldest towns in California. As well as yoga, there’ll be hikes, massages and horse riding.

There’s nothing basic about this luxurious yoga, hiking and breath retreat in San Diego. Stay at the gorgeous Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines resort. Join guided meditative hikes along cliff trails and spiritually uplifting yoga sessions on white sugary beaches. Your compassionate teachers Amber and Lance care deeply for your wellbeing and believe healing comes from being near the ocean. Expect nourishing and delicious plant-based meals.