What are the Best Luxury Boot Camps in the World?

Sometimes we get a bit off track with our diet and workout routines. Sometimes we get waaaayy off track. For those moments when a big event, vacation or pool party loom large on our calendars and our weight does, too, intensive intervention is required. Yep, we’re talking Boot Camp. Our correspondent Julie Chang Murphy, who is a badass kick-boxing instructor in her free time, has the cure. She’s rounded up the best luxury weight loss-focused boot camps in the world right now. Here’s where to go when you’re ready for the ultimate weight loss and fitness experience. Its how to lose weight fast when money is no object.

living large for a bit too long

It all started with holiday cookies. So many kinds, so little time. Then, multi-course Lunar New Year dinners that I can honestly say I have no regrets over.

The same can be said for the entire box of Valentine’s Day chocolates from L.A Burdick that I might have hinted about to my husband a bit too forcefully.  In March, there might have been a few too many beers on St. Patrick’s Day. But I can’t really remember. What happened in April you ask? Thin Mints and Samoas. Need I say more?

If you’re like me then it’s time for an intervention! When you need to pull it together, and fast, our elite friends (both male and female) have told us that going to a luxury weight loss boot camp is by far the best way to get the job done. Many of them swear that going to these places once a year means that you’ll never have to diet in-between visits. Every time you creep over your goal weight, just head in for a tune-up!

where do the elite go for the ultimate weight loss and fitness experience?

Everybody faces it at some point: the urgent need to drop some pounds and increase strength. Where do the members of the C-Suite, multi-millionaire class go when the beach, the red carpet, or the boardroom are calling and they have to get rid of 5-10% of their body weight, pronto?

Dear reader, it all depends on their idea of what constitutes luxury. Some are looking for an extreme mad-crazy detox. Others want a more old-school luxury experience with some weight loss thrown into the mix. And a third group loves the outdoors and is looking for sporty options to up their fitness level before their moment in the spotlight.

We’re profiling the best places to go for all three of these types of getaways. First up in our series: offerings for the truly hard-core (aka those in search of a “starvecation”). If you’re already fit; exceptionally tough-minded; or just looking for self-flagellation opportunities as penance for being too slothful all winter, here are the best weight loss boot camps around the world that will be all too happy to whip you into shape.

the best luxury boot camps in the world

North America

1. The Ranch

The Ranch at Live Oak in Malibu, CA. The Hollywood glam squad is devoted to this place. Set on 120 acres with an organic garden, a saltwater swimming pool, and a “massage village,” the accommodations are luxe, and the regimen is ultra-intense (it’s aptly been described as a “tough-love” approach).

The seven-day “no options” program centers on four-hour hikes every day (yes, you heard that right). It’s augmented by fitness classes, yoga, massages, and a super-clean menu (meat, caffeine, alcohol, sugar, gluten, processed sugars and artificial sweeteners are all prohibited, and you’re allowed only 1,400 calories a day).

Reporters who have covered the experience as journalists tell of six-almond snacks, hallucinations, and daily bouts of nausea. Wow. Guests must hand over their phones and other electronic devices, so the detox is digital, as well. The pampering, such as it is, involves daily massages, nap time, and your own private cottage stocked with luxury linens and limestone baths. Participants usually lose three to six percent of their body weight. $7,800 per week.

2. The Ashram

The Ashram in Calabasas, CA is nestled in a secluded valley in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. It provides a week-long high-intensity fitness program that is a marked alternative to the lush accommodations at The Ranch.

The Ashram is seriously rustic: we’re talking shared bunks and showers. Only a dozen or so guests are allowed in each program cycle. The curriculum is filled with rigorous hikes, gym and dance classes, yoga, Pilates, strength training, and a vegetarian menu. Phones, Internet, and TV are prohibited. Despite the deprivation (or perhaps because of it) it’s usually booked solid nine months in advance. We know a senior hedge fund guy who swears by this regimen and goes religiously once a year. $5,800 per week.

