Dive Brief:

• California-based hospitality and wellness group Humboldt Social is partnering with The Center for New Growth, a ketamine and integrative mental health practice, to launch ketamine-assisted therapy retreats at its Scotia Lodge hotel. 
• During the four-day retreat — aimed at addressing trauma and depression — participants will take part in an opening ceremony, two ketamine-assisted sessions and a final day of reflection and closure. 
• The offering comes as more travelers look for wellness experiences, which is backed by a September 2022 Accenture study that found two in five high-income consumers had booked a luxury trip or wellness retreat in the next year.

Dive Insight:

With the health and wellness market expected to reach more than $1 trillion in spend globally by 2025, “consumer-facing companies must tap into cross-industry expertise and scientific and technological breakthroughs while also considering consumers’ changing priorities when designing new offerings,” said Oliver Wright, a senior managing director at Accenture.  

In travel, the evolution of the wellness retreat — designed to focus on a guest’s mental, physical and emotional health (think yoga, meditation) — could include offering additional treatments such as Humboldt Social’s ketamine-assisted therapy.

According to data collected by New York University in 2021, following the FDA’s 2019 approval of ketamine’s use for depression, the recreational use and availability of the drug — initially created as an anesthetic — had increased, and a 2022 study by Mindbloom found 89% of participants saw improvements to anxiety and depression symptoms following four sessions of the psychedelic drug treatment. Skeptics of the treatment, however, warn of the drug's side effects. 

In addition to ketamine-assisted sessions, guests at the boutique Scotia Lounge receive prepared meals and spa-like services.

“We want this to be an immersive and transformative experience, so we’re going one step further and are incorporating things like massage therapy and tub soaks to The Center’s therapeutic sessions,” Nicole Fryer, co-founder of Humboldt Social, said in a press release.

Humboldt Social joins other hospitality brands, including Kimpton, integrating mental health accommodations for guests. Last year, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants partnered with Talkspace to offer up to 1,000 complimentary video therapy sessions with licensed counselors to adult guests staying at participating properties.