A wellness expert explains why a digital detox is really about reconnecting, plus five California spots to try it.
“I just need a break.” It’s a phrase we’ve all used, but what does it really mean? According to the Global Wellness Institute, the U.S. is the world’s largest wellness market, at $2.1 trillion. But dollars don’t always translate to actual digital detox and rejuvenation.
With a nonstop news cycle and a strained economy, many people are reconsidering their travel plans, or even their daily routines, to incorporate conscious self-care.
“You want to get away, you want to run away, but what’s the feeling you’re going after?” asks Lisa Caruso, founder and “chief joy officer” of JoyWelle, an internationally recognized wellness lifestyle and consulting brand.
Caruso has spent more than 20 years in travel and hospitality public relations, building expertise in well-being, wellness innovation, and the intuitive healing arts.
“A lot of hotels want to create a marketing message—’Let’s do a digital detox retreat’—but at the end of the day, you can’t make people give you their phones,” says Caruso. “People have their own agency, and they’re going to do what they’re going to do.”
At its core, digital detoxing is about being present, which is no small feat. A recent survey found Americans check their phones 186 times per day. What might happen if the temptation were removed even for an afternoon, if not an entire vacation?
“It doesn’t have to be overly commercialized and complicated,” stresses Caruso. “It’s all about what’s feeding you—your soul, your mind, your heart, your body.”
California, in particular, offers plenty of places and experiences to do just that, from a week of silence to an urban yoga class. Here are five ways to detox throughout the Golden State.
1. Redwoods Forest Bathing
Where: The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
No swimsuit needed for this kind of plunge. Alex Pappas, founder of Redwoods Forest Bathing, brings the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku to California’s towering redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, where he grew up.
“My mission is to share my love for these old-growth redwood forests with others by showing people a tangible, accessible way to reconnect with nature,” Pappas told the Santa Cruz Sentinel. “I believe that a powerful way to preserve this precious biosphere is to show through experience that forming a reciprocal relationship with nature is crucial to living a full, healthy human life.”
Pappas, who has studied yoga and meditation for over 20 years, also has a background in neuro-linguistic coaching and psychology, so participants can expect more than just a walk in the woods. Various studies have documented health benefits from reducing cortisol, a stress biomarker, to decreasing sympathetic nervous system activity, which helps shift the body into a calmer state.
“We are defaulted to fight or flight,” says Caruso. “So we actively have to take the action and do the things that help us regulate.” As for the digital disconnect, Caruso suggests, “What if you went for a walk and you were actually on the walk and not listening to the podcast that you haven’t had time to listen to?”
2. Spirit Rock silent retreat
Where: San Geronimo Valley, West Marin County
If your job requires back-to-back Zoom calls, managing a large staff, or late-night networking events, perhaps the last thing you want to do during your time off is talk to anyone. If so, a silent retreat at Spirit Rock might be just the reset you’re looking for.
Established in 1988 and focused on Insight Meditation (vipassana), Spirit Rock’s Buddhist practice adapts centuries-old teachings for everyday people. It offers a range of experiences from daylong retreats to two-month residencies for experienced practitioners.
For those considering a silent getaway, Caruso says, “Sometimes you’re trying to escape yourself. People don’t want to be with themselves a lot of the time, and that’s okay. There’s no judgment around that.”
But if days or weeks of self-awareness beckon, Spirit Rock spans 411 acres, including two meditation halls, surrounding woodlands and hills, and a communal vegetarian dining hall focused on locally sourced, organic produce.
Retreats embrace loose themes, such as “Intuitive Wisdom and Embodied Love,” “Transforming the Judgmental Mind, Cultivating the Wise Heart,” and “Awake in the Wild: Contemplating Joy, Wisdom, and Wonder in Nature.”
If the time commitment feels overwhelming, daily programs—online and in-person—let participants dip their toes into mindful practices, from yoga to the somatic language of thoughts and emotions.
3. Sensei Porcupine Creek
Where: Greater Palm Springs
Launched by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Dr. David Agus, Sensei Porcupine Creek takes wellness to the next level with a 230-acre property nestled in the Coachella Valley. Whether you’re visiting for post-music-festival decompression or a standalone stint, Sensei offers all the elements of an upscale wellness retreat.
