Is Santa Barbara, CA, on your wellness travel wish list? For those who love a vacation filled with a range of healthy experiences, it’s an ideal place to retreat, offering an array of exciting options ranging from salt baths to full moon yoga. Here are a few things to add to your itinerary.
Salt Santa Barbara
Experience the healing powers of halotherapy with a Himalayan salt cave session at Salt Santa Barbara, which utilizes practices that are believed to be an effective way to improve respiratory health since the 12th century. The Salt Santa Barbara cave walls and ceiling are made of 45 tons of Jurassic-age salt blocks and crystals, complete with a crushed salt floor. Participants can relax and breathe in the healing properties with a 45-minute session while laying on a mat or sitting in a zero-gravity recliner.
Sunswept Sailing Sound Bath SailÂ
Santa Barbara is home to a strong sailing community, and one of the most unique experiences you can enjoy on the open water is the Sound Bath Sail with Sunswept Sailing. Aboard this experience you will be soothed by the lull of the sea coupled with the resonant harmonies of hand bells, chimes, and therapeutic singing bowls from Nepal. This experience taps into the healing forces of sound and is led by a local, certified sound practitioner.
Full Moon Yoga & Sound Bath
While the area is home to numerous popular yoga studios, such as Yoga Soup and Sol Seek Yoga, one of the most unique is Santa Barbara Beach Yoga, which is the area’s premier outdoor yoga studio offering daily classes from sunrise to sunset with endless ocean views. Classes range from sound and stretching in the sand with signature yoga-headphones to full moon yoga and more traditional open-air classes on the rooftop patio of the East Beach Cabrillo Pavilion. For a truly unique experience, try one of their Full Moon Yoga & Sound Bath sessions, which offers a unique blend of Vinyasa yoga, sound healing, and beachfront vibes all while tapping into the power of one’s lunar energy.Â
Sacred SpaceÂ
Located in the sleepy beach enclave of Summerland, Sacred Space is not just a shop, it also boasts indoor and outdoor showrooms along with a garden and ponds, making it feel more like a day spa that beckons one in to sip on some tea and browse the merchandise. Sacred Space also regularly holds events offering sound baths, tarot readings, healing breathwork, sessions with a psychic intuitive, and more. Over the years, Sacred Space has attracted artists and creators like Oprah Winfrey, Maria Shriver, and Kate Somerville, and many customers become regulars, coming back time and time again to this small slice of paradise where East meets West.Â
Hike Gaviota Peak TrailÂ
Hiking is one of those experiences that both contributes to your physical and mental wellbeing. The Gaviota Peak Trail is a three-mile uphill climb that will get your heart racing, but along the way you’ll enjoy fresh air and a gentle breeze as you make your way to the summit where you’ll be rewarded with splendid views of the Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands. For a unique experience, you can take the Gaviota Springs Trail and enjoy a bath in the mineral waters.
It’s a great opportunity to connect with nature and while this hike might be one of the more challenging ones along the Santa Barbara coast, there’s plenty of options for hiking trails ranging from easygoing to challenging.
