Luxury wellness retreats in a villa or chalet of your own
A whole residence with its own spa floor, the people you choose to bring in, and a week paced the way you want it: for one guest, a couple or a small group of friends.
Our luxury wellness retreats are not packages in a resort: you rent a whole villa on the French Riviera or a chalet in the Alps that already has its own wellness area, and our concierge brings in the rest. Depending on the house, that means a hammam, a sauna, a massage room, a gym, a heated pool, sometimes a yoga studio or a cold plunge, used by your party alone. A yoga teacher, a fitness coach, massage therapists and a private chef can then be arranged on request, around the rhythm you set.
This suits people who find a retreat centre too public or too rigid: a couple who want a quiet week with one session every morning, friends where some train hard and others mostly want the sauna, a parent who needs a few days of rest while the teenagers swim. There is no timetable printed for strangers, no shared dining room and no minimum number of sessions. The same set-up works for one guest travelling alone with a coach.
It is worth being clear about what this is not. We do not run medical, fasting or detox programmes, and nothing here is a treatment for any condition. If you follow a plan from your own doctor or dietitian, the chef can cook to it; if you need clinical supervision, a medical clinic is the right setting. A company offsite with a wellness theme is a different brief, covered on our page for a corporate retreat villa on the French Riviera.
Shaping the week around NHS guidance
Checked against official sources, so you can plan with confidence.
Adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity.
Source: nhs.uk, Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64Strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups are recommended on at least 2 days a week.
Source: nhs.uk, Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64The NHS suggests spreading exercise evenly over 4 to 5 days a week, or every day, and breaking up long periods of sitting.
Source: nhs.uk, Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64Going to bed and getting up at similar times each day helps your body know when it is time to sleep.
Source: nhs.uk, Every Mind Matters, sleep tipsThe same guidance suggests not using phones, tablets or computers for an hour before bed.
Source: nhs.uk, Every Mind Matters, sleep tipsAlcohol and nicotine can disrupt sleep, so the NHS advises avoiding them 1 to 2 hours before bed; a quiet, dark and cool room may also make sleep easier.
Source: nhs.uk, Every Mind Matters, sleep tipsLuxury wellness retreats: Riviera villa or Alpine chalet?
The choice between sea and snow shapes the week more than any single facility. On the Riviera, the wellness area complements life outdoors: a heated pool in the garden, a terrace for morning yoga, walks along the coast or into the red rock of the Esterel massif. In the Alps, the spa floor becomes the centre of the house, with indoor pools, saunas and hammams that come into their own after hours in the cold, whether you ski, walk or head out on snowshoes.
| Riviera villa | Alpine chalet | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the wellness happens | Outdoors as much as in: heated pool, gardens and terraces, plus an indoor hammam, massage room or gym | Mostly indoors, on a dedicated spa floor: indoor pool, sauna, hammam, treatment room, often an outdoor hot tub |
| Moving outside the house | Sea swimming, coastal and hill walks, tennis where the villa has a court | Skiing, snowshoeing and winter walks |
| A natural rhythm | Session early before the heat, long lunch, treatment in the late afternoon | Session in the morning, outdoors while the light lasts, sauna and treatment at dusk |
| Residences to start with | Villa Elaris and Villa Orvella (Cannes), Villa Solara and Villa Orea (Saint-Tropez) | Chalet Gus and Chalet Azelia (St. Moritz), Chalet Flys and Chalet Morelle (Courchevel), Chalet Anelle (Zermatt) |
Facilities are those stated in each residence’s description; capacity is compared in the table further down.
Which residence has what you are looking for
Most wellness wish lists come down to a handful of specific items. This is where each one appears in our published descriptions. If something matters to you and is not listed, ask: we check with the house rather than assume.
| You want | Where it is stated | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| A dedicated yoga space | Chalet Gus (St. Moritz): yoga studio. Chalet Flys (Courchevel): gym with a yoga studio. Villa Solara (Saint-Tropez): air-conditioned gym with space for yoga | Elsewhere, sessions take place on a terrace, in the gym or in a living room |
| A pool long enough for lengths | Villa Orea (Saint-Tropez): 18-metre heated pool. Chalet Morelle (Courchevel) and Chalet Astral (Verbier): 17-metre indoor pools. Chalet Avalon (St. Moritz): 15-metre indoor pool | Chalet Gus, Chalet Ambre (Verbier) and Chalet Oris (Courchevel) have a counter-current for swimming in place |
| Hot and cold | Cold plunge: Villa Solara, Chalet Zeyr (Zermatt), Chalet Morelle. Nordic bath: Chalet Anelle (Zermatt), Chalet Osco (Courchevel) | Each chalet pairs it with a sauna; at Villa Solara the plunge pool sits beside the heated pool and a six-person jacuzzi |
| Treatments for two at once | Chalet Morelle: massage room with two tables. Chalet Azelia (St. Moritz): three private treatment rooms | Elsewhere, we check with the house whether a second therapist can work in another room |
| Treatments included in the stay | Villa Zeliane (Cap d’Antibes): two one-hour body treatments with every stay. Chalet Azelia: daily massage treatments, with a spa manager in the chalet team | In the other residences, treatments are arranged on request |
| A coach named in the description | Fitness coach on request: Villa Sorya, Villa Elaris and Villa Orvella (Cannes), Villa Orea and Villa Solara. Yoga or fitness coaching: Villa Amara, Villa Evara and Villa Vittoria (Saint-Tropez) | In the chalets, our concierge arranges coaches and yoga teachers on request in the same way |
| Hair and beauty at home | Villa Orea: its own beauty salon | Hair and beauty treatments are booked through the concierge |
Seven days at your own pace
There is no fixed programme, but a good week tends to follow the same arc. Treat this outline as a starting point and change it freely.