3. Groundsea Fitness

Groundsea Fitness in Great Barrington, MA is the East Coast player in this genre. Three female devotees of the Ranch and the Ashram who found trekking to the West Coast twice a year too onerous, given their other responsibilities, launched a short term program in the Berkshires. Currently limited to only 10 guests, the program mimics the rigorous hiking of its West Coast cousins, but is a wee bit friendlier (laptops and caffeine are allowed, eggs are on the menu, and there’s cell service). Guests stay at the Kemble in in Lenox, Massachusetts or at a private estate in Great Barrington. A 3 day retreat is $4,000 and a 5 day retreat is $5,500.

4. Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa

Pritikin Longevity Center and Spa in Miami, Florida is the go-to retreat for those who value and/or require a strong medical presence for their weight loss efforts.

All retreats include private appointments with a physician and the most up-to-date diagnostic tools to detect things like cardiovascular disease and monitor insulin and blood sugar sensitivity. The program is stringent but after staying for 3 weeks, guests come away not only with significant weight loss but a 23% drop in cholesterol, 33% reduction in triglycerides, 45% drop in chronic inflammation for women (and 39% among men). Some people can lower their insulin levels by as much as 46%.

And not to worry, luxury-lovers.  Although the results seem like those of a hard-core austere setting, the 4-star resort facilities include beautiful pools, championship golf courses and a spa. Prices for a 1-week retreat start at $3,500.

5. Red Mountain Resort

Red Mountain Resort in St. George, Utah is known for customizing its retreat with mental and  emotional guidance for their guests, in addition to providing physical and nutritional expertise. The resort teaches Mindful Eating and you will attend group workshops to help you understand your eating patterns and change them accordingly. Daily guided hiking and fitness classes are rigorous and tailored for a guest’s specific goals. Acupuncture and spa treatments aid in more efficient detox. $2,845 per week.

6. Mountian Trek Fitness Retreat

Mountain Trek Fitness Retreat in British Columbia, Canada features Nordic Fitness Trekking, which engages 90% of your body’s muscles, as its predominant form of exercise 3-4 hours a day.

The organic and gourmet spa cuisine is designed to improve gut microbiome health and reduce inflammation. And you guessed it, there is no alcohol, sugar, caffeine and processed food. Screen time is reduced and there is no cheating as the resort’s WiFi is turned off for 8 hours each night. As a result, guests can expect to leave with increased energy, toxin elimination, improved skin, and weight loss. $5,400 a week.

7. Rancho La Puerta

Rancho La Puerta in Tecate, Baja California, Mexico is one of the oldest destination spas in North America, and it consistently ranks as one of the top wellness destinations by Condé Naste year after year.

The ranch follows a lacto-ovo pescatarian diet including dairy, eggs and fish. But there’s no meat or poultry. Menus also avoid refined sugar and emphasize low-glycemic carbs. With over 50 instructor-led exercise classes offered a day, and hiking trails around their 4,000 acre property, you’ll never get bored. Depending on your chosen accommodations, a one week stay starts at $4,350.

Europe

8. Raw Retreat

Raw Retreat in Cornwall, UK is set in the bucolic English countryside and offers bespoke programs for each guest. The goal is holistic health, and the programs on offer include juice fasting and raw food.

Guestrooms are in a barn outfitted with a log-burning fireplace, high-tech amenities, and a private garden. Daily options include coastal treks, one-on-one yoga, hydrotherapy, hikes, and swims as well as blood analysis and colonic irrigation. The spa reports an average weight loss of seven pounds per seven-night stay. Rates start at $2,670 per person a week.

9. Grayshott Health Spa

Grayshott Health Spa in Surrey, UK approaches weight loss with a naturopathic approach and a special focus on gut restoration. The regime of intermittent fasting and elimination of grains and diary will promote healthy microbes back to your digestive tract and strengthen the immune system.

For exercise, there are daily fitness classes and walks, both indoor and outdoor swimming pools and tennis courts on the grounds. Stays are available from 1-3 weeks in a beautifully restored country manor and spa, one hour from London. $2,535 for one week.

10. Lanserhof

Lanserhof Lans in Lans, Austria is for those looking for a European-style detox. Created in 1901 by Franz Xaver Mayr, an Austrian doctor who was prescient in his focus on “gut health,” the regime is – if such a thing is possible – even more demanding than its US boot camp counterparts.

Stays are a minimum of a week (two weeks is the preferred visit), and during that time, guests are assigned one of six food intake levels, all of which are extremely Spartan (and all of which involve drinking Epsom salt first thing in the morning, eating locally grown potatoes at lunch and taking lots of vitamin supplements).

