Why Choose Healing Holidays? Ten Reasons Guests Trust Us

Booking a wellness retreat is not like booking a beach holiday. You are trusting someone with your health, your time and often a difficult moment in your life. The retreat you choose, and the person who advises you, can decide whether you come home restored or simply tired from travelling.

Healing Holidays is Europe's leading spa and wellness travel specialist. Since 2004 we have designed journeys that fit your lifestyle, your health goals and even the seasons, from detox retreats to medical spas. Here are the ten reasons guests choose us, with what our guests have said along the way.

What is Healing Holidays?

Healing holidays are wellness trips designed around your physical, mental and emotional wellbeing, combining expert guidance, treatments, nutrition, movement and mindfulness to help you recover and reset. Healing Holidays is also the name of the London-based specialist, founded in 2004 by Frances Geoghegan, that matches guests to the world's best spa and wellness retreats.

Why Choose Healing Holidays?

Guests choose Healing Holidays because it is a wellness-only specialist: its advisors recommend only retreats they have visited and tested, give impartial advice, offer exclusive properties and a best price guarantee, and protect every booking with ATOL bonding and 24/7 emergency support.

1. Expertise You Can Feel

We sell wellness and nothing else. Our founder, Frances Geoghegan, is a trailblazer in spa travel, and her relationships with the world's leading spa and wellness experts are unmatched. Her team shares her passion. They only recommend properties they have tried and tested themselves, so your itinerary rests on first-hand knowledge, not on a brochure.

In practice: one guest booked a 21-day Panchakarma programme at Six Senses Vana. She described her advisor as "extremely knowledgeable" and the advice as "sound, serious and reliable".

2. Contacts That Open Doors

Knowing the right people on the ground is priceless. After years in this industry, we can do what others can't: secure an appointment with a therapist who is fully booked, arrange a complimentary room upgrade or find you a seat on a full flight.

In practice: a guest who found us in The Sunday Times needed a last-minute spa break. Her advisor arranged the whole trip to Lefay on Lake Garda, and she said she "wouldn't hesitate to use them again".

3. Retreats You Won't Find Elsewhere

Many of the best spas and medical clinics value our position as market leader so highly that they deal with us on an exclusive basis. Some of the world's most extraordinary wellness centres can only be booked through Healing Holidays.

In practice: from medical resorts such as Palazzo Fiuggi to wellness destinations such as Zulal Wellness Resort in Qatar, our advisors know each property from the inside and can tell you which suits you.

4. Real Value, Guaranteed

Being the market leader lets us negotiate the best rates. We back that with a best price guarantee on any like-for-like itinerary, so you never have to choose between expertise and value.

5. A Trusted Voice in Wellness

We have partnered for many years with the industry's leading publications, including the Condé Nast Traveller Spa & Wellness Guide, The Sunday Times World's Top 50 Spas and the Tatler Spa Guide. We commission and send top wellness journalists to discover the newest clinics and retreats, which is how we keep finding places others haven't heard of yet.

6. Recognised for Our Work

Anyone can praise themselves, so here is what others say. Healing Holidays has been named the World's Best Spa & Wellness Tour Operator and the UK's Favourite Specialist Tour Operator, and Frances has been named Condé Nast Traveller's Top Wellness Specialist.

7. Advice That Is Truly Impartial

Not many spa operators can say this, but we never accept payment from anyone to appear on our books. Spas are featured on merit alone. We recommend what is right for you, not what is right for us.

In practice: one guest told us that Frances "always takes the time to discuss in detail my needs and goals to help select the correct retreat". She has since recommended us to friends.

8. A Service That Goes Further

We do much more than book a flight and a spa. We help secure visas, arrange access to airport lounges and organise sightseeing before or after your retreat, so the whole journey feels looked after.

In practice: a guest travelling to Ananda said her advisor's organisation was "like clockwork". The staff there arranged a private ceremony to celebrate her late husband's birthday, which she described as "the most special thing".

9. Support When You Need It

Our team can be reached 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, before, during and after your trip. If anything goes wrong with your travel arrangements, we are on the phone and ready to help.

10. Your Money Is Protected

Healing Holidays is ATOL-bonded, so your payments are fully secured. That peace of mind lets you focus 100% on your wellness break.

What Sets Us Apart: We Listen First

Behind the list is a simple habit. We begin every conversation by listening. What has brought you to this point? How are you feeling? What have you already tried? Only then do we think about where you should go.

That approach comes from Frances's own journey, which you can read in the story behind the name Healing Holidays. It is the reason our advisors feel more like guides than booking agents.

Why Choose Healing Holidays? Your Questions Answered

What makes Healing Holidays different from a regular travel agent?

Healing Holidays sells only spa and wellness travel. Our advisors recommend only retreats they have visited and tested themselves, and they build each itinerary around your health goals rather than a brochure. For example, a guest who wanted a "serious reset" was matched with a 21-day Panchakarma programme at Six Senses Vana.

Do spas pay to be featured by Healing Holidays?

No. We never accept payment from any spa or clinic to be featured. Properties appear on merit alone, so our advice is based on what is right for you, not what is right for us.

Is my booking with Healing Holidays financially protected?

Yes. Healing Holidays is ATOL-bonded, which means your payments are fully secured and protected. You can plan your trip without worrying about your money.

What is the best price guarantee?

We offer a best price guarantee on any like-for-like itinerary. As a market leader we negotiate strong rates with spas and clinics, and we pass that value on to you. Like-for-like means the same retreat, programme and dates.

Can you book a last-minute retreat?

Our advisors can often help, thanks to relationships with properties and airlines. One guest who discovered us in The Sunday Times booked a last-minute spa break at Lefay on Lake Garda, and the whole trip was arranged for her. Availability always depends on the retreat, so speak to an advisor as early as you can.

What happens if something goes wrong during my trip?

Our team can be reached 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, before, during and after your trip. We liaise with the retreat to resolve any issue with your travel arrangements, so your wellness journey stays smooth.

Can you help with more than the retreat booking?

Yes. Beyond booking your flight and retreat, we help with visas, airport lounge access and sightseeing before or after your stay. We also work with the retreat on special requests. One guest's retreat arranged a private birthday ceremony for her late husband.

Which types of retreat do you offer?

We cover the full range, from detox retreats and emotional healing retreats to medical spas, yoga retreats and Ayurveda retreats. Browse the full list of wellness retreats, or read our guide to what healing holidays are.

Is there more than one Healing Holidays?

No. Healing Holidays is a London-based company founded in 2004 by Frances Geoghegan. Other companies sometimes use the name in online advertising, so it is best to contact us directly through healingholidays.com. Read more in There Is Only One Healing Holidays.

Find Your Perfect Healing Holiday

Whether you need rest, recovery or a fresh start, we can help. Browse our wellness retreats or speak to one of our wellness advisors and we will design a journey around your goals.