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Where Luxury Meets Healing: Inside the Wellness Sanctuaries of the MENA Region
With the travel-wellness trend expanding across the globe, well-being enthusiasts are spoiled for options. But those in the MENA region don't have to travel far — some of the best retreats are close to home.
From the worlds most innovative practices, to traditional modalities, here are the best wellness experiences in the Middle East and North Africa.
Zulal Wellness Resort, Qatar
The sister resort to Thailand's award-winning wellness sanctuary Chiva Som, Zulal, brings traditional Arabic and Islamic medicine to the forefront. By using a blend of ancient modalities and modern medicine, Zulal offers treatments and services that better help you understand your internal constitution, tailoring treatments to your specific needs. The resort also offers programs focused on supporting weight loss goals, gut health, overall detox, and burnout recovery.
Villa Maroc, Morocco
For the wellness traveller seeking the comforts of home, privacy and grounding, Villa Maroc is a sanctuary. Located in Essaouira, a quiet beach town on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, the riad is the perfect luxurious backdrop for creatives seeking stillness, pampering, and immersion into nature. To unwind, book a traditional hammam experience followed by the Swiri massage. If a more secluded stay is what you're after, Villa Maroc's second property, Les Jardins, is a countryside haven located just outside Essaouira. There, you can book a personal wellness retreat along with private yoga classes, spa treatments and a private beach picnic.
Zen Wellness Resort, Egypt
Tucked away in the vibrant city of Aswan, Zen Wellness offers an abundance of health and wellbeing treatments including hijama, acupuncture, and regenerative medicine assessments, as well as customizable retreats for those seeking structure to their holiday. Built with a farm-to-table concept in mind, the resort spans across 200 acres on the Nile, affording space for a myriad of outdoor activities, reflection, and sustainable living practices.
What sets Zen Wellness apart is its commitment to balancing all aspects of the body and bringing the spirit back into communion with nature by offering guests practices to connect with the land.
Zoya Wellbeing, UAE
Zoya Wellbeing was born out of the desire to address ailments of the modern world, by being preventative rather than reactive. The foundations of Zoya are rooted in detoxing and therapeutic fasting, with each guest stay beginning with a doctor's appointment followed by meticulous medical examinations and bespoke treatments depending on your results.
Between the emotional healing sessions, IV drips, oxygen therapy and body composition analysis, you will not leave Zoya the same person you were when you entered.
Barakah's Womb
Barakah's Womb offers quarterly retreats for women looking to bring together spirituality and traditional womb care. Rooted in Islamic practices and eastern medicine, founder Shakira Sabira curates experiences that support women in healing their bodies from within, while connecting to the Divine. Her retreats encompass mind, body, and soul, with days being spent curating customised apothecary blends, womb steaming, workshops on femininity and daily tahajjud prayers.
SHA Emirates, UAE
Although still under development, this second-home community will redefine what holistic living looks like in the region. Unlike the highly coveted SHA Clinics in Spain and Mexico, SHA Emirates is not a resort – it's the world's first healthy living island, where residents will receive exclusive access to pioneering treatments. From private beach clubs, to hydrotherapy, a yoga sanctuary and organic gardens, SHA Emirates will have it all.
