From mindful eating to fun workouts, this 5-day wellness retreat reshaped the way I think about health and travel.
What is a Hilton Head wellness retreat really like?
Senior consumer travel reporter Eve Chen explores Hilton Head Health’s wellness retreat in South Carolina.
- The wellness tourism market is growing significantly and is predicted to reach $1.4 trillion by 2029.
- Wellness resorts like Hilton Head Health offer guests customizable fitness classes, workshops, and healthy eating schedules.
- The program emphasizes a sustainable approach to health, focusing on whole foods and consistent exercise, rather than an “all or nothing” mentality.
HILTON HEAD, SC – My relatives have a term for when you eat so much that you have to sit at a 45-degree angle. It’s called “eating” and it’s my natural state after a big meal.
In fact, I spend most of my time sedentary, eating breakfast and lunch at my desk while I work, and spending my evenings on the couch.
I know that’s not good for me, but Holly Tolke, fitness manager at Hilton Head Health, told me this during a recent stay at an all-inclusive wellness resort in South Carolina.
More and more travelers are turning to wellness destinations to improve or maintain their health. The wellness tourism market has more than doubled in size, from $438 billion in 2012 to $894 billion in 2024, and is projected to reach $1.4 trillion by 2029, according to data from the nonprofit Global Wellness Institute and analysis by travel research experts PhocusWright and its sister company Web in Travel.
Here’s how my first wellness retreat moved me.
Choose your own adventure
I didn’t know what to expect before I arrived. I imagined a rehab facility or some kind of religious retreat I had attended. There, everyone works together on a given activity.
There are special seminars for guests attending Hilton Head Health’s GLP-1 Support or Longevity-focused Blue Zones Experience, but for the most part, guests choose what they want to do from the array of services offered each day. When classes are not in session, you can also use the resort’s equipment and facilities on your own.
For our first full day there, we opted for a 1-hour aqua exercise class, a 45-minute yoga class, 3 workshops totaling 2.5 hours, and a 1-hour cooking demonstration. Without the usual responsibilities and distractions at home, I still had time and energy for a three-mile bike ride to the beach, 30 minutes on the treadmill, and a long, leisurely dinner. There I got to meet the first of several new friends who made my experience even more memorable.
It’s okay to do nothing. We met some guests who were just resting. There is no one monitoring the place other than the staff checking to make sure guests are enjoying themselves and have everything they need.
While some activities, such as cooking classes, spa treatments, private lessons, and some outings, cost extra, most activities are included in the all-inclusive rate, which starts at just over $3,900 for a seven-night experience in a single Comfort King room at the on-site Sweetgrass Inn. Prices vary depending on length of stay, time of year and accommodation selection.
start moving
Guests can do as much or as little as they like, but Hilton Head Health offers some recommendations.
One is to take a short, slow, heated walk after every meal to get your metabolism going, rather than going into a food coma like I always do.
Another recommendation is to try different types of movements and exercises. I already knew I loved yoga, but I also enjoyed a drum fit class where you hit a balance ball with drumsticks to the beat of loud music, a TRX strength class where you used your own body weight for resistance, and trying out tai chi on the beach.
“Everyone can find something, a way of getting around that they enjoy, and I think that’s what’s great about this place,” said Anne Poirier, director of behavioral health at Hilton Head Health.
Instructors make sure everyone feels supported, regardless of their level, and are happy to provide additional clarification or correction as needed.
“We have a variety of skills and abilities that come to play here,” Tolke said. “Some people may have had multiple knee or hip surgeries. We offer a pool. We also offer chair yoga for those who can’t move easily on the floor.”
Everyone is so focused on their own health efforts that no one bats an eye when I choose the lightest free weights possible for an upper-body sculpting class or go overtime on dance cardio.
“If anything, everyone will be rooting for you because we’re all here for the same purpose: to get stronger, to get better, to learn,” Torke said.
eat well
Meal times are similarly diverse. Our menu changes every few days and always features fresh, whole, plant-based ingredients. During my stay, options included street corn avocado toast for breakfast, yellowfin tuna sushi bowl for lunch, and beef kabab with garlic and herbs for dinner, all loaded with vegetables.
Everything was handmade by the chef and delicious.
“If it doesn’t taste good, people won’t keep eating it,” says Elizabeth Huggins, registered dietitian, nutritionist, and certified diabetes educator at Hilton Head Health. “Before I came here, I was always in the hospital, and I would definitely hear, ‘If it tastes good, spit it out,’ which is sad. Or, ‘If it’s healthy, it probably tastes like cardboard,’ and that’s not true at all.”
It was easy to make good choices at this resort as there are no bad options.
Drink selection is usually limited to water (flat, sparkling, or infused), iced tea, hot tea, coffee, espresso drinks, and V8.
Sugar and salt are only available on request, while stevia and spices are always stocked at the coffee station.
Dessert will only be served twice a week.
In between meals, we offer pre-portioned snacks such as fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, yogurt, hard-boiled eggs, and peanut butter hummus. I liked it so much that I asked for the recipe and made it as soon as I got home.
food for thought
Guests will also be given food for thought with workshops on topics such as mindfulness, self-compassion over self-criticism, and finding the whys and hows of getting better sleep.
Poirier points out that health is about more than diet and exercise. She helps guests connect the dots between thoughts, feelings, and actions, and tries to prepare guests for continued progress when they leave.
“It’s not all-or-nothing. I think food culture is all-or-nothing,” she said. “I use this word almost every once in a while. So I mainly eat like this and sometimes I have pizza. That way, if you use quantity and frequency, frequency and quantity, you can really make it more sustainable.”
She said the same goes for movement.
“Can we separate exercise from body shape, size and weight? Because in our culture, those two things go together, and then all of a sudden you need to exercise, you have to do it, and that can influence the way you think about exercise,” she said. Instead of the old adage “no pain, no gain,” she suggests, “Just move. The best move is the one you’re going to make.”
“That’s what we’re talking about here,” she said. “Change your perspective on food, then change your perspective on exercise, and finally change your perspective on yourself.”
my time
Throughout my five-night stay, I thought a lot about myself and what I wanted my future to be. I want to be healthy, agile and strong.
According to the National Institutes of Health, our bodies naturally begin to lose muscle mass at age 30 and lose 3 to 5 percent every 10 years thereafter.
“It’s our job and our responsibility to make sure that continues,” Tolke said. “That doesn’t mean you have to do bodybuilding all the time. Just incorporate some strength-building routines…whatever you can.”
Since my time there was limited, I tried to do as much as I could without overdoing it. Thanks to all the exercise and healthy eating, I feel better than I have in years. I wanted to feel that way forever.
In the two weeks since I left, I’ve splurged here and there, but I’ve tried to stick to it by sticking to mostly unprocessed foods, looking more closely at nutrition labels, and drinking more water. I don’t take any fitness classes, but I try to move a little bit every day and I bought some resistance bands to keep up my strength training. And there was no “evening”.
It’s a baby step, but it’s a beginning.
“There’s no right time to start a routine,” Tolke says. “Better late than never.”
USA TODAY reporter Eve Chen was provided access by Hilton Head Health. USA TODAY maintains editorial control of content.
This story has been updated to adjust formatting.
