Menopause retreats are a budding sector of the wellness industry, and Black women are contributing to the trend’s growing visibility.
Menopause retreats focus on supporting one’s realignment with their hormones and body through the physical shift. The getaways offer activities to relieve or educate about menopause symptoms like hot flashes, moodiness, vaginal dryness, poor sleep, anxiety, and depression. Other goals of the retreats usually revolve around providing safe spaces and community for those going through the change.
“For those already interested in travel and wellness, the onset of menopause symptoms is just another reason to consider a spa or retreat visit,” noted a recent CNN article.
Author and body-inclusive health coach Samantha Montpetit-Huynh is a leader in the menopause retreat space. She specializes in midlife and the big change. She also hosts the Menopause, Melanin, and Aging Like A Queen podcast.
Her forthcoming seven-night Flip Flops and Hot Flashes Retreat will take place in Nosara, Costa Rica, in March 2025. She describes the curated experience as the “pause” women might not know they need. The trip promises a luxurious and relaxing experience where attendees “take back control” of their lives. Attendees will work on releasing negative ideas surrounding menopause and redefining hopes for the next portions of their lives.
Althea Lawton-Thompson is another titan in the space. The holistic wellness specialist’s Bali Healing Retreat focuses on healing ailments — including menopause — through plant medicines indigenous to Indonesia.
Moreover, Maticia Sudah of The Menopothecary advocates for sisterhood and knowledgeable “ascending” into the change. She promoted several retreats on social media, including her 2023 “Ascension of Life: Mastering Menopause” getaway in Portland, Jamaica. In a TikTok, Sudah claimed the event would include plant-based meals, luxury villa lodgings, and ways to address women’s midlife symptoms.
Why Are Menopause Retreats Important?
Notably, menopause is defined as the time in a woman’s life when her reproductive hormones decline and her menstruation stops. Perimenopause, or “around menopause,” can happen to adult women of any age and is described as the period the body transitions into menopause. Many women experience the latter in their 40s and 50s.
While there are common symptoms, every woman experiences the change uniquely. Having support and understanding during the shift is crucial, as is deeply connecting to one’s own body.
Wellness retreats like the aforementioned can help foster those ideals for a less intense shift and positive outlook toward the female life chapter.
