Sweltering Miami might not seem like the obvious choice of a vacation destination for a woman battling hot flashes.
But menopausal women on the hunt for some relief from the deeply unglamorous chaos of midlife hormones are now willing to pack their roller bags — yes, even for a trip to Florida — to get some answers and personalized care.
Forget white-knuckling it in silence. Now, at places like Carillon Wellness Resort in Miami Beach, menopause comes with a robe, an ocean view and a plan.
The change — out from the shadows
Once relegated to jokes and hushed whispers, menopause and perimenopause have become hot topics in recent years thanks in part to honest conversations from stars like Halley Berry, Naomi Watts and Drew Barrymore.
Women are done treating menopause like some secret bodily betrayal. They are talking about the shift in their bodies more openly — and expecting actual answers.
The bad news is that menopause is often overlooked in traditional medical training. So when women come to their doctors looking for solutions to symptoms like hot flashes, brain fog and fatigue, the answers they receive frequently fall short.
“Most medical schools and residency programs do not require [menopause education],” said Dr. Maria Uloko, a urologist, sexual health specialist, and founder of MUMD Sexual Medicine Beverly Hills and CEO of VULVAi, a digital healthcare company building the infrastructure of pelvic health. “So we have an entire physician workforce that does not know how to diagnose, treat or even look for these symptoms.”
With an extra dose of pampering, luxury hotels and resorts are looking to fill the gap.
What exactly is a menopause retreat?
There is no single template for a menopause retreat. Some programs lean clinical, others are more spa-driven, and many fall somewhere in between.
At Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, the Inner Glow menopause and perimenopause retreat starts at $3,500 for four nights and includes diagnostic testing, hormonal consultations and customized treatment plans through The Biostation.
There’s also a fitness assessment designed to address common concerns associated with midlife health, plus amenities like a hydrotherapy circuit, massages, red light therapy, IV infusions, facials, a fitness assessment, biocell recharger session and a consult with a member of the biostation team.
Unlike some retreats built around set group dates, Inner Glow is a five-day, four-night individualized program that guests can book through the resort.
Tammy Pahel, vice president of spa and wellness operations at Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, told The Post that the genesis of the program came out of what guests were already requesting: “They were asking things like, ‘Do you have anything for this symptom? Or, ‘I’m experiencing this symptom. Do you have something that can help?’”
Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts also takes a comprehensive approach with its M/Power menopause and perimenopause retreats, starting at $5,500 for three nights. They include a women’s hormone panel, DEXA body composition and bone density analysis, virtual physician consultation, group programming, and meals — plus access to daily wellness activities like hydrotherapy, CR vitality recovery, group fitness classes and a full salon.
For a slightly less clinical experience, Miraval Arizona in Tucson starts at $799 per night and offers customizable women’s wellness programming focused on sexual health, menopause education, pelvic floor strengthening and sleep improvement, with classes like “Making Sense of Menopause” and “Better Sleep in Menopause.”
“It’s an opportunity to tune into not only how we survive this stage, but also how we can find pleasure and joy in our day to day lives,” Lyndi Rivers, an integrative wellness expert and sexuality educator at Miraval, previously told The Post. “This is the stage of life in which we need to get almost fierce about our own self care, as well as adding in a lot of kindness and compassion towards ourselves throughout the journey,”
Miraval guests also get access to their Life in Balance spa, equine therapy, yoga and fitness classes, in-room Tibetan singing bowls and meditation cushions.
In Sedona, Arizona, Mii Amo’s Power Through Perimenopause retreat — which starts at $1,400 for four nights — offers educational events covering hormone therapy, sexual wellness, thyroid health, hair loss, metabolism and hormone optimization.
There is no one way to travel through the hormonal fog that is menopause. Other programs shift from a medical focus to gentler, more holistic approaches.
Six Senses Vana in Uttarakhand, India, for example, hosts a Mindful Menopause Journey starting at $10,000 for ten nights, incorporating Ayurvedic treatments such as Niruha Basti (holistic colon cleanse), yoga classes and a wellness consultation. The retreat focuses on addressing hot flashes, mood swings, and insomnia.
Kamalaya Wellness Sanctuary in Koh Samui, Thailand, supports women through perimenopause and menopause through its Radiant Bliss program, starting at $3,500 for eight nights, which incorporates wellness consultants, traditional Chinese medicine, physiotherapy assessments, breathwork classes, Ayurvedic massages, IV infusions, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.
Luxury is longevity
While programming may differ from one retreat to another, the main concern remains the same. Women want more than just a massage or DEXA scan — though they’d like that too. What they really want is someone to take their exhaustion and insomnia seriously.
“There is a permissive culture in medicine around women suffering,” said Dr. Uloko. “Quality of life has not historically been treated as a clinical priority for women. Even when a physician wants to do this work well, insurance reimbursement is so poor that it is nearly impossible to deliver this care within a standard model.”
The number one complaint, according to OG-GYN Dr. Heather Bartos, isn’t actually hot flashes.
“It’s, ‘I don’t feel like myself anymore,’” explained Bartos, a menopause specialist and member of the plusOne Wellness Collective. “Women often describe feeling disconnected from their energy, confidence, memory, motivation, or sense of identity, even before they realize perimenopause may be contributing.”
This is where wellness retreats can come in and help women understand what is happening and what support might help guide them in their next life stage.
The treatments get top billing, but the real relief may be sitting with women who know exactly why you have been Googling “is this menopause?” at 2 a.m. At Miraval Arizona, Lyndi Rivers hears it all the time: Women arrive with questions about menopause they have not been able to ask anywhere else.
“The response to menopause-focused offerings has been overwhelmingly positive,” she said. “Our guests frequently share that they leave feeling more informed, empowered, and better equipped to advocate for themselves.”
For many, she added, the most common response is relief: “I’ve had guests become emotional when they realize they are not alone in what they’re experiencing and that many of their symptoms and challenges are a normal part of the menopause transition.”
Pahel has seen a similar shift. “Women want solutions,” she said. “They’re tired of the brain fog. They’re tired of feeling exhausted and drained. They don’t want someone to just say, ‘That’s part of it.’ Women want to feel better.”
The need for answers outside the doctor’s office is reshaping what luxury travel looks like. Women have more money and agency than they ever have before. And they’re going to seek out relief whether the medical establishment wants to get on board or not.
Pahel said today’s travelers are increasingly looking for hotels that offer more than a beautiful room or a good massage. They want fitness, longevity programming, breathwork, spa treatments and services that help them understand their bodies.
“Luxury used to just be luxury,” she says. “Today, luxury is wellness and longevity.”
These retreats are not replacing medical care or offering magic fixes. Rather, they offer women community, education, relief and a plan. Whether women arrive seeking medical guidance, relaxation, community, or all three, they are increasingly willing to travel and pay for the support they have struggled to find elsewhere.
