This year, reset your mind and body at these serene Florida wellness destinations
You’ve made your New Year’s resolutions, now it’s time to act on them. If you’re manifesting healthy habits, better fitness, or a glow-up in 2025, treat yourself to a self-care vacation in Florida, where sun, warm temperatures and beautiful beaches are the extra bonuses. From targeted wellness retreats, to serene spa days by the bay or ocean, and even authentic Turkish bathing delights, here’s where you can soak up all the “feel-good” vibes in Florida.
The Standard Spa Miami Beach
The OG spa-hotel, The Standard Spa Miami Beach, still remains the reigning queen of relaxation and wellness on Miami Beach. Though it’s located a hot-minute from the non-stop bustle of South Beach via the Venetian Causeway bridge, part of The Standard’s allure is its tucked-away setting on serene Belle Isle overlooking Biscayne Bay — and its adults-only policy. The Standard hosts in-house wellness retreats with professional practitioners throughout the year, or you can check-in for a wellness vacation or day-cation at the spa.
Hotel guests, or those who’ve booked a treatment at The Spa at The Standard (priced at $125 or more from Monday to Thursday; $250, Friday to Sunday), have access to the property’s lush grounds with hidden-away gardens and abundant amenities until 10 p.m. Begin a “me” day with a workout in the gym (or pay extra for a yoga class), and then spend a few hours in the Turkish-style hammam, alternating among the heated, multi-tiered stone benches, steam room, sauna and chilly ice room.
You can even bring your own bath potions (or buy it there) for a soak in one of the communal tubs. The treatment menu is extensive, with massages tailored to everything from deep pressure to calming sound healing and vibrations, and ancient bath rituals. A must-try treatment is the 150-minute Soul Temple treatment, which begins with a glorified bath and scrub down, followed by a fragrant oil massage, detoxifying clay polish and a bath soak in the hammam.
A real treat for spa guests is access to the bayfront infinity pool, where you’ll want to relax on a lounger under the hotel’s signature yellow umbrellas, and then hit the hot tub with a waterfall feature that pounds out any leftover shoulder knots. Hide out in the relaxation lounge to watch the palm trees sway and the yachts glide by from the huge bay window. As the day winds down, catch the sunset from a bayside lounger, sip on a mocktail at Lido Bayside Grill, and then kickback at the outdoor firepit lounge.
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Hürrem Hammam Wellness & Spa, North Miami
To experience an authentic Turkish bath experience that will make you feel like royalty, escape to the newly opened Hürrem Hammam Wellness & Spa in North Miami. As the only true Turkish hammam in the Southeast, this is as close as you’ll get to experiencing centuries-old Turkish traditions and Ottoman elegance in Florida. Expect to be impressed by Hürrem’s grand setting that’s dotted with trickling fountains, white-and-gold marble slabs, dangling chandeliers, and stylish cubbies with curtains for private relaxation.
Book a day pass (Monday-Thursday, $85; Friday-Sunday, $125), slip on a robe or peshtemal (Turkish bathing towel), and set aside several hours to enjoy blissful amenities like a salt therapy lounge, ice-cold arctic room and plunge pools, bubbling hot tubs, a steam room, rain shower and two different saunas. (We promise you’ll feel like a brand-new person after hitting the hot and cold circuit a few times.) They offer traditional bathing rituals, like cleansing and exfoliating body treatments that take place on heated marble slabs; and legit massages such as the 80-minute Hürrem Experience, which intermingles both Swedish and deep tissue techniques. End your pampering day at their on-site restaurant, Topkapi, which serves authentic Turkish cuisine.
The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island
Sometimes we need more than one day. If you’re in search of a focused wellness retreat, consider The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, which rests on a secluded slice of beach. And nature-rich Amelia Island makes it easy to sink into a meditative state.
The ritzy resort now flaunts a new 25,000-square-foot holistic Spa & Wellness Center, where they offer annual dedicated wellness retreats, along with personalized wellness journeys that focus on the mind, body (optimizing physicality and movement), and skin (healthy face and body). Think: exclusive treatments such as breathwork sessions and setting positive intentions, postural alignment, self-care body and skincare rituals and more. If you choose a full-day wellness retreat, you’re treated to three spa treatments, two wellness experiences like sleep therapy, forest bathing, light therapy, facial workouts and more, along with lunch and a take-home gift.
Set for Feb. 21-23, this year’s annual retreat is centered around longevity. During this three-day getaway, expect activities like yoga that encourages better sleep, bio-hacks such as red-light therapy and energy-healing sound baths, soothing beach walks and signature spa treatments. Guests will also receive a nutrition consultation aimed at eating better to live longer, along with healthful meals packed with superfoods.
Even if you don’t book a wellness retreat, you can still reap the benefits of a wellness recharge at the resort. Rent a bike to explore the island’s more than 40 bike paths, take a fitness class, or enjoy oceanfront yoga sessions. A favored spa treatment is The Awakening Bamboo massage, with a rhythmic blend of free-flowing bamboo massage movements designed to relieve tension.
Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa, Palm Coast
Another place for those seeking a Florida wellness getaway is the Hammock Beach Golf Resort & Spa, a coastal-chic resort in Palm Coast that’s located minutes south of St. Augustine. This resort is popular for its tranquil perch on an unspoiled beach, a variety of accommodations that includes one-bedroom suites to four-bedroom condos, its signature golf courses that highlight the area’s scenery, and an incredible fantasy pool complex that features a lazy river and an adult’s-only pool. (Though, you may want to steal away to the hidden pool on the roof of the South Tower which overlooks the golf course.) There’s also tennis, pickleball and nine swimming pools for those who want to stay active.
The resort aims to hosts a wellness retreat once a quarter, ranging from skincare — they’re partnering with lauded Skin Authority for a January retreat — to golf and family-focused retreats. During these retreats, experiences will center around movement, educational sessions, spa services, healthy cuisine and more. If you can’t make a retreat, the resort offers 52 fitness classes a week, and the workout-obsessed can maintain their regular routines at the fitness center fitted with Peloton bikes and a spin studio. Also, the luxe spa touts anti-aging facials, decadent body wraps, and massages focused on relieving the aches and pains that come with an active lifestyle.
Thermae Retreat, Fort Lauderdale
Whether you’re looking for a rejuvenating day retreat (particularly, on a stopover before a cruise at the nearby Port), or you’re in search of a regular wellness membership, Thermae Retreat is worth discovering in Fort Lauderdale. Hidden away in a small white building that flaunts a secret garden, Thermae embraces the sauna life — the owner Kelly discovered the benefits of sauna stints while spending time in the Netherlands.
Thermae offers retreats centered around the mind, body and spirit; a bevy of treatments that range from massages, energy healing, body work and facials; and you can also book a day pass to enjoy the facilities. Sweat out toxins in one of the infrared saunas, enjoy more heat in a traditional Finnish sauna, brave the cold plunge tub, or simply do an ice-pour in the outdoor shower. Thermae’s treasure is its outdoor garden where you can zone out in a cushy chair to listen to the sounds of the wind chimes, read or even paint.
Desire more pampering? Indulge in a spa-cation at these top Florida hotels.
