October is Menopause Awareness Month, putting a renewed spotlight on the health, well-being and everyday experiences of women navigating perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause.
For many women, a restorative trip may mean more than a spa weekend. Sleep, privacy, stress relief, gentle movement and access to women’s healthcare all emerged as priorities in new research examining what women would actually want from a menopause retreat.
Womea, a menopause health platform, analyzed 73 U.S. destinations to identify the places best positioned for a menopause retreat, comparing wellness, fitness accessibility and women’s health measures using spa, yoga studio, gym and OB-GYN listings alongside U.S. Census population data. Womea also surveyed 1,000 U.S. women aged 40 and older in September 2026 to understand their interest in menopause retreats, preferred activities and amenities, dream destinations and how much they would be willing to spend.
Key Takeaways:
Sun Valley, Idaho, ranks as America’s No. 1 destination for a menopause retreat, followed by Blowing Rock, North Carolina, at No. 2 and Malibu, California, at No. 3. North Shore, Hawaii, and Kauai, Hawaii, complete the top five.
Nearly half of women aged 40 and older, 46.6%, said they were interested in a menopause retreat, compared with just 4.2% who said they had attended, booked or planned one. That means more than 11 times as many women expressed interest as had already taken steps toward one.
Women would spend an average maximum of $648 on a three-night menopause retreat that included a private room, meals and wellness activities. The median maximum budget was lower at $500.
Spa services were the most requested retreat feature, selected by 56.3% of women, followed closely by uninterrupted sleep at 53.1% and stress-reduction sessions at 52.9%.
Comfort and privacy are major priorities too. Nearly half wanted a private room and time alone, 49%, while 48.7% wanted temperature-controlled rooms. Sleep coaching appealed to 27%, while 26% selected blackout curtains.
When it comes to activities, 69% of women chose yoga or gentle stretching and 65% wanted hiking or guided nature walks. Swimming or water exercise appealed to 57%, while 49% selected strength training.
Hawaii dominates women’s menopause retreat wish lists. Lānaʻi was the most-selected dream destination at 24.9%, narrowly beating the Big Island at 24.7%. Asheville followed at 14.6%, Aspen at 14.5%, Sedona at 13.3% and Palm Beach at 10.1%.
Where women dream of going and which destinations perform best in the study are strikingly different. Lānaʻi is women’s No. 1 dream destination but ranks just No. 66 overall, while the Big Island ranks No. 30 and Asheville ranks No. 45. Of the six most-selected dream destinations, only Sedona at No. 15 and Palm Beach at No. 17 make the study’s top 20.
Sun Valley is the only destination to rank No. 1 for both wellness and fitness accessibility, while overall runner-up Blowing Rock ranks No. 2 in both categories. Sun Valley also recorded the study’s highest calculated rates for spas, yoga studios and gyms.
Malibu reaches No. 3 overall despite ranking No. 35 for wellness and No. 60 for fitness accessibility, helped by its No. 1 ranking on the women’s health measure. Rhinebeck, New York, ranks No. 2 for women’s health, followed by North Shore, Hawaii, at No. 3.
The 10 best destinations for a menopause retreat are Sun Valley, Idaho; Blowing Rock, North Carolina; Malibu, California; North Shore, Hawaii; Kauai, Hawaii; Naples, Florida; Rhinebeck, New York; Park City, Utah; Woodstock, Vermont; and Lake Placid, New York.
At the other end of the ranking, Nashville, Tennessee, finishes last at No. 73, followed by San Diego, California, at No. 72 and Austin, Texas, at No. 71. Tucson, Arizona, and Colorado Springs, Colorado, tie at No. 69; Lānaʻi, Hawaii, St. George, Utah, and The Berkshires, Massachusetts, tie at No. 66; Whidbey Island, Washington, ranks No. 65; and Seattle, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, tie at No. 63. Because of ties, the bottom 10 ranking positions contain 11 destinations.
No comments:
Post a Comment