(NewsNation) — Luxury vacations are getting an upgrade with a healthy dose of GLP-1s
New “GLP-1 vacations” are popping up at resorts across the country as use among adults has more than tripled over the last two years, jumping from just 3% in 2024 to 11% in 2026, according to a Gallup survey
The specialized GLP-1 experiences are designed to help people build healthy habits, maintain weight loss or support those considering the medications
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The retreats, which can cost anywhere from $4,000 to more than $12,000 per week, offer itineraries centered on yoga, high-protein meals, strength-training classes, cold plunges, journaling and therapy sessions
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Joe Boyd is the chief operating officer of Hilton Head Health, a South Carolina wellness resort that offers GLP-1 retreats. She spoke with NewsNation’s Jesse Weber on Thursday about how they help clients
“We want you to understand what you’re putting in your body. We’re really 100% behind the science of what goes on in your body and the biology,” Boyd said on “Hot Takes with Jesse Weber.” “If you’re on them, you’re suffering from side effects that we want you to understand and how you can manage them. And then if you’re thinking about transitioning off of them, we wanna get you there on how you do it and how you do it right.”
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Boyd emphasized that the idea behind the program is to connect people with experts who can help them develop the skills needed to lose weight on GLP-1s and maintain that progress, while also surrounding them with like-minded people for support
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While many see these retreats as tools to help people successfully keep weight off, others believe they underscore the complexities of modern wellness
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Dr. Sera Lavelle, a clinical psychologist and owner of NY Health Hypnosis, appeared on “Jesse Weber Live” on Thursday and said these resorts aren’t typically geared toward the people who need the most help
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“If you look at a lot of the advertising they do around these resorts, they’re quite thin women. It’s not the person who got the GLP-1 because they had a BMI over 35 or diabetes,” Lavelle said
While she says she’s not against the idea of GLP-1 retreats, she worries people are missing out on the mental health aspect of weight loss
“Maybe there’s not something that needs to be fixed within that individual specifically. Maybe it’s a better self-image,” Lavelle said. “Are they actually getting the mental health support to be able to say, well, is this a person who’s trying to work on themselves, or is this person somewhat disordered and has a magical belief that this is going to kickstart them in a way that it might not?”
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As for Lavelle’s thoughts on GLP-1s in general?
“I think of it the way I think of any medication. For the appropriate people, it’s a great medication. For people who might not need it, I think it could be pushed on people as kind of a cure-all.”
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