Have you experienced a retreat with other women? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Whenever I get stressed out, I seek out the water. Maybe it comforts me because it reminds me of childhood memories on the Jersey Shore, being lulled to sleep by the waves rocking my grandfather’s boat. Or perhaps the salty smell of the water brings back happy days with my father, now one of the ancestors, teaching me how to fish.
While I may never know for certain why the water fills me with peace, I do know I’m not the only one who feels this way. Throughout history, many civilizations have used water for healing purposes. And research published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that when study participants gazed at a body of water, they became more relaxed, and their blood pressure and heart rates decreased.
“There’s healing power in the flow of the ocean,” says Kristen Guillory, a mental health professional and self-care advocate. Guillory is one of many Black women entrepreneurs building businesses that help other Black women heal at water-based retreats. If getting away with other Black women to commune, relax and relate by the water sounds appealing, here are some upcoming retreats that might work for you.
Empower Her Nature Retreat, Catskill Mountains, NY, August 20, 2025 – August 24, 2025
blackwomensyogaco.com/catskillsretreat
Grab your yoga mat and wind down before heading into the busyness of the fall with a long weekend of yoga, meditation, sound baths and other activities to support healing. Water activities such as swimming, kayaking and canoeing allow you to connect with nature in the backdrop of the Catskill Mountains. The Black Women’s Yoga Collective, a global community that aims to create wellness spaces for Black women, describes the getaway as an opportunity to “make friends and share in collective creativity and healing with a supportive community of women.”
Read on aarp.org: 10 Affordable Beach Towns
Enjoy sun, sand and surf in these cities without breaking the bank
Me Season Quarterly Retreat Series, Martha’s Vineyard, September 26, 2025 – September 28, 2025
holistree.com/meseasonretreats
Rakita Lillard-Brown came up with the idea of ‘Me Season,’ a year-long opportunity for Black women to make self-care a priority. As part of the experience, she came up with a series of retreats for each season. This fall, she’s hosting one in Martha’s Vineyard, where women will be able to reflect on the year and prepare goals for 2026. “What I love most about these retreats is the intentionality,” wrote Marissa D., a previous attendee. “I always feel like they’ve created the moment exactly for me.”
Black Women Healing Retreats, Caribbean Region of Costa Rica, October 5, 2025 – October 11, 2025, and November 5, 2025 – November 11, 2025
https://blackwomenhealingretreats.com/
When Satya X. moved to Costa Rica from New York, she saw women of other races and ethnicities exploring healing modalities such as breathwork, meditation, being in nature and wading in the river. “I wanted to bring Black women to experience that,” she says, so she founded Black Women Healing Retreats to create nurturing events for her community. Water activities include surfing and a waterfall hike. The water component just adds to the sense of reverence, she says. “When you’re in the ocean, I feel like you can tune out everything else because it’s so vast. It’s so big. It reminds you that you’re this thing in this world, you’re in it, but you’re not of it.” Past attendee Paige Fluker wrote of the retreat: “Each activity, workshop, exercise, etc., built upon our previous teachings, truly aligned with the mission of helping women of color heal and reach our highest self.”
The Sabbatical Experience hosted by Dr. Kristen Guillory, Santorini, Greece – an island in the Aegean Sea, November 1, 2025 – November 11, 2025
kristenguillory.com/sabbatical-experience
Guillory has been hosting wellness retreats for Black women since 2023, along with her sister Danielle Anderson, a doula and wellness coach. In addition to offering breathwork, yoga and deep conversations, the retreats include some time spent near water. The Sabbatical Experience plays on the word ‘Sabbath,’ or day of holiness and rest. Unsurprisingly, one of the main goals of the retreat is to give participants the chance to stop everything and nurture themselves. Other activities include conscious movement and an intentional dreaming experience to promote clarity.
OMNoire Friendsgiving Retreat, Tanzania and Zanzibar, November 22, 2025 – November 29, 2025
omnoire.com/pages/christinarice_africa
If you don’t have big family plans this Thanksgiving, consider celebrating a Friendsgiving instead. This event is designed to celebrate the connections we make with others who aren’t bound to us by blood. In addition to spending time with like-minded people, you can tour Tanzania and Zanzibar and get a feel for day-to-day life in East Africa. Even if you don’t arrive with friends, you’ll likely leave with a new sense of community. Activities include a beach day by the water, a catamaran boat party and a cultural healing vision workshop. OMNoire founder Christina Rice writes, “This retreat is not just about traveling to breathtaking places but also about deepening our relationships, celebrating our unique journeys, and taking time to recharge in an environment where we can be fully ourselves.”
Finding The Right Retreat For You
Not sure which type of getaway is your perfect fit? These tips can help you choose:
Decide how you want to spend your time. Some retreats may have a party vibe, while others may focus on wellness and spirituality.
Find a travel buddy—or not. Some women book mother-daughter retreats, some go with their girlfriends, but many go on retreats alone. Those who do may be more open to making new connections.
Do your research. Look up the backgrounds of the retreat founders. Have they held other retreats before? Look for proof that they have the skillset and knowledge to pull off a transformational experience before investing your money in a down payment.
Dig into the details. Look for a detailed agenda that lays out what you’ll be doing each day of the retreat. While you don’t have to know what will happen every hour, you should have a good idea of how you will be spending your time.
Consider your budget. Many retreats break the payments into installments to allow participants to budget for them. If you pay for the trip by a specific date, you may be able to take advantage of early bird discounts. If international locations don’t fit your budget, look for retreats in the United States—one may be within driving distance.
Whether domestic or international, wellness retreats allow us to live full lives and have meaningful relationships without sacrificing our health and inner peace.
Guillory says, “You deserve a space just for you, no matter how busy your day-to-day life.”
Have you experienced a retreat with other women? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
