Wellness travel is no longer a niche add-on to a vacation. The market has more than doubled since 2013; it hit nearly $900 billion two years ago, and is expected to grow at an exponential rate. It has become the reason people book one in the first place.
The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds at Lake Oconee is positioning itself squarely at the center of that shift. Roughly 75 miles southeast of Atlanta on the shores of Lake Oconee, the resort recently completed a 27,000-square-foot transformation of its spa and fitness spaces. It now boasts new signature treatments, 24-hour fitness access with Peloton and Technogym equipment, daily group fitness classes and an expanded roster of wellness-forward programming across its five championship golf courses and lakefront grounds.
The timing lines up with a broader industry trend. Global travelers increasingly choose destinations and hotels based on how they support physical and mental well-being, not just how well they photograph.
A market measured in the trillions
Wellness travel spending is no longer a marginal category within tourism; it is one of the fastest-growing segments in the broader wellness economy. According to the Global Wellness Institute’s 2025 Global Wellness Economy Monitor, the overall global wellness economy hit a record $6.8 trillion in 2024. It is projected to reach $9.8 trillion by 2029, an annual growth of 7.6%. Wellness tourism is one of six sectors the institute expects to surpass $1 trillion in size by 2029, and one of the fastest-growing categories overall.
A separate market report from Grand View Research pegs the global wellness tourism market at $990.4 billion in 2025, with growth projected to continue at a compound annual rate above 9% through the mid-2030s, driven largely by demand for luxury and upscale lodging that integrates spa, fitness and preventive health offerings. Clearly, travelers want an elevated experience that transforms the mind, body and soul.
Consulting firm Simon-Kucher’s 2026 Global Travel Trends study, based on more than 10,000 respondents across 10 countries, finds 44% of high-income travelers took a dedicated wellness trip in 2025, and 58% have one planned for 2026. Wellness travelers spend significantly more per trip than average tourists. International wellness trips average 36% higher spend and domestic wellness trips average 163% higher spend than non-wellness travel.
For resorts like Reynolds Lake Oconee, those numbers translate into guest expectations. Travelers increasingly want spa treatments, fitness programming and outdoor recreation built into a stay, not offered as an afterthought. Additionally, more luxury and upscale hotel brands invest in dedicated wellness infrastructure to meet that demand. It’s a travel niche that goes beyond the recent pickleball craze.
What wellness looks like at Reynolds Lake Oconee
At Reynolds Lake Oconee, wellness isn’t something guests have to schedule around; it’s woven into the rhythm of a stay. Mornings might start with a lap in the heated indoor pool or a walk along the water. Afternoons unfold on one of five championship golf courses designed by golf architects including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio and Rees Jones, or on the lake itself, fishing, boating or trying a watersports exhibition. Evenings often end with a meal at one of eight on-site restaurants, many featuring locally sourced ingredients and lakefront views.
The resort’s spa carries that same philosophy. Newly designed treatments include a Deep Rest Therapy session that pairs a dry-brush treatment and essential-oil massage with a weighted blanket and sound therapy, and a Forest and Clay Restoration treatment featuring a CBD-infused clay-and-mushroom body wrap. A Gua Sha Lymphatic Treatment rounds out the new signature menu: it combines a magnesium application with traditional Gua Sha techniques and a lymphatic massage.
Beyond treatments, the resort’s fitness studio offers daily group classes alongside hundreds of on-demand Technogym sessions. The property’s Sandy Creek Sporting Grounds and Aerial Adventure Course, an 18-obstacle ropes course with a zip line, gives guests active ways to spend an afternoon outdoors.
For families, that same wellness-minded approach extends to Ritz Kids activities, hotel scavenger hunts and a falconry experience. Multiple generations have ways to unplug together rather than splitting off into separate itineraries.
Wellness as a lifestyle, not a checklist
The range of options shows a broader change in how the wellness travel industry defines the term. Where wellness tourism once centered narrowly on spa days and juice cleanses, travelers today look for wellness to show up throughout a trip: in the food they eat, the way a property is designed and the activities built into a daily itinerary.
It’s about feeling good in your body, staying active doing what you love and enjoying time with family and friends, whether that’s a spontaneous pickleball match, a sunset paddleboard session or a quiet morning on a lake-view patio. More and more, that’s what today’s travelers look for when they book a resort stay.
Reynolds Lake Oconee’s recent accolades suggest the approach resonates. The resort earned AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Travel Guide Four Star honors for 2026, along with recognition from U.S. News & World Report’s Best Hotels in Georgia list and a Michelin One Key Hotel designation in 2025.
A destination built around balance
As wellness tourism continues its climb toward becoming a trillion-dollar sector on its own, vacationers look for resorts that can weave restorative experiences into everyday travel rather than isolating them in a single spa visit. These are the type of destinations that stand out.
At Reynolds Lake Oconee, that means a stay where a massage, a round of golf, a lake swim and a family dinner all count as part of the same wellness experience. It’s a reminder that wellness travel isn’t about escaping life, but about living it more fully.
Kimberly Stroh is an Atlanta-based family travel writer and the founder of Savvy Mama Lifestyle. Since 2015, she has been sharing expert travel tips, destination guides and parenting insights tailored for modern families.