While the frenetic streets of Ubud, Bali, are crowded with travelers, weaving motorbikes, and open-air markets, a hidden retreat down an unassuming narrow road transports wellness seekers to a different world. Goddess Retreats offers a series of women-only programs that balance yoga and spa rituals with surfing, cycling, cultural excursions, and transformative sessions, all arranged with a practiced hand, just tucked away in a Bali paradise.

Each itinerary is less a schedule than a progression, with activities carefully chosen to flow naturally from early morning yoga to afternoon adventure to evenings of quiet reflection in group mind-body workshops. According to owner and founder Chelsea Ross, the retreat’s daily rhythm is no accident– it was designed with purpose. “Everything on the retreat’s itineraries has come out of me experiencing it myself and going, oh my gosh, I want to share this,” Ross said, in an interview held at the retreat’s serene sanctuary, adorned with Hindu mūrti.

Blending ancient wisdom with emerging wellness knowledge, the retreats, now going on for over two decades, have progressed with the times. “The retreats have evolved over time as I’ve evolved. I started off as a surfer yogi, and then as I discovered things like acupuncture or Pilates, we added them in,” Ross says. “Literally everything is something that has helped me and that I wanted to share.”

A typical day at the retreat might begin with a morning yoga session, a nutritious breakfast with the attentive staff, a midday outdoor excursion such as white water rafting or biking through the rice fields, followed by a deep tissue massage, body treatment, or private session with a local healer. If all of that seems overwhelming, consider that you can also spend the day sleeping in, dipping in the pool, or lounging in a hammock overlooking the forest floor while listening to birds singing. A nurturing staff will check in, but for the most part, at Goddess Retreats, you make your own rules.

Each day ends with a lively dinner, where retreat guests often get to know one another. Solo women travelers seeking self-care and an easy way to access the best of Bali are at the heart of Goddess Retreat’s clientele. For many of these travelers, the other guests often become friends. People who on the surface might not seem to have a lot in common are commonly seen exchanging phone numbers and tears on the last day’s high tea luncheon.

The most unique aspect to the Goddess Retreat’s wellness package is the access to a myriad of healers, astrologers, psychics, and more. Local healers stop by the grounds for group or individual sessions, ranging from sessions with astrologers to tarot readers to quantum healers and body work professionals. The experience is enough to leave you with a sense of wonder and groundedness, long after the retreat ends and you’ve returned home.

Tucked behind vibrant green fields populated with elegant white cranes and greenhouses that are bursting with fresh produce, the Ubud retreat consists of a series of private villas and shared houses featuring two pools, an outdoor sauna, a plunge pool, and a picturesque yoga shala. In the hours when the shala isn’t occupied with yogis, it’s the ideal spot for meditating, journaling, or simply gazing out at the jungle greenery.

A morning rain, more typical in Bali’s wet season from October to March, doesn’t dissuade Goddess yogis from their morning practice. In fact, sheltered by the bamboo roof, the yoga practice continues as rain pours on, providing a relaxing atmosphere and natural sounds for a transcendent stretch session. On sunny days, the sights and sounds of the forest –the glowing sunlight, the chorusing birds, the coconuts abruptly falling out of palm trees– are a profound way to start your day grounded in the present moment.

“The whole thing is to try and slow people down. Being in the present moment isn’t simple, so we ‘hide it’ in beautiful experiences, including surfing, yoga, sound healing, even just butterflies in the garden, so that people drop into presence naturally,” she explains.

When the team at the Goddess Retreats says that they offer an unlimited spa menu, they mean it. The staff, which playfully refer to themselves as “spa chasers,” track guests down each day to schedule the next day’s self-care activities, ranging from full body scrubs to hot stone massages.

In addition to the many spa offerings, Goddess Retreats also offers something so blissful, and so Balinese, that it can’t be missed: the ultra-luxurious fresh rose and flower baths. Each bath, infused with oils, milks, and other botanicals, is drawn by a staff member and paired with an accompanying beverage. With staff outnumbering guests at least three to one, every detail feels personal and anticipatory.

Now, 23 years on, the retreats have a reputation among travelers and adventure seekers for being expertly curated, with retreats that feature extraordinary Balinese healing sessions, outside excursions, and plenty of activities that feel like they were chosen by the most insider person you know.

“It takes a lot to create a space where people can really be vulnerable. That’s why the team matters so much. Many of them have been with us for over 10 years. For all of us, it’s more than a job; it’s our dharma. We genuinely love to help people,” Ross says. “I never planned on creating this. I just followed the things I loved, and everything conspired to come together. That’s what I want for other people too: to open up possibilities of imagination and experience.”