“People still have a stigma about couples therapy and coming to therapy, but no one has ever had a problem going on vacation,” said Marissa Nelson, a sex therapist who works through her company, Retreats in Barbados, Hawaii, St .Lucia and Washington, DC intimacymoons (Seven days in St. Lucia starts at $7,500). She also offers virtual sessions; Even after the retreats closed in 2020, she noticed couples traveling — to Airbnbs or on road trips — before signing up to work with her.
Travel is a powerful tool for tapping into intimacy, said Shlomo Slatkin, a rabbi and certified relationship therapist. His company, The Marriage Restoration Project, focuses on married couples. In response to the growing demand to combine therapy and travel, he launched his first destination retreats last year, ranging in price from $4,000 to $5,000 and taking place in Costa Rica, Mexico and Miami.
“Leaving is really powerful because changing the relationship requires a paradigm shift,” he said. “The lockdowns have created many maintenance issues in relationships that need to be addressed.”
Tara Skubella, a tantric guide, works with both couples and single women. Tantra, a spiritual philosophy with roots in medieval India, includes practices such as tantric sex, and Ms. Skubella offers services including chakra work that focuses on energy points in the body. Her retreats in Costa Rica and Colorado (starting at $499) have mostly sold out as of 2020, she said.
“It seems very focused on Covid and breaking out of isolation,” she said. “Society recognizes that tantra is not just about sex, it’s about inner connection and healing.”
In March, the hotelier St. Regis starts a retreat with the sex coach Bibi Brzozka about intimacy, conscious sexuality and emotional awareness at the St Regis Punta Mita Resort in Mexico ($2,680). In April, Six Senses Ibiza will host Pleasure Principles – The Journey of Women’s Sexual Wellbeing, a six-night stay focused on female sexual empowerment ($4,500). They are the first sexuality-focused retreats for both brands. — Debra Kamin
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