Turning off is the hardest part of a vacation for a lot of women. I know this because I’m one of them, and if you’re honest with yourself, you probably are too. Looking relaxed and actually being relaxed aren’t the same thing, and most vacations only manage the first one (because did it really happen if you didn’t make it Instagram official?).
Black women carry a second layer of this problem that habit alone doesn’t explain. According to the Global Wellness Summit, Black women often say they don’t see themselves reflected in most wellness spaces, spas, and resorts, so even the act of showing up somewhere to rest can feel like work. Most retreats don’t account for what’s actually driving a Black woman toward burnout in the first place, whether that’s caring for aging parents or kids while still showing up for everyone else, the pressure of constantly overperforming at work, or just the exhaustion of moving through spaces that weren’t built with her in mind.
These retreats don’t ask her to unlearn a lifetime of busyness in one weekend (because if so, we would have all been there and done that). Instead, they channel it into movement, mentorship, or ceremony, and the rest takes care of itself.
For the woman who won’t rest until someone tells her it’s allowed
Jackie B. Grice built her Soul Sabbatical Retreats around a simple premise: Black women rest differently when faith is part of the process. She works as a certified purpose coach and wellness strategist, and her flagship event, the Soul Sabbatical ReFresHer Retreat, has run for several years, most recently gathering a few dozen women at Salamander Resort and Spa in Middleburg, Virginia (a property owned by Sheila Johnson, the first Black woman to reach billionaire status, which is also a flex of its own). Over the weekend, a spiritual leader walks guests through worship, one-on-one coaching sessions, and quiet stretches of prayer and movement.
For the woman whose idea of relaxing is a fuller schedule
Black women turned CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa into a go-to destination on our own, spreading the word through social media long before the resort caught on. What keeps us coming back is structure. CIVANA runs on more than a dozen complimentary movement classes a day, from aerial hikes and TRX to guided fitness sessions, organized around four pillars the resort calls Movement, Spa, Nourishment and Discovery. For a woman who can’t just sit still, a full day like that does more than an open afternoon ever could.
For the leader who’s tired of being the only one in the room
Asya Watkins founded Women Of Project Management and works as a certified wellness practitioner, and she built the Rest. Rise. Reclaim Retreat after years of showing up to leadership and wellness spaces and rarely seeing another Black woman there. The next retreat runs October 1 through 4, 2026, at Château Élan Winery in Braselton, Georgia, and it has nothing in common with a typical conference schedule. Guests spend their time on body movement, time in nature and soulful group dinners, with an opening circle that eases women into the group before the real unplugging starts.
For the woman who calls a HIIT class her version of a day off
Less structured retreat, and more getaway to rest style-retreat, Santa Monica Proper’s wellness model rewards a woman who can’t sit still. The hotel runs daily HIIT classes, bootcamps, tennis, and padel alongside its Ayurvedic Surya Spa, plus a recovery suite stocked with cold plunges, infrared saunas, and red light therapy. Guests can even opt into Proper Hundred, a 100-day program that starts with bloodwork and builds a full plan around movement and recovery that continues long after checkout. The property runs on a full daily rhythm, structured enough that even stopping feels like part of the plan.
For the woman who’d rather climb a waterfall than sit through a meditation
This one leans hardest into movement over stillness. The Black Women’s Wellness Retreat gathers a small group of twenty at a private resort in Runaway Bay, Jamaica, every late July, where the weekend runs on expert-led sessions covering everything from fitness and nutrition to wealth building and naturopathic care. The itinerary includes a waterfall climb, one more sign that this retreat runs on activity rather than rest in the traditional sense.
For the woman who wants her reset to come with a passport stamp
For an international option, Cali Mykonos takes the same movement-first approach and applies it to the Aegean coast. Its TERRA Wellness Club centers on an open-air gym, a reformer Pilates studio, padel and pickleball courts, and daily yoga, alongside a spa with a traditional sauna and cold plunge. The resort keeps guests moving through a full day of activity in a setting most people would otherwise spend lounging by the pool, which fits a woman who relaxes better when her hands and body have something to do.
For the woman who thinks better with her body moving
Mel Douglas founded the Black Women’s Yoga Collective in 2018 after noticing how few Black and brown women she saw in the wellness industry while building her own practice in South LA. The collective now runs retreats in scattered locations, from the California desert to Sedona and abroad to places like Bali, all centered on daily yoga and community. Spots are capped on purpose. That keeps the group small enough for women to actually let their guard down around each other.
For the woman who wants every hour of her rest planned for her
Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica‘s rotating Guest Practitioners Program packs more into a day than most luxury wellness residencies bother to. According to the resort, the lineup brings in outside experts for sessions built around movement, mindfulness, holistic therapy and native rituals, with the specific offerings changing depending on who’s leading a given stay. Paired with the property’s Indigenous-inspired spa treatments, which use volcanic clay and native herbs sourced from the surrounding region, a stay here comes with a level of structure most spa itineraries don’t bother with.