In our continuing Spa Spotlight series, Carole Jacobs, Real Food Traveler’s Health, Fitness & Spa Editor, introduces us to the highly-acclaimed Wild Rice Retreat, and offers up some reasons (and deals) for visiting in 2025.

Save this June Spa Spotlight article to Pinterest to help you plan your trip to Wild Rice Retreat. Photos courtesy of Wild Rice Retreat. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Hungry for more? Read about U.S. Dude Ranches with Stellar Spas.

June Spa Spotlight: Wild Rice Retreat in Bayfield, Wisconsin

Looking for a spa where you can reset and recenter to a soundtrack of rustling leaves and lapping waves? Look no further than Wild Rice Retreat, a Scandinavian style resort set in a storybook forest on red rock bluffs above Lake Superior.

Part yoga/wellness/spirituality retreat and part artsy enclave, the resort occupies a cluster of clean, minimalist marvels designed by a leading architect that invite you to clear your mind, simplify your life, and unclutter your psyche.

A view of one of the cabins. Photo courtesy of Wild Rice Retreat.

Although the luxury mind-body retreat is a relative newcomer to the spa world (it opened in May 2021), Wild Rice has already garnered top accolades from Conde Nast Traveler, which named it one of the top 20 resorts in the U.S. two years running, and Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best Awards 2025 in the Best Hotels, Wisconsin category.

Lay of the land: Located outside Bayfield, “The Gateway to the Apostle Islands,” the 100-acre retreat is laced with trails and facilities whose very names may slow your heart rate. There’s the Peace Pod, with sealed flooring, soaring ceiling, and windows overlooking Lake Superior where yoga, meditation, and mind-body workshops are held; The Sanctuary, where you can take in wooded views from the cedar sauna and indulge in the rain shower; and the expansive Wild Rice Retreat Center, the resort’s focal point housing a Great Room and dining with dramatic architecture, high ceilings, and large windows overlooking the forest.

Settle in: The retreat’s woodsy accommodations takes their cue – and names – from nature and include RicePods, stand-alone Scandinavian-style minimalist cabins with heated floors and large windows that bring the outside stillness in; Nests, high-end retreat-in-nature lodging with separate living and sleeping quarters and lake views; and The Treehaus, with four guest suites with private baths, shared dining and living space, and panoramic “treehouse” views of Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands. All lodging ops are furnished with kitchenettes with refrigerators and microwaves; outdoor patios or balconies; Egyptian cotton linens, towels, and robes; curated toiletries; and free Wi-Fi. Book a stay of three nights or more by August 30, 2025 and save 15 percent!

Work up a sweat: At Wild Rice, the Great Outdoors is your gym. The property is laced with hiking trails, and you can also follow the 3-mile roundtrip Brownstone Trail, an abandoned Chicago and North Western Railway corridor, from the resort to historic downtown area of Bayfield, the trail follows the shoreline of Lake Superior and hugs the brownstone cliffs that give the path its name. You can also enjoy every outdoor activity under the sun in Bayfield and the nearby islands. For more information, see “Summer fun in and around Bayfield” below.

Perfect your yoga pose: Yoga is front and center at Wild Rice, and for good reason. Research shows it develops inner awareness; soothes tension, stress, and anxiety; increases muscle strength and endurance; improves flexibility; and enhances cardio-respiratory fitness by lowering blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Yoga may even help reduce depression and arthritis and improve survival from cancer, according to Harvard Health.

The retreat offers several types of guided yoga (Somatic, Sensory, Movement Meditation, SlowFlow, Restorative, Vinyasa), plus myriad mind-body modalities to help you regroup and reset, including forest bathing, meditative drawing, journaling, sound bathing, healthy brain workshop, breathing workshops, creating cairns (used for centuries for spiritual purposes) and drum beating.

Guests enjoy a variety of types of yoga at Wild Rice Retreat.

In addition, Wild Rice also hosts a variety of monthly Guided yoga, wellness and spiritualty Retreats aimed at increasing mindfulness, promoting healing, and nurturing creativity, All retreats include lodging, meals, full access to facilities, and daily classes led by top instructors.

A few upcoming retreats in 2025 include:

• Whole Self Retreat: Mind, Body, Spirit, June 26-29: This retreat focuses on yoga, meditation, somatic practices, and joy.
• The Milky Way Retreat, July 23-27: A portal back to connection with the stars, the retreat includes yoga, forest walks, and hunting for stars and constellations that guided and inspired centuries of poets, scientists, and spiritual leaders.
• Cultivating Creativity Through Body, Breath, Art, and Meditation, July 31-August 4: The 5-day retreat uses movement, breath, sound, and meditation with creative prompts (mandala formations, mark-making, words, collage) to engage your inner art explorer.
• Lake Superior Summer Retreat – Weaving (Our) Being & Becoming A Yoga and Bliss Immersion, August 5-10: Held halfway between the Solstice and Equinox, the retreat celebrates the fullness of summer with yoga and meditation.
• Art & Creativity for Healing, August 10-13: The retreat teaches a unique therapeutic art process that provides a safe and supportive space for exploring and expressing firsthand experiences and emotions – from everyday challenges to the really hard ones.
• Permission to Play: A Joyful Yoga Retreat, August 21-24: The retreat shows guests how to use playful yoga flows, creative movement, and mindful meditation to rediscover the joy of embodiment.

Fuel up on healthy holistic cuisine: Nourishment is a core pillar at Wild Rice Retreat. The chefs at Root, Wild Rice’s on-site kitchen, create clean, Ayurvedic-inspired fare that revolves around whole foods, with an emphasis on fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices to keep you satisfied and energized.

