In Iceland, I paid $11 for access to the outdoor recreation complex in Akureyri, the country’s second largest city, to swim laps and wind down in geothermal pools with locals as we scanned the starry winter skies together.
The relaxing experience illustrates two keys to bargain wellness travel: Go where practices are integral to the culture — Iceland has roughly 120 public pools — and pursue a D.I.Y. practice, like snuggling up to a hot-tub jet, rather than paying a masseuse for stress relief.
Wellness travel is booming, projected to account for $1 trillion worldwide this year, according to the research nonprofit Global Wellness Institute. That spending is expected to grow to $4 trillion by 2029.
Wellness mania has brought public yoga classes to cities from Auckland to Zurich. The Hilton Hotels group furnishes “wellness rooms” with aromatherapy and, sometimes, Peloton bikes. Romer House Waikiki in Hawaii offers complimentary sound baths to guests floating in the pool, and Dawn Ranch, in Guerneville, Calif., conducts free forest-bathing programs.
Despite the mass appeal of wellness, the industry has increasingly aligned itself with luxury, spawning high-end longevity clinics and $300-an-hour spa services.
“There are two contradictory trends in wellness travel: high-tech, medically driven diagnostic retreats and simpler, more affordable, authentic, social and emotional destinations,” said Beth McGroarty, the vice president of research at the Global Wellness Institute. “It’s never been a more polarized market in terms of costs and goals.”
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How to Create Your Own Affordable Wellness Vacation
