Men's Retreats

​Wanderlust​

Somewhere right now, in a packed stadium, in living rooms, in pubs and sports bars with the volume turned all the way up, people are watching the FIFA World Cup. It has held a global audience captive for the better part of a month, with a viewership split of roughly 70 percent men to 30 percent women worldwide. The World Cup is just the loudest example right now. Because while the final whistle has blown and the win is celebrated, there are also cycling, golf and tennis tournaments, athletic games and motor sports, making watching it all a sport in itself. Fans can easily fill out their summer calendar, watching on screens or by travelling.

According to ​UN Tourism​, the sports tourism industry is now estimated at US$680 billion, accounting for 10% of global travel, projected to reach up to US$2 trillion in the next decade. Soccer/football is one of the most ​popular​ sports worldwide with approximately 3.6 billion fans. Thanks to its mega events it represents over 39% of global sports tourism. Men have for a long time united around sports, whether passively or actively joining, both segments go travelling with a sporty purpose. Golf trips, cycling holidays, ski weeks, sailing expeditions. A shared pursuit of challenge, combined with the maintenance of an active lifestyle: adventure, movement, performance, camaraderie.

Sports companies nurture a matching narrative, geared towards active men: "All in or Nothing", “The Only Way Is Through”, "Serve Your Dreams, Smash Your Limits!", and "Protect This House". Rife with stereotype, campaigns often rely on a “push past limits” mentality with shouty taglines that position athletic grit as the ultimate test of manhood. Virtues signalled say men need to be resolute and fiercely determined to their personal athletic commitments, focused on leading and being the best rather than just following the pack. They mostly tell the same story of a man conquering impossible standards, with raw passion he defies expectations and reaches the glory of victory.

Sports businesses keep archaic standards of masculinity at play, celebrating relentless effort, overcoming of odds, proving mental and physical toughness. Men are not just taking care of their health, working out, they are leaving absolutely everything on the field while defending one's home turf and the Brotherhood. Whether this resonates with the males in our lives, buddies, uncles and men in general, is unclear.

Meanwhile, the health & wellness industry is picking up on what the sports industry failed to perceive. Wellness has traditionally been marketed far more heavily towards women. Yet compare men’s health searches on Google in 2016 with those in 2026 and the difference is striking. Ten years ago, searches focused largely on treating symptoms, improving physical performance and rapid muscle building. Today, rising interest centres on community, recovery, sleep, neurowellness, nutrition, personalised fitness and longevity. Rather than replacing ambition, many men appear to be expanding their definition of what it means to perform well and be healthy.

Importantly, the demand for wholesome experiences for men is soaring through the roof as more search for “Men’s retreats”.

Initially, many men’s wellness concepts stayed small, safe and gender stereotypical. That has firmly changed as retreat types are strongly diversifying. The industry may have been late to wake-up but there are some very interesting developments happening for men when it comes to wellness travel, catering to different lengths of time investment.

In Ibiza, Spain and the English Cotswolds, ​Create Your Zero men’s retreats are journeys for men looking to rediscover their true selves, their deeper consciousness, vitality and purpose in life. Participants do intensive work guided by a team mentors in human performance, masculinity, elite athleticism, leadership coaching, and holistic wellbeing. Talk topics range from emotional intelligence and resilience to shadow work and personal growth.

Besides intentional movement, hikes and cold immersions, men practise mindfulness with breathwork and meditation. The retreats are said to foster deeper connections between men, encouraging their vulnerability, personal strength and growth: “I was surrounded by superficial goals that didn’t really speak to my values. Zero arrived at a time when I was doing a lot of soul searching around who I was in the world and what would drive me forward in a meaningful way.”The retreats also support men through midlife crisis: “When I spoke about coming on the retreat, I was at such a low ebb and completely burnt out. Now, 52 days on, I can sincerely say that I am a completely different person… I’m grateful for what I have (as opposed to worrying about what I don’t have), I practise mindfulness without even thinking about it (excuse the pun!) and I’m able to practice self-compassion, something I’ve never managed before.” The objective is not reinvention although many speak of their personal revolution. Men seem to find a way of returning home with a new sense of what to continue and what to let go of.

The ​Bali Time Chamber​ is a one-of-a-kind experience, inspired by manga and anime action adventures Dragon Ball Z. It is a real life version of the DBZ Hyperbolic time chamber tucked into mountainous jungle. Only men can attend this all inclusive training camp located in a secret location, far away from modern-day distractions. Participants are recommended to stay for one month or longer, dedicating uninterrupted focus to their lifestyle, personal or entrepreneurial projects and physical health and fitness. The experience is said to supercharge growth in a relatively short amount of time. “Our mission is to facilitate transformation for all of the hard-working and ambitious men who know they are meant for more in this life.”

Living in this community of like-minded men, everything is built around them working on their personal goals. There are private cabins, work stations for focus time, a fully equipped gym, and a recovery centre with all kinds of wellness modalities on offer. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy, red-light therapy, sauna, pool and cold plunges etc are used to support better energy, a deeper understanding of physical response to stress and personalised longevity practises. The restaurant serves up nutrition made for body builders and athletes, with recovery science and human peak performance part of the experience. “It's a container that enables the kind of inner transformation that can only happen when you're alongside a group of motivated guys who are on a similar journey.” While many arrive solo, they leave as part of the tight-knit time chamber community, having spent uninterrupted time soundboarding ideas, bonding around fireside chats, tapping into brotherhood energy and their own momentum.

Finally, the ​Nature of Man​ retreats bring men together in the Bavarian Alps, also removed from ordinary routines. The group is guided by a team of mentors and coaches in positive psychology, sports science, mindfulness and holistic health. With decades of experience in professional executive coaching, they spend the days together hiking mountains, reflecting and engaging in facilitated group work that explores identity, relationships, purpose and personal challenges.

In the wilderness, men start to open up. Campfires replace screens and deep conversation replaces small talk. “Why only men? Because most men can talk more casually about real problems and weaknesses when they are among themselves, and it can be very liberating to see that one is not alone and that deep exchange and friendships can exist among men.” The coaching continues for at least three months after participants leave the mountains, with more time for integration designed to support learnings.

What these retreats ultimately reflect is not a rejection of sports travel, ambition or achievement, but a complementary source for male community building that supports life purpose and growth. There is growing recognition that no win is enough if the foundations underneath are neglected. If goals are not aligned with values, if there is not substance behind the hustle, the outcome will lack a sense of fulfilment and success. What is changing is not men’s appetite for challenge, but masculinity itself, expanding to make room for meaning, connection and emotional wellbeing alongside achievement.

Wellness experiences for men are no longer the thing tacked onto the end of a golf trip. Rather, they are their own destination, built by men, for men, on terms that finally feel like theirs.