Wild Rice Retreat offers peace and wellness among nature

Wild Rice Retreat offers peace and wellness among nature

Taking a trip to relax at the Wild Rice Retreat Center at 84860 Old San Road in Bayfield.

The Wild Rice Retreat Center in Bayfield, Wis., is winning awards for providing peace and welcoming people to be well and connect with nature.

It was recently named Condé Nast’s No. 3 Resort in the Midwest and is currently nominated for Travel + Leisure’s Best Hotel in Wisconsin.

“Wild Rice is built essentially around the concept of to hold you in nature,” Retreat Director Michael Vasquez said.

It’s essentially an “all-inclusive” stay. Meals and wellness classes are included for the price of lodging.

People can stay in rice pods, nests, or treehouses.

“So if you think about all of those things, each of them hold something in nature,” Vasquez said. “So a rice pod holds a grain of rice, a treehouse holds people in nature, and a nest holds birds.”

Everything done at Wild Rice is anchored in one of the retreat center’s three pillars: movement, expression, and nourishment.

Every morning, there are yoga, tai chi, or Pilates classes. Expression can be found in sessions about chakra balancing or crystal healing. And the food is thoughtfully prepared.

“We have an Ayurvedic-influenced cuisine, so think of 75-80% greens, grains, legumes, light protein, and incorporating as much as we can from the local community too. So we’ll use tons of apples and blueberries,” Vasquez said.

A brunch salad. Kyle Aune/WDIO

He says you don’t have to have done a retreat before to enjoy Wild Rice.

“The world creates a lot of chaos. Just being a human is very chaotic and all the stimulation and social media and things that are constantly coming at us every day. We’re not made to handle all of that,” he said. “So I think what Wild Rice does is allows people to come in and just connect with nature and make life simplistic for a few minutes.”

There’s a sauna and rain shower guests can use and a Peace Pod for hosting classes or even bachelorette parties and corporate retreats.

People typically stay for 3-5 days, according to Vasquez. And Wild Rice offers discounts on winter visits.

“This is a place where you can really just take care of yourself for a few days and enjoy some great food, some great people, beautiful nature, and some immersion classes to get your mind engaged,” Vasquez said. “We always hope people walk away rested, feeling peaceful in their soul, and rejuvenated.”

The Wild Rice Retreat Center in Bayfield. Kyle Aune/WDIO