The best wellness retreats in New Jersey: a guide

The best wellness retreats in New Jersey fall into four kinds: full-service spa resorts such as Crystal Springs in Sussex County and Pendry Natirar in Somerset County, quiet religious retreat houses, small healing studios such as Sanctuary by the Sea, and private retreat houses such as Halcyon on Lake Hopatcong. Which is best depends on what you need.

Most lists of retreats in NJ either mix all of these together or quietly leave out everything but the advertiser. This guide tries to do neither. We run one of the places on it, so read our entry with that in mind; we have described the others from their own websites and public listings, and linked every one so you can check.

What is a wellness retreat?

A wellness retreat is time away, a day or a few nights, built around rest and practices that help people feel well: sleep, good food, time outdoors, movement such as yoga, and quieter practices such as meditation, breathwork or a sound bath. It is not medical treatment. Some retreats are fully programmed from morning to night; others give you a room, a schedule of optional sessions and a lot of open time.

In New Jersey the word covers a wide range. A resort with two spas and a golf course calls itself a wellness retreat, and so does a Catholic retreat house where silence is kept at meals. Both are right. They are simply built for different people.

Spa resorts: Crystal Springs and Pendry Natirar

If what you want is a full spa, with treatment rooms, pools, saunas and a restaurant downstairs, the large resorts are the natural choice.

Crystal Springs Resort sits in the Skylands of Sussex County, in the far north of the state. It has two spas: Elements Spa at the Minerals Hotel and Reflections Spa at the Grand Cascades Lodge. Its wellness program lists meditation and breathwork, forest bathing, crystal bowl sound healing, yoga and fitness classes, and workshops on things like herbal teas and kombucha. It is a large resort with golf and other activities, which suits couples and families who want a range of things to do.

Pendry Natirar is a countryside resort on about 500 acres in Peapack-Gladstone, Somerset County, with 68 guest rooms. Spa Pendry has a eucalyptus steam room, a cedar sauna, a halotherapy salt room, an indoor plunge pool and a movement studio, with yoga and meditation classes alongside massage and facials. It is a polished, hotel-style stay in the Somerset Hills.

Retreat centers in NJ: the religious retreat houses

Search for retreats in NJ and much of the first page is retreat houses run by religious communities. They are some of the quietest places in the state, and many host groups as well as individuals for days of reflection. Check each house's own policies on who it welcomes before you book.

St. Mary's Abbey in Morristown runs a retreat center on just under 200 acres a little over two miles from the center of town, surrounded by parkland. It hosts group retreats, private retreats and days of reflection, and its main retreat building can house up to 59 people.

The Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May Point offers Catholic retreats year round, with a special summer focus on families, and rents the center to outside groups.

If silence, prayer or spiritual direction is the point of your retreat, these houses are often the best fit in the state.

Yoga and healing studios: Sanctuary by the Sea

Some of the best wellness work in New Jersey happens in small studios rather than resorts. Sanctuary by the Sea in Point Pleasant, on the Jersey Shore, describes itself as a wellness center, Ayurvedic spa and trauma-informed healing and education center. It offers small yoga therapy and movement classes, one-to-one sessions such as Thai massage, Ayurveda and Shirodhara, practitioner training, and its own retreats and workshops.

Studios like this suit people who want a skilled practitioner and a regular practice more than a place to stay overnight.

A day at the bathhouse: SoJo Spa Club

For a single restorative day close to Manhattan, SoJo Spa Club in Edgewater is inspired by the Korean bathhouse, with a rooftop pool overlooking the Hudson, saunas and body treatments, and rooms at Hotel SoJo if you want to stay the night. It is a spa day rather than a retreat, and a good one to know about.

A private retreat house: Halcyon on Lake Hopatcong

Halcyon Hilltop is a private retreat house at 147 McGregor Avenue in Mount Arlington, Morris County, on the shore of Lake Hopatcong, the largest lake in New Jersey. It is about an hour's drive from New York City. You have the house to yourselves: up to 15 guests, for a day or for up to three nights.

Instead of a fixed program, you compose the retreat from experiences led by independent practitioners: breathwork, sound baths, meditation, yoga, somatic movement, and a private chef for the table. Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy is available separately through our licensed clinical partner, Presence of Mind Therapy. Halcyon itself does not provide medical services.

It suits groups who want privacy and a say in the shape of the days: friends, women's circles, small teams, a practitioner bringing their own clients. It does not suit someone who wants a full-service spa with a treatment menu and a pool; for that, the resorts above are the better choice. Read more on our page for wellness retreats in New Jersey, or see curated retreats with set dates.

How much does a wellness retreat in NJ cost?

Prices vary more than almost anything else on this list. A day of reflection at a retreat house can cost far less than one night at a resort; a spa resort prices rooms and treatments separately; a private house is priced for the whole group, so the cost per person falls as more people come. Compare what is included (meals, sessions, rooms, gratuities) rather than the headline number. Our own current rates are shown as you choose your dates.

How to choose a wellness retreat in New Jersey

1. Decide who is coming. A couple, a group of friends and a solo traveler need different places.
2. Decide how much structure you want. A fully programmed retreat, a few optional sessions, or almost nothing at all.
3. Decide what you need around you. A spa, the ocean, the woods, a lake, or a chapel.
4. Check the practitioners. Who leads the sessions, what training they have, and whether you can talk to them first.
5. Check the travel time honestly. An hour each way is part of the retreat.

And be wary of any retreat that promises to cure or fix something. A good retreat promises care, a well-kept setting and skilled people, and leaves the results to you.