Wellness Retreat Rental: Designing a Home for Serenity

Some homes ask you to do things. The best retreat homes give you permission to do less. Designing for serenity is one of my favourite parts of this work, and most of it has little to do with spa equipment.

The demand is real, and growing

The Global Wellness Institute's 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor values wellness tourism at $893.9 billion in 2024 and projects about $1.38 trillion by 2029. The institute's press release notes the sector grew 13.8% between 2023 and 2024.

Private homes are part of that story. In Unpack '25, the trends report from Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo, Vrbo describes "JOMO Travel," the joy of missing out: doing less on vacation, in cozy cabins and peaceful houses. In its survey, 62% of travelers said these trips reduce stress and anxiety, and nearly half said they improve quality time with loved ones. The top rental amenities JOMO travelers look for, according to Vrbo: pools, tranquil gardens, hot tubs and porches with a view.

There is science behind the instinct, with caveats. A 2019 study in Scientific Reports of 19,806 people in England found that those who spent at least 120 minutes a week in nature were significantly more likely to report good health and high well-being than those with no nature contact. The data are cross-sectional, so this is an association and not proof of cause. I take it as encouragement to make time outdoors the easiest choice in the house.

Wellness is a feeling, not an equipment list

You do not need a sauna, a cold plunge and a yoga studio. A wellness stay has two ingredients: the absence of friction, and a series of gentle invitations to slow down. The first comes from the fundamentals, which I cover in attention to detail. The invitations are the design work.

One boundary I hold firmly: a home can offer calm, but it should never promise health outcomes. We set the stage. The guests do the resting.

Six design moves for serenity

1. A room for stillness

The Southborough home has a glass plant conservatory that doubles as a meditation room. Few homes have one of those, but nearly every home has a corner that could become a stillness spot: a comfortable seat, plants, natural light, a blanket, and no screen. Name it in the house manual so guests know it is meant for them.

2. A path to walk

Walking is the most accessible wellness amenity there is. In Southborough, more than an acre of landscaped grounds holds walking paths inspired by Japanese garden design, and a reservoir with trails sits across the quiet street. At Villa Foresta, there are walking sticks for the trails and binoculars for watching the woods. If your property has no trail of its own, map the nearest lovely walk and put it on page one of the manual.

3. Water and warmth

The body relaxes with heat. Southborough offers a private jacuzzi in the primary suite and a fireplace in each of its living areas. Villa Foresta has a fire pit with s'mores supplies and fluffy robes. A robe may be the most cost-effective wellness purchase a host can make: it changes how a morning feels.

4. Movement on the guest's terms

Some guests restore themselves by sweating. Southborough's fitness room has a Peloton and a Tonal, and Hopkinton State Park is nearby. Villa Foresta keeps beach cruiser bikes on hand, and the beach at Lac Lyster is less than five minutes away. The principle is choice: a serious workout for those who want one, a slow pedal in the country air for those who do not.

5. A view, and a seat that faces it

Villa Foresta looks toward Mount Pinacle. That view only becomes a wellness feature when there is a comfortable chair pointed at it, a coffee and tea station a few steps away, and a mug that feels good in the hand. Find your home's best view, then build a ritual around it.

6. Digital-detox touches, offered and never imposed

JOMO is a choice, so offer alternatives to screens without removing the screens. Villa Foresta has new and retro board games, puzzles and books. Southborough has a custom library of more than 1,000 books and a chess table by a window. Keep the wifi fast anyway. Southborough also has an executive workspace, because for some guests serenity means finishing the work quickly and then closing the laptop.

The quiet fundamentals

None of the above lands if guests sleep badly. Serenity rests on darkness in the bedrooms, good mattresses and linens, quiet appliances, gentle lighting in the evening, and a kitchen equipped for real cooking. A chef's kitchen with a full spice rack is a wellness feature too: groups on retreat like to cook together.

Telling the wellness story honestly

• Photograph the feeling. Twilight exteriors, mist over a meadow, two coffees on a deck at sunrise. People book the emotion they see.
• Write with restraint. Describe what is there and how it feels. Skip any claim about healing, detoxing or curing.
• Name the use cases. The Southborough listing invites day retreats and corporate off-sites by arrangement, which helps planners picture their event. Wellness gatherings can also fill quieter weeks, as I explain in filling midweek and off-season dates.
• Think in groups. My focus is luxury whole-home stays for families and groups, and serenity for twelve needs enough quiet corners that people can be alone together.

A retreat home does not entertain its guests. It gives them room to hear themselves think.

Finding the serenity already hiding in a property, and making it visible, is one of the things I most enjoy doing for owners. If you suspect your home has a retreat inside it, let's talk.

Sources

• Global Wellness Institute: 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor (PDF)
• Global Wellness Institute: press release on the 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor
• Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo: Unpack '25 travel trends (PR Newswire)
• White et al., "Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing," Scientific Reports, 2019