- Before you arrive
Tell Nathalie Nguyen what the week is for: rest, training, better sleep, time together. Add dietary requirements, allergies, preferred session times and how many sessions a day you want, so the chef and any coach or therapist are booked before you land.
- Day 1: arrive and do very little
No session on arrival day. A swim, a short walk to get your bearings, a light, early dinner and an early night. Travel is tiring; the week begins tomorrow.
- Days 2 and 3: settle a rhythm
A morning session (yoga, mobility or a workout with the coach), breakfast afterwards, time outdoors in the middle of the day, a treatment or the sauna in the late afternoon. Keep the same times each day: the routine is what makes the week feel restful.
- Day 4: a day off the plan
Mid-week, drop the sessions and go somewhere: a day on the water, a hill village, a morning on skis, a long lunch on a mountain terrace. Our private concierge handles the transport and the bookings.
- Days 5 and 6: go a little further
With the routine in place, this is the moment for a longer walk, a harder session or a second treatment. If you would like dinners simpler or earlier, tell the chef now.
- Day 7: close gently
A last easy session and a swim, with the transfer timed so the final morning is unhurried rather than rushed.
Alone, as a couple or with friends
- One guest with a coach. Privacy matters most here. At Villa Sorya (Cannes), a separate apartment houses staff, so a chef can live on site without being under your feet; the heated pool can be set to the temperature you prefer, and the gym is fully equipped.
- A couple. A residence of a sensible size feels lived in rather than empty. Villa Elaris (Cannes) has a stone hammam, a massage room and a fitness room beside its heated infinity pool; at Chalet Morelle (Courchevel), the massage room has two tables for treatments side by side. More ideas on our page of luxury villas for couples.
- Friends with different paces. A large house lets one guest train while another reads by the pool. Villa Orvella (Cannes) has a panoramic jacuzzi, a hammam, a sauna, a massage room and a gym; Chalet Gus (St. Moritz) adds a yoga studio, a barrel sauna and two outdoor hot tubs, one on a rooftop terrace.
- A parent with teenagers. Wellness for the adults, distractions for everyone else: Villa Solara (Saint-Tropez) pairs its massage room and gym with a tennis court and a games corner, and Chalet Morelle has a private cinema on the same lower floor as its gym.
What a private retreat will not do
- It is not a clinic. Coaches, yoga teachers and therapists arranged by our concierge work to your brief; they do not diagnose, and we promise no health result.
- There is no group around you. Some people find the shared energy of a retreat centre motivating; in a private house, the discipline is yours, or your coach’s.
- Coaches and therapists are booked person by person. In the busiest weeks of the season, the earlier you tell us, the wider the choice.
- Heat and cold are not for everyone. If you are pregnant, take medication or have a heart condition, ask your doctor before using a sauna, hammam, hot tub or cold plunge. Our house rules for tubs are on the page of ski chalets with a hot tub.
- A spa floor shared with young children needs rules: pool safety for families is covered on our page of luxury villas with a private pool.
What to tell us for a wellness week
The more precise the brief, the better the match. A short message covering these points is enough for Adam Haddad to shortlist residences, including some that are available without being published online.
- Coast or mountains, and your dates or a window of dates
- How many guests, and whether everyone is there for the wellness side of the stay
- The facilities you will not do without: yoga space, a pool for lengths, sauna, cold plunge, treatment room
- Who you want in the house: coach, yoga teacher, therapist, chef, and how many sessions a day
- Dietary requirements, allergies and any plan from your own doctor or dietitian for the chef to follow
- Whether you prefer staff living in or coming in at set hours
Residences for a wellness retreat
Each of these houses has a wellness area described by our team after a visit, on the Riviera or in the Alps.
