Miraval Resorts & Spas has unveiled results from what it’s calling a first-of-its-kind third-party research study suggesting that immersive wellness retreats deliver measurable, lasting benefits and not just a momentary recharge.
Conducted by nonprofit wellbeing science organization Humin, the study tracked 266 guests across multiple time points: before their stay, two weeks after, and 60 days out. The findings: 66 percent of surveyed guests reported reduced perceived stress post-stay, with 62 percent still reporting that benefit at the 60-day mark. Nearly all guests surveyed — 95 percent — reported a strong sense of belonging within the Miraval community, while more than 70 percent said they formed new, meaningful connections on property.
For Simon Marxer, the vice president of spa and wellbeing at Miraval Resorts, the data confirmed what the brand had long believed anecdotally.
“When you do sort of empirical investigations and you have the hard data, it is a very different experience than just knowing that this is going on,” Marxer said in an interview with Luxury Travel Advisor.
(Hyatt/Miraval Resorts & Spas)
Marxer credits the belonging numbers to an environment designed to lower guests’ defenses. The 95 percent figure, he said, flows from Miraval’s emphasis on psychological safety — a setting where guests feel comfortable enough to be authentic, which in turn opens the door to genuine connection with fellow guests and staff alike.
The study also pointed to specific programming as a driver of stress reduction, with guests who participated in equine therapy, meditation, creative expression, and outdoor adventure reporting incremental gains in wellbeing and mindfulness. Marxer described equine therapy in particular as central to the Miraval ethos.
“It is foundational,” he said, noting that his own equine experience during his interview process was what ultimately brought him to the brand in 2007.
On the question of lasting impact, and why the study was designed to measure it well beyond a guest’s checkout date, Marxer was direct.
“It’s less about what goes on around you. It’s more about what goes on within you,” he said. “That is the lasting impact of Miraval.”
He described a stay at the resort as akin to a live concert experience: “One can engage in well-being practice at home. It’s like listening to a record. Going to Miraval is like being at the concert.”
For luxury travel advisors recommending the brand to clients, Marxer said the study’s third-party validation offers something concrete to stand behind.
“They can have a sense of trust in making a recommendation for their clients, that they will be cared for very thoughtfully,” he said, calling the research a tool to help advisors feel they are placing clients into a safe pair of hands.
The release comes as wellness travel continues to attract significant investor and brand interest across the hospitality industry. Marxer offered a pointed word of caution to those looking to enter the space: “Should your experience not be authentic, I just would struggle to see a positive outcome.”
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