Menopause Retreats Are Trending: Should You Try One?

Menopause is a natural phase of life, but there’s been a lot of mystery surrounding what this stage involves and women often feel alone in going through it. Enter: menopause retreats. 

These programs provide wellness information and services to women going through menopause, and often have a travel slant. Suddenly, it seems like they’re everywhere. 

“Patients in menopause come to see me and feel like they have been dismissed, minimized, and brushed off — I see it day in and day out,” says Robin Noble, MD, an OB-GYN who specializes in menopause and host of the Wise Women retreat at Canyon Ranch Berkshires. “These retreats recognize that people have a huge thirst for information about menopause.”

Flow Advisory Council member Stacy London, who recently hosted a six-day retreat at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona, agrees. “I thought bringing a group of people together going through similar experiences and seeking similar knowledge would be an easy way to get information out there,” she says. 

These retreats often help women feel like they’re not alone in their menopause journey, says Selene Yeager, host of the Hit Play Not Pause podcast and Feisty Menopause retreat, which is designed for active women. “Many women in our audience tell us they feel isolated and lonely a lot of the time, as there aren’t a lot of other women close by who are interested in the same athletics and/or activities as they are,” she says. “We wanted to provide that in real life.”

Menopause retreats can also help give women the tools they need to get through their journey as comfortably as possible, says Lindsay Oliver, a marketing associate at The Raj Ayurveda Health Spa, in Fairfield, Iowa, which hosts a menopause program that features Ayurvedic treatments. “We want to recognize the change that’s happening and give you diet and lifestyle recommendations that will give you a very easy future where you’re supporting this change in your body.” 

But what happens at a menopause retreat and how much does something like this cost? Here’s everything you need to know before booking one. 

Why are menopause retreats suddenly more popular?

Menopause is not a new life stage, but the willingness to discuss it is. Celebrities like Halle Berry, Salma Hayek, Gwyneth Paltrow, and more have started speaking more openly about going through menopause— and that’s influenced non-celebrities, too. Experts say that menopause retreats simply meet that growing interest in the topic.

“Talking about menopause has been so taboo for so long,” London says. “People can feel so isolated and ashamed during this experience. The more we learn, the more agency we have over our health. Creating community is the only way to normalize this entirely natural and, for now, unavoidable transition.”

Noble agrees. “People are finding out that they’re not getting good information around menopause,” she says. “Sharing and feeling like you’re not alone in this is really valuable.”

Many women are also no longer OK with suffering through menopause in silence, Yeager says. “There is a massive number of women in and beyond the menopause transition who are not content to simply keep a stiff upper lip and retreat to the sidelines as they go through this seismic hormonal shift,” she says. “They have agency in their lives and they intend to keep that through menopause, which means understanding what is happening and taking the necessary steps to address disruptive symptoms so they can continue feeling and performing their best.”

Retreats allow women a place to come together, share stories and experiences, and learn from each other, Yeager says. People can do this with friends and loved ones going through the same thing or just go on their own, Noble says.

What happens at a menopause retreat?

It depends. “It’s usually a long weekend where people invest in wellness, education, and information,” Noble says. “It’s similar to what people will do for healthy eating or learning about yoga.”

Retreats may feature medical testing like DEXA bone scans and glucose monitoring, spa treatments, and exercise classes, Noble says. They also often have an educational element — her retreat spent an hour each day on different topics around menopause to address things like the biology of menopause, treatment options, and sexual function. 

The Raj’s retreat teaches attendees about ayurveda and includes a gentle yoga practice, along with information on nutrition, according to Oliver. “We want people to continue to build on this when they go home,” she says. 

But Yeager says her retreat is very focused on physical activity. “They get private strength training, nutrition, and longevity sessions geared toward menopausal women,” she says. Also in the mix: aerial yoga, rock climbing, massages, and dancing. “It’s a great time,” Yeager says. 

What is the cost of a menopause retreat?

Because no two menopause retreats are the same, costs are often different. “Prices vary depending on services rendered,” London says. 

“It totally depends,” Noble agrees. “If someone wants to go for an informational panel, it could be a couple hundred dollars a day,” she says. “But if someone wants to go to a spa for four days with meals, it will be more expensive.” 

The five-day Wise Women retreat Noble hosted at Canyon Ranch Berkshires, for example, started at $4,500. The Feisty Menopause retreat started at $2,500 for a weekend, while The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health starts at $299 for a three-day retreat, along with the cost of accommodations. 

If that is out of your price range or you can’t commit to a long weekend, there’s also value in creating your own menopause retreat with friends. You can get together, compare your experiences, and share information without the lofty price tag. 

Overall, experts stress that there is value in taking a menopause retreat, if you have the budget for it. “We’ve been offering this for 25 years,” Oliver says. “It’s important for women to take time for themselves.”