YO1 Offers Visitors an Escape to Heal the Mind and Body

Hanging out in the spa after a relaxing massage.

Ever since I’ve visited Ukraine’s banyas, I’ve been in search of similar yoga/massage type retreats here in New York. There are several bathhouses in New York City, but I was craving a place away from NYC where I could enjoy nature and fix my mental and physical needs.

At a travel show years ago, I heard about YO1: Yovan Longevity Resorts in the Catskills. YO1 is an all-inclusive wellness retreat center sitting on over 1,300 tranquil acres. “Yovan,” in Sanskrit means, “youthful,” and YO1 offers a variety of activities to rejuvenate the mind and body.

Upon arrival at YO1, friendly staff willing to curate a personalized wellness experience greeted me. YO1 bases their healing practices on Ayurveda, which is a type of Indian therapy that uses herbal medicine, special diets, meditation, yoga, and massages. The front desk helped me schedule my treatments for the next 2 days and give a rundown of all the opportunities to heal the mind and body.

After checking into my enormous room, I made a beeline to the spa. I can’t express enough how much I love therapy rooms. I hopped from one therapy room to another. I detoxed my body in the saunas and cooled off in the waters, then enjoyed a delicious smoothie. The smoothies/juicers were included with my room, so I made frequent stops to the juice counter. After jumping from the many sauna type rooms and drinking a lot of juice, I went back to my room and get ready for lunch.

The meals at YO1 are incredible. All meals are vegetarian and are delicious. Before I went to YO1, I looked up Yelp reviews. One reviewer stated that the soup alone was worth the trip and I wholeheartedly agree with that person. The soups are in deed amazing. Every meal was fantastic.

After lunch was my first therapy appointment. I opted for a massage and any stress that NYC had passed onto me was gone. The therapist worked out knots and kinks that had festered in my body. I put my body through a lot and the therapist worked his magic. From there, I went back to my room for a little nap.

One of the great things about my room was there was a private sauna for my section of the resort. Since nobody else was staying in my section, it felt like I had my own personal sauna for my 2-day vacation. I frequented that hot little room often during my stay.

After emerging a sweaty, relaxed mess from the sauna, I got ready for dinner and enjoyed another sumptuous meal. All meals are prepared with Ayurvedic principles, meaning they’re both nourishing and delicious. No processed ingredients or foods are served. Everything is organic, gluten-free, and designed to promote a healthy lifestyle.

After dinner, I went on a little hike around the property and enjoyed the serenity of the Catskills. That night I slept like a baby.

The next morning, I had breakfast and went to yoga. The glass-walled yoga studio overlooks a lake and helps to achieve a peaceful disposition before taking the mat. The yoga instructor took us on a journey to stretch out the body and relax the mind.

After yoga, I headed back to the wellness center for a mud bath. This was the second mud bath that I’ve had and was looking forward to the experience. It’s more of a mud caking than a bath. The therapist spread out therapeutic mud all over my body and let me cook under heat lamps for a while. “Cooking” probably isn’t a term they would like to use, but it felt that way, but in a good way. The mud and heat were relaxing and made my body feel great. After the mud “bath,” I took a shower and headed back into the sauna, skipping from one room to another. A few hours later, I had another therapy. That one was a hydro therapy, where water jets were aimed at pressure points. Another enjoyable experience.

By the end of my time at YO1 Resort, I felt rejuvenated and relaxed. For those that live in NYC and need a retreat from the busyness and noise, take the 2-hour trip into the Catskills to YO1. Whether you’re into yoga, Ayurvedic therapies, or simply need a quiet getaway, YO1 has something for anyone looking for a break.