Health and Wellbeing Center — the name sounds like it could be anywhere, but the Health and Wellbeing Center at the Four Seasons Westlake Village might have an unassuming name, but the experience here is one-of-a-kind.
The first weekend in January, I joined a group of seven people from New York, Florida, Tennessee, Arizona, and California to kick start the new year and experience firsthand how the Four Seasons Wellness Retreat is different from other retreats. We signed up for a four-day, three-night stay, not really knowing what to expect. Ages ranged from recent college grads to retired people. (Don’t be judgmental; the retired person was a former athlete and a better hiker than all of us.) We met at the Health & Wellbeing Center, a retreat center inside the Four Seasons Westlake Village hotel. The center has its own kitchen, a patio with access to fresh herbs and vegetables, yoga and meditation rooms, common spaces, and offices.
We arrived at our hotel, located in one of California’s most affluent communities, between the Santa Monica Mountains and Malibu Beach, ready to work our minds and bodies. Most of us, well, most of us, had been to other fitness retreats. But we quickly learned that this wasn’t the kind of retreat where you’d drastically restrict calories, work out all day, lose weight quickly, and then go home and wonder how to maintain your progress. Instead, The Center for Health & Wellbeing focuses on lifestyle changes and building longevity habits — habits that last.
Choose your adventure
After introductions and a warm-up outdoor yoga class, we cooked dinner together. The center’s chef laid out the ingredients for our recipes and helped us with the mise en place. As we started cutting, it became clear to see that the meals at the retreat were not only healthy, but flavorful and hearty. Cooking together and teaching each other new techniques, from how to emulsify salad dressing to charring broccoli, would be a bonding exercise that would last the weekend and beyond. “I really didn’t realize how rigorous this program would be,” says Missy Funk, who signed up for a weekend getaway with a friend hoping to celebrate her birthday.
First, I chose one of three tracks: Sustainable Weight Management, Optimal Performance, or Spa & Beauty. Then I filled out a questionnaire about my habits and goals, and we confirmed everything during a pre-retreat call. Since I was working on building strength and recovering from a torn meniscus, I chose Optimal Performance, which included a VO2 max test and consultation with a trainer and nutritionist.
This all-inclusive retreat includes lectures, workshops, meals, group hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains, indoor and outdoor yoga classes, group meditation sessions, and one-on-one programs based on each course. Experts include registered dietitians, clinical psychologists, sleep specialists, fitness trainers, and more.
No stranger to healthy eating and cooking, Missy was pleasantly surprised by what she learned over the weekend, particularly at dinner with UCLA-certified sleep medicine specialist Dr. Sam A. Kashani. Though Missy has struggled with insomnia for years (her work schedule requires global travel and international travel that really messes with her circadian rhythms), having a conversation with an expert outside of a clinical setting changed how she viewed the issue.
After dinner, we returned to our room at the Four Seasons. The room was set up for the best sleep possible. There were no little red lights to disturb us. Each room had blackout curtains that were closed during turndown service. On the bed was a copy of Mark Millstein’s book, Age Proof Brain: A Guide to Improved Memory, Protecting the Immune System, and Combating Dementia, open to the chapter on sleep. There was also a lavender spray for the sheets and a special tea blend to drink before bed.
Step by Step
Her approach to nutrition and fitness was similarly helpful. Registered dietitian Diane Grabowski Nepa’s advice was easy to apply to grocery shopping at home. For example, instead of encouraging me to memorize a formula for calculating appropriate sodium content (which we doubt you would do), she offered a shortcut: consider any food with more than 1 milligram of sodium per calorie to be “too salty” for an average eater. You can do the math right there while browsing the shelves at the turnip truck. Her nutrition advice was timeless and focused on aging healthily, fighting disease, and addressing personal limitations (dietary restrictions, preferences, time constraints, etc.).
All of our group thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast talk by exercise physiologist Scott Silveira. He addressed the issue of muscle loss starting as early as age 35 and encouraged us to think holistically about the impact exercise has on not only the body but also the brain. He gave advice on frequency, intensity, duration and style of exercise, and broke down the number of repetitions and sets for weightlifting. He also showed us how to add more exercise if we are not doing enough or if we are only doing cardio and strength training and need to diversify.
The 12-acre property includes a garden with a waterfall, where I planned to take long walks during my free time. But even though I’m an introvert, I ate every meal with my peers, and even relaxed in our private hot tub after the retreat. Missy and I appreciated the camaraderie. Not only did we eat meals together, but we stayed connected through group texts and chats after the retreat and encouraged each other when we returned home.
We laughed through art therapy, learned to create unedited, and shared experiences and backgrounds ranging from training for downwind ocean paddle races (not me) to organizing our fridges to put healthy foods at the forefront (also not me).
The eureka moment
The 308-room Four Seasons Westlake Village hotel is, of course, open to other guests and events, and multiple restaurants, bars, pools, and workout facilities are available for use during the retreat. And we weren’t just confined to the Health & Wellbeing Center; we worked out at the gym, known for its celebrity memberships. The hotel has three pools, each with a different vibe, where you can frolic outdoors, sneak away in the privacy of a cabana, or swim in the sun-drenched indoor pool under a glass ceiling. And, as we mentioned, the private hot tubs come with drink and food delivery service.
At 40,000 square feet, the spa is the largest in the Four Seasons chain and features private treatment rooms, orchid-adorned lounges, a private relaxation spa and large locker rooms with extensive amenities. In addition to traditional spa and salon services, the spa also offers acupuncture, hypnotherapy, body treatments and posture correction.
Formerly known as the California Health and Longevity Institute, the Health and Wellness Center (founded by former Dole Foods Chairman David Murdoch) plays cleverly into the resort’s design and landscaping, and we had our final dinner in the poolside greenhouse, surrounded by the aromas of lush herbs.
The follow-up after the retreat included a copy of the cookbook, “The Wellness Kitchen: Fresh, Flavorful Recipes for a Healthier You,” in addition to recipes used in the center’s kitchen during their stay.
“It was so satisfying to see other people have their eureka moments,” says Missy. “We were complete strangers, but we all came away happier and healthier. It was so invigorating to see everyone’s journey.”