Part of the “cure” is chewing each mouthful 30-40 times. Yikes! Treatments are plentiful, and include massage therapy, sleep monitoring and cryotherapy. As with all of these top-tier boot camps, devotees swear by the results and return again multiple times to maintain their weight loss. $3,575 for one week.

11. Euphoria Retreat

Euphoria Retreat in Mystras, Greece is one of Europe’s top destination spas. The Advanced Weight Loss Retreat offers a customized program which includes highly experienced medical supervision, antioxidant personalized Mediterranean dietary plans, targeted clinical tests, and physical activities fine-tuned for your specific goals. The inspiring location is just dreamy. It combines Byzantine art and architecture and Zen minimalism. $3,750 for one week.

12. Espace Chenot Spa

Espace Chenot Health Wellness Spa in Erbusco Brescia, Italy is located at the 5-star L’Albereta Hotel. This rigorous Italian weight loss retreat has a team of over 30 medical and therapeutic professional dedicated to your self-care. Think 24-hour broth fasts, vitamin solutions and personal training sessions. But also, cellulite treatments and infrared vacuum massages. Programs are available from 3 days to 14 days and range from $1,600 to $9,000 respectively.

Asia

13. The Farm at San Benito

The Farm at San Benito in Lipa City, Philippines will whip you into shape via energetic jungle treks and a strict diet of raw vegan cuisine at its award-winning Alive! Restaurant. You can also transfer to daily detoxing juices that are designed to speed up your weight loss. Treatments range from acupuncture to colonics and cupping, and there are holistic therapies including salt baths, Tibetan steam therapy and reflexology. Considered a top raw food destination, it’s also eco-friendly. Prices start at $1,995.

14. Absolute Sanctuary

Absolute Sanctuary in Koh Samui, Thailand offers a wide range of retreats. So avert your eyes and focus on their Be Fit or Detox programs.

5-10 days of Be Fit programs are available and all sessions integrate Yoga, Pilates Reformer, Rhythm Cycling and Core Suspend. Expect personal training and nutritionally balanced super food cuisine. For your efforts, all packages also include multiple massages, including the famed Thai massage.

If you’d rather limit your calories than expend them, try the Detox program which consists of 3-7 days of daily colonics, a menu of green juices, detox drinks, liver flush tonics and unlimited bone broths…when you’re not fasting. Prices start at $1,400 for 3 days to $2,500 for 1 week.

15. Como Shambhala Estate

Como Shambhala Estate in Bali, Indonesia customizes their cleanses and fitness offerings to your individual needs. The Bespoke option addresses weight loss, but also focuses on stress management. After consulting with their wellness expert, a treatment plan is devised for your 8-14 day stay.

Whether you need to balance your energy levels and hormones with juices and broths and/or go all out with circuit training, and then take calming walks through rice paddies in the evening, it’s all here. One of our favorite features is that the services of a personal assistant are included, in case you’re too sore or hangry to do anything else. $6,720 for 8 days.

16. Ananda Spa

Ananda Spa in the Himalayas, India bases their weight management program on centuries of Ayurvedic knowledge. Participants can expect a Dosha (body type)-specific diet, yoga, hydrotherapy and aromatherapy.

One of the pillars of their program is meditation, which, if you’ve ever tried it, is just as rigorous as any cardio. Training the brain as a muscle will empower the rest of the body and help you sustain your weight loss long after you’ve left the jungle. Programs start at 3 days for a jumpstart and go all the way up to 3 months, to offset chronic diseases. A typical 1-week stay on the 100 acre Maharaja’s Palace Estate starts at $770 per night in their Standard rooms during the off-season of April through September.

the ultimate weight loss and fitness experience

That’s it – our top picks for luxury boot camps that oriented toward weight loss. Are you in?

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Crediting her training as a cultural anthropologist at Wellesley College, Julie has immersed herself in various industries in the last 15 years including fashion design, event planning, fitness and even investigating police misconduct. Julie lives in NYC where she loves trying every ramen and dumpling restaurant with her husband and three children. She finds joy in bold prints, biographies of fierce women, kickboxing and spending way too long finding the perfect polish color to express her mood.

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