But now that I’m approaching 40, a booze-filled, jam-packed vacation has lost its appeal. As I enter middle age, my focus has shifted to establishing habits that will keep my mind and body healthy for the next four decades—and hopefully beyond. So when I was invited to go on The Proper Hotel’s first-ever wellness retreat, I was intrigued.
The retreat was to celebrate the launch of a new partnership between The Proper (which has locations in Santa Monica, Austin and Miami Beach, among other cities) and Hundred Health, a new integrative health company that creates individualized health plans based on one’s bloodwork and health goals. The idea behind the trip was to help retreat-goers learn more about their personal health and spend the weekend jumpstarting new, healthy habits, which could be continued once they were back home.
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What Is a Longevity Vacation?
“We're seeing a significant shift in how travelers approach wellness and incorporate it into their travel plans. I think there is a growing awareness around how travel itself is becoming a mental and physical health measure that can dramatically improve our quality of life as we age,” Duffy tells Parade.
“One type of longevity vacation is going to wellness-oriented hotels that have more of a spa focus,” she explains, noting that this type of longevity vacation is focused on recharging and resetting. Getting a treatment done at a local spa is a way to experience this type of longevity vacation if your time or resources are more limited. In both cases, you're taking a step to prioritize rest and reduce stress.
After all, managing stress and getting proper rest are both scientifically shown to be very important for longevity. One 2020 study published in Biomedicines found that chronic stress accelerates cellular aging. And a 2025 study published in Sleep Advances found that insufficient sleep was a top driver of a lower life expectancy.
Tenzer says that the second type of longevity vacations is more clinical in nature. Like the trip I was going on, it may involve having bloodwork done, meeting with a functional medicine doctor or being given a dietary and exercise protocol to follow while you’re there. She adds that, often, these regimented programs last a full week or longer. The idea behind them is that you spend the trip learning longevity-supporting tools you can stick to long-term.
Emily Laurence
Whichever type of longevity vacation you choose, the key, both experts say, is coming home with new habits you can integrate into your daily life.
Learning about this growing trend made me more excited to pack my bags and experience it for myself.
My Experience Taking a Longevity Vacation
The Proper’s wellness retreat spanned three days and took place at their Santa Monica hotel. Before my trip, I had to download the Hundred app and get bloodwork and urine tests done. That way, the results would be ready for me to go over with Hundred’s CEO, integrative medicine doctor, Dr. Eve Henry, MD, once I got there. I was surprised at how easy the testing was. I went to a local Quest Diagnostics lab, did my blood and urine tests and that was it. Since the tests were covered through Hundred, I didn’t need to show my insurance card and wouldn’t be billed.
Smith explains that hotel guests who are just visiting can download the Hundred app as part of their stay, though they will have to pay Hundred’s user fee. They can either get their bloodwork done before their trip (like I did) or someone will come straight to their hotel room and do it on-site when they get there. And hotel guests can, of course, use all of the wellness offerings too, just like The Proper’s club members.
After meeting with Dr. Henry, I also met with Martha Soffer, an Ayurvedic practitioner, chef and herbalist who oversees The Proper’s spa. Other retreat-goers told me she’s highly sought after, including by celebrities. Soffer’s office, located in the hotel’s spa, had an entire wall full of herbs, which she prescribed the way Western doctors prescribe medicine.
Like any retreat, there was built-in time to mingle with other retreat goers over drinks and meals. There were also two panels, both focused on longevity, including one dedicated to caring for skin as you age. From talking to the other retreat-goers, it was clear that everyone was excited about one specific offering in particular: the hotel’s Ammortal chamber, a $159,000 red light therapy bed.
Emily Laurence
I was able to try the Ammortal chamber myself as part of the retreat. Lying on the transparent bed, I was led through a meditation during the session. The red lights are very, very bright. Even with protective eye coverings, I shielded my eyes with my hands. But the chamber’s tech told me not to worry. “The red light is actually good for your eyes,” he said.
While I didn’t notice an immediate difference after my session, I do believe in the science behind red light therapy and liked the opportunity to support my cells in a way I couldn’t back home. Anyone staying at the hotel can book the Ammortal chamber, but you do have to pay between $90 and $125, depending on how long you want your session to be.
While lying in an Ammortal chamber or getting an IV drip are pretty out-there as far as vacation activities go, there were some more traditional activities that were part of the trip. One morning, the retreat goers did an outdoor workout together. Everyone also had their own spa treatment. Mine was a four-handed Ayurvedic massage using warm oils. My skin was glowing afterward!
Even though the trip was only three days, it was a helpful reset. I left the retreat armed with new scientific knowledge about how to support my body as well as the Hundred 100-day protocol to follow, which included diet and lifestyle habits tailored to support my health based on my test results. This reassured me that the healthy habits I followed during the retreat wouldn’t end there; I could keep them up long after the photos were buried on my Instagram feed.
Related: The 15 Best Yoga Retreats for Women Over 50
Emily Laurence
“Get hyper-specific about what you want,” Tenzer says. She points out that what’s great about wellness travel being so popular is that many hotels and resorts are creating features and itineraries with it in mind. If you’re a fitness junkie, for example, narrowing your search to focus on places that tout great hiking trails, outdoor activities or exercise classes is a great place to start.
Related: 6 Incredible Places To Practice Yoga That Aren’t a Studio
If you have limited time and are on a budget, plan a longevity vacation day or weekend while staying local. For example, if your focus is rest, spend a few hours enjoying the amenities at a local spa and treat yourself to a peaceful walk in nature. You may even commit to doing a nature walk once a week as a way to integrate this longevity-supporting habit into your regular routine.
Both travel experts reiterate that thinking about how you will integrate aspects of your longevity vacation into your daily life is key and should be considered when you do your trip planning. “This is one of the most important aspects of longevity travel; it needs to translate into your everyday life, otherwise it's just a temporary escape,” Duffy says.
As longevity vacations continue to gain in popularity, you’ll have more destinations to choose from. Instead of coming back from your next trip completely drained, this experience will leave you feeling refreshed and just might add years to your life.
Related: The One Exercise Mistake Longevity Experts Are Begging People Over 50 To Stop Making
Sources:
Brittany Duffy, travel expert with ER Go Ahead ToursJen Tenzer, founder of female solo travel planning company The SoloistYegorov, Y. E., Poznyak, A. V., Nikiforov, N. G., et al. (2020). The Link between Chronic Stress and Accelerated Aging.Biomedicines. 8(7):198McAuliffe, K. E., Wary, M. R., Pleas, G. V., et al. (2025). Sleep insufficiency and life expectancy at the state-county level in the United States, 2019-2025. Sleep Advances. 6(4):zpaf090Dr. Eve Henry, MD, integrative medicine doctor and CEO of Hundred HealthTyler Smith, founder of Hundred HealthMartha Soffer, Ayurvedic practioner, chef, herbalist and founder of Surya at The Proper Hotel Santa Monica Brian Le Gette, CEO at Ammortal Mehmel, M., Jovanović, N., Spitz, U. (2020). Nicotinamide Riboside—The Current State of Research and Therapeutic Uses.Nutrients. 12(6):1616 Conlon, N. J. (2021). The Role of NAD+ in Regenerative Medicine. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. 150(4 Suppl):41S-48S.Hence then, the article about i took a longevity vacation here s what i learned and how you can book one too was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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