Caruso, who’s worked with many high-end brands, says that hotel facilities and programming are often grouped under the umbrella of wellness, but the sum of the parts makes the case for authenticity.
“That might be in the spa, in your guest room, or throughout common areas,” says Caruso. “For a property to want that positioning as a wellness destination, it should be in all of those places.”
“From a property standpoint, it’s not about taking all the sensory things away necessarily, but it is creating a space that people have the option to be present and disconnect,” she continues. “So Sunday night football or the news aren’t blaring—taking those things away intentionally, so that you give guests the opportunity to connect.”
Accommodations include 10 estate rooms, four casitas, and eight standalone villas, so even at capacity, Sensei Porcupine Creek’s Rancho Mirage location feels intimate. Trained staff, from fitness experts to yoga, nutrition, and mindset practitioners, are on hand to customize experiences, while a private 18-hole golf course and tennis facilities offer the chance to get the endorphins flowing.
Bodywork and facials redefine pampering, including signature treatments such as thermal body mapping and a desert herb poultice and oil massage that incorporates local botanicals.
This level of experience (including an exclusive collaboration with Japanese chef Nobu Matsuhisa) comes at a price, but for those with deep pockets, Sensei Porcupine Creek is as plush as a satin pillow.
4. The Ranch Malibu
Where: Santa Monica Mountains
A 90-minute drive from Los Angeles connects travelers to one of California’s most notable wellness centers for rejuvenation and digital detox: The Ranch Malibu.
Tucked away in the Santa Monica Mountains and just minutes from the Pacific Ocean, the self-described “tech-free mountain sanctuary” offers participants a signature seven-day program, extended Ranch 9.0, or personalized private stays.
Caruso, who’s experienced wellness offerings from Morocco to Manhattan, says, “It’s almost like the next iteration of what destination spas used to be.” The 360-degree approach includes accommodations, guided hikes, fitness classes, daily massage, an outdoor heated pool, an infrared sauna, and hot/cold plunges. Over a dozen enhancements (additional charge) can further fill the days, such as acupuncture, energy healing, and IV therapy.
Appetite follows all that self-care. The Ranch Malibu’s on-site regenerative organic certified garden grows over 100 types of fruits and vegetables, which it uses for daily meal preparation.
With only 21 TV-free cottages, The Ranch Malibu maintains its insular vibe, with a nod toward digital detoxing, with Wi-Fi only available in private spaces. But if there were any place to disconnect, this is it.
5. Low-key ways to unplug in San Diego
Where: San Diego County
A digital detox, or just a day of self-care, doesn’t always need an overnight stay or multi-day itinerary. San Diego is brimming with local spots to reconnect with what’s important to you. The city’s fall arts and culture calendar is packed with concerts, art exhibits, and world premieres. But the city’s backdrop is just as inspiring, with plenty of ways to experience the outdoors, take in the fresh air, and rest, retreat, or revitalize.
Caruso says wellness could be having your favorite cocktail with a friend or sitting by the pool with a good book: “Wellness is super accessible… It’s actually what you make of it.”
Balboa Park
In addition to all of its museums, Balboa Park features more than a dozen unique gardens, from the Japanese Friendship Garden to the Inez Grant Parker Memorial Rose Garden (featuring thousands of rose bushes)—a literal invitation to stop and smell the roses.
Outdoor yoga at The Rady Shell
San Diego’s stunning outdoor music venue regularly hosts free yoga (advance registration required). Flow with friends, or go solo for a community fitness event that will leave you feeling zen.
Stargaze across San Diego County
Take a step back from your hurried life with an evening gazing at the cosmos. From the nearby mountain town of Julian to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (an International Dark Sky Park), San Diego proves wellness may be closer than you think.
With so many options, it’s tempting to want to capture the moment and claim wellness bragging rights. But Caruso says that the lived experience is the reward in and of itself. “Take the photo at the beginning, the end, or bring a Polaroid,” she suggests, to set yourself up for a rewarding respite that reaches beyond the algorithm.