Wellness residences side by side
Capacity and highlights at a glance; the facility detail is in the tables above.
| Residence | Guests | Bedrooms | Bathrooms | Living area | Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villa SoryaCannes | 12 | 6 | 6 | 550 m² | Heated Pool, Gym |
| Villa ElarisCannes | 10 | 5 | 5 | 500 m² | Heated Pool, Sea View, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Massage Room |
| Villa OrvellaCannes | 20 | 12 | 12 | 1,100 m² | Heated Pool, Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna |
| Villa ZelianeCap d'Antibes | 10 | 7 | 6 | 340 m² | Heated Pool, Tennis Court, Hammam, Sauna, Gym |
| Villa SolaraSaint-Tropez | 12 | 7 | 7 | 451 m² | Heated Pool, Sea View, Tennis Court, Wine Cellar, Massage Room |
| Villa OreaSaint-Tropez | 12 | 6 | 7 | 510 m² | Heated Pool, Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Massage Room |
| Chalet GusSt. Moritz | 20 | 9 | 9 | 930 m² | Indoor Pool, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room |
| Chalet AzeliaSt. Moritz | 14 | 6 | 7 | 1,000 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Hammam, Massage Room, Jacuzzi |
| Chalet FlysCourchevel | 15 | 8 | 9 | 680 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna |
| Chalet MorelleCourchevel | 12 | 7 | 8 | 900 m² | Indoor Pool, Cinema Room, Wine Cellar, Hammam, Sauna |
| Chalet AnelleZermatt | 12 | 6 | 6 | 692 m² | Nordic Bath, Hammam, Sauna, Massage Room, Jacuzzi |
| Chalet ZeyrZermatt | 12 | 6 | 7 | 565 m² | Sauna, Massage Room, Jacuzzi, Gym, Elevator |
Rates are on request and depend on dates and services. Your advisor confirms availability and the final details of every residence.
A retreat organised by people who know the houses
A wellness week depends on details that photographs do not show. This is how we keep them right.
Facilities checked, not assumed
Every residence is visited by our team. If you need a quiet room for meditation away from the kitchen, we can tell you which floor it would be on.
One brief for every provider
Coach, therapist, chef and driver all work from the note you sent us, so you explain your diet and your schedule once.
Privacy for one or for twelve
No shared areas with strangers, and staff booked to come in at the hours you choose, not the hours that suit a rota.
Houses beyond the website
Some residences with fine wellness floors are available without being published online; we add them to your shortlist when they fit.
Wellness retreat questions
Anything else? Our team in Paris answers personally, usually within the day.
Ask our teamWhat is a wellness retreat?
A wellness retreat is a stay built around rest, movement and care rather than sightseeing: usually daily sessions such as yoga or training, treatments, simple food and time outdoors. Most are run by a resort or a retreat centre with a set programme. A private retreat keeps the ingredients but drops the shared timetable: you rent a whole villa or chalet with its own wellness area and choose the sessions, the people and the pace.
How long should a wellness retreat be?
Long enough to settle into a routine. A weekend gives you rest but little rhythm; a full week lets you arrive, fix regular times for sessions and meals, take a day off midway and still go a little further at the end. Stay lengths depend on the residence and the season, so tell Adam Haddad your dates and he will confirm what is possible.
What is the difference between a spa break and a wellness retreat?
A spa break is mostly about treatments and relaxation, often for a night or two. A wellness retreat adds structure: regular movement, attention to food and sleep, and enough days to change your routine. In a private residence you can have both: the spa floor for unwinding, and a coach, yoga teacher and chef arranged around a daily plan.
Are massages and treatments done inside the residence?
Yes. Several of our residences have a dedicated massage or treatment room, including Villa Elaris, Villa Orea, Chalet Gus and Chalet Morelle, and Chalet Azelia has three. Therapists come to the house at the times you choose, arranged by our concierge. At Villa Zeliane two one-hour body treatments come with every stay, and at Chalet Azelia daily massages are included.
Can I bring my own coach or yoga teacher?
Yes. If you already work with a coach, teacher or therapist, they can join you, and we will check which residence offers a suitable space for sessions and where they can stay. If you do not have one, our concierge can arrange a coach or teacher on request, briefed on your level and goals before you arrive.
Does a private wellness retreat work for a group of friends?
It works well when the group agrees on a few shared moments and leaves the rest free. Larger houses such as Villa Orvella in Cannes or Chalet Gus in St. Moritz have room for one guest’s training session and another’s quiet afternoon by the pool at the same time. We suggest one daily session and one shared dinner, with everything else optional.
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Plan your wellness week with us
Send Nathalie Nguyen or Adam Haddad your dates, your group and what the week is for, and they will come back with residences and the people to bring in. Write on WhatsApp at +33 7 80 98 05 43 or to contact@lutetia-group.com; the team usually replies within the day.