Bachelorettes now seek wellness retreats in remote locales
Binge drinking? Strippers? Just pass the green juice.
As the average age of a newlywed reaches 30 for men and 28 for women, according to US census records, couples are giving up on the bawdy big nights that made for ribald fodder for Hollywood blockbusters — and are opting instead for more mature celebration rituals.
“There’s definitely still that group of girls who want to go to Nashville and wild out,” said wedding planner Jesse Reing. “But I think the stereotypical bachelor or bachelorette party is maybe like a myth, or a bit antiquated at this point.”
She says that the parties she plans for her clients, at least the ones who are over 25 years old, are typically healthy activities or special dinners that take place locally, or they’re intimate getaways.
“My clients want to go somewhere remote, quiet and beautiful that takes care of every single thing for you. Somewhere where you can focus on your wellness and connect with your friends. They want it to be special and meaningful,” Reing said, noting that they can be as simple as a spa day in New Jersey or as ambitious as a ritzy international trip. “That’s common. I’ll tell you what is less common: partying and binge drinking.”
Many of her clients spend their last days as singles on the coast of tropical Costa Rica at Blue Osa Yoga Retreat and Spa, co-owned by Yogi Aaron, an author and renowned “hot, nude yoga” instructor.
The boutique, 38-guest beach-side retreat is big on luxury relaxation. Off the grid, with farm-to-table meals, the resort specializes in packages for whatever ails you, including yoga, detox juicing, extensive spa services, nature walks, waterfall tours and “mindfulness mornings,” where the resort practices silence. Yoga wellness retreat and spa packages both start at $299 a night, including meals, daily yoga, transportation and local flights.
For the affluently affianced, nostalgic locations and yesteryear glamour are the more grown-up alternative to nightclub revelry, according to event planner Larry Scott.
“I think people today still want to do things on steroids, and they are competing with each other to show who has the most. But, at the same time, they have to be more careful,” said Scott. “So they are doing the things and going to the places that their grandparents did. It’s like history repeating itself at some of these venues.”
“Everyone wants to do something healthy and then have some fun. But these days, bachelor parties don’t tend to get any wilder than a big wine dinner.”
Robin Lathrop, event planner at ByRobin
Scott recently worked on what he calls a typical bachelorette party: a group of 24 women going to Miami for a marathon weekend of yachting excursions and glamorous dinner parties. For the guy who has it all, Scott says low-key five-star golfing trips to Ireland have replaced hangovers in Vegas, and old-school resorts like the Loews Miami Beach are suddenly in demand with a new generation.
However, one of the best ways to have a simple, low-impact and healthful celebration is to keep it local, according to event planner Robin Lathrop of ByRobin.
“Everyone wants to do something healthy and then have some fun. But these days, bachelor parties don’t tend to get any wilder than a big wine dinner,” said Lathrop. “For the girls, it’s a Pilates retreat, or a trip to the Berkshires or the Hamptons in a beautiful home.”
She frequently plans premarital girls’ getaways at Mirbeau Inn & Spa in Rhinebeck, NY, which opened in 2019 and hosts wellness workshops on ayurveda and yoga and daily instructor-led fitness classes, private sound baths and reiki.
Room rates range from $410 to $640 a night.
But if you really want to make your woo girls go “Woo!” head to Water Mill, where the Japanese-influenced spa and wellness retreat Shou Sugi Ban House is beautifying brides-to-be with a next-generation wellness space they’re calling the Lab.
Focused on “biohacking technology” and rehabilitative innovations like electro-magnetic field therapy, it mixes Western science with Eastern traditional healing arts practices.
The goal: reverse aging, optimize performance and rejuvenate while enjoying a private suite or the historic on-site inn (a perfect buyout for a group), the tennis court and easy access to the village. Rates start at $1,045 per night; treatments range from $50 to $600.
“That’s the vibe today,” said Reing. “If people are going to spend the money, they want an experience that will be educational, sustainable and extraordinary. You can’t just drink all day.”
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