Photographs of NOVO Restaurant at Wild Rice retreat in Bayfield, WI. All photos taken by The Restaurant Project 2021.

• You’ll rise and shine to a light breakfast of Greek yogurt and house-made granola, fruit, local coffee from Wonderstate, a solar-powered Wisconsin-based organic coffee roaster, and artisan hot tea.
• You’ll fuel up for the day’s activities with a robust brunch consisting of vegetable quiche, fresh spinach and arugula salad, gluten-free almond crust breakfast pie with fresh herbs and roasted vegetables, fresh fruit platters, and local baked artisan breads.
• After a day of exploring, you’ll wind down with a family-style dinner of dishes like Lake Superior ponzu salmon with house pickles, roasted fresh vegetables, baked chicken and vegetable curry, chilled raita salad, and midnight brownies. Beverages include regional beers and ciders, award-winning wines, and house-made free-spirited options like the Green Refresher, which combines fresh herbs and cucumber for an energizing sip.

Outdoor dining in NOVO Restaurant at Wild Rice retreat in Bayfield, WI. All photos taken by The Restaurant Project 2021.

Ah spa: Along with massages, Wild Rice offers a slew of New Age mind-body treatments one might not expect to find years from Sedona, including:

• Alchemy: This healing experience combines somatic bodywork, acupressure, breathwork, and guided imagery, and may also include cupping, Trigger Point therapy, or Gua Sha. Whether addressing a specific concern or unfolding intuitively, the treatment supports deep transformation and healing.
• Ayurvedic Oil Massage: This traditional Indian herbal oil massage uses slow, rhythmic strokes to promote circulation, lymphatic drainage, and relieve stress, anxiety and insomnia. Warm herbal oils also nourish tissues and encourage detoxification. The treatment also includes a facial massage and hair oiling.
• Thai Bodywork with Hot Stones & BioMat: This age-old treatment employs rhythmic compression, assisted stretching, and acupressure to release tensions, improve flexibility, and restore balance.
• Crystal Healing: A certified crystal practitioner places selected crystals on key energy centers to help clear blockages, promote emotional healing, and encourage spiritual growth.
• Chakra Balancing: This treatment begins with a Chakra Reading to assess energy and identify imbalances or blockages. Based on this, your practitioner designs a Crystal Layout to cleanse, align, and energize your chakras and promote healing on all levels.
• Intuitive Energy Healing: Your therapist will balance your bodies’ energetic centers and unblock pathways that work with your body’s natural ability to heal itself.

After a treatment, you can bake in the resort’s 24/7 cedar wood sauna. The wide, long benches are almost large enough to host a hot yoga class.

 For the dogs: Wild Rice is a pet-friendly retreat where your furry friend is welcome to share your digs in a RicePod or Nest (no dogs are allowed in Treehaus suites) as well as your hiking adventures (dogs must be kept on leashes.) Wild Rice provides food and water bowls, doggie beds, and plenty of room for Rover to roam.  BYO dog food and treats.

Hungry for more? Read about Mountain Trek Spa in British Columbia.

Other things to do while staying at Wild Rice Retreat

Summer outdoor fun in and around Bayfield: Just a mile down the road from Wild Rice is picturesque Bayfield, a waterfront burb lined with Victorian homes, restaurants, cafes, and more. Bayfield is Wisconsin’s smallest city, with a population of just 600, although you’d hardly know it considering its national accolades and wealth of activities.

Named among “The 23 Best Places to Go in the U.S. in 2023” by Conde Nast Traveler; and among the “10 Best Coastal Small Towns 2023” and “10 Best Small Towns in the Midwest 2023 by USA Today, Bayfield is a beehive of outdoor recreation.

Here’s a few summer activities you won’t want to miss:

• Visit the “Fruit Loop.” Nestled in the bluffs of Bayfield, known as “The Berry Capital of Wisconsin,” are more than a dozen apple orchards and berry farms, where you can walk the grounds and sample locally grown blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and apples.
• Hit the Beach. The Bayfield Peninsula has miles of pristine sand beaches, including Friendly Valley Beach, Little Sand Bay, Cornucopia Beach, and Meyer’s Beach.
• Hop an Apostle Island Cruise in downtown Bayfield for a narrated tour of 21 gem-like isles and the largest and most complete collection of historic lighthouses and light towers in the country. Two have been restored and are open for tours in summer.
• Head to Madeline Island, the largest of the Apostles, via the Madeline Island Ferry. Spend the day exploring the Madeline Island Museum and Woods Hall Art Gallery or take a hike at Big Bay State Park.
• Kayak the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, where nature has carved delicate arches, vaulted chambers, and honeycombed passageways into sandstone cliffs along the Bayfield peninsula and archipelago.
• Mountain bike miles of tracked trails at Ashwabay Outdoor Recreation Area.
• Some of the most spectacular waterfalls in Wisconsin are located along the south shore of Lake Superior in Bayfield, Ashland, Douglas, and Iron Counties. Download the waterfall map here.
• Visit Frog Bay Tribal National Park, the first tribal National Park in the United States, where you can hike 1.7 miles of rustic trails through boreal forest, coastal wetlands, and undeveloped sand beach.

After a day of adventure, fuel up and unwind in Bayfield’s eclectic eateries.  You’ll find fish houses serving the daily catch; cafes, bakeries and a creamery; bistros and art bars; wineries, cideries, taverns, and distilleries; and even an old-fashioned general store.

The Raspberry Island Lighthouse. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

To learn more about Wild Rice Retreat, visit their website. And to learn more about Bayfield, Wisconsin, here’s their website.

-Story by Carole Jacobs, Real Food Traveler Health, Fitness & Spa Editor. Photos courtesy of Wild Rice Retreat unless otherwise mentioned.