Best Places for Bathing in Forest: Authentic Shinrin-Yoku Retreats Around the World

‘I want to run away — away from all the chaos.’ Has this thought ever crossed your mind? Cause it has surely crossed mine, at least a million times. Around 3 years ago, I reached a difficult phase in my life. It felt like everything and everyone around me was moving at 10 times the speed I was moving at, and feeling that as the world around me got chaotic and loud leaving me no room to calm down — yeah, that was terrible. Then one day, I come across an article titled ‘bathing in forest’. And that, is where my life began to change!

The pretty birds were chirping, the leaves were rustling, and the sun was warming my skin. I could feel the forest smell as I walked through the tall trees and it was the most soothing experience ever. Bathing in the forest was so much more than what I had expected it to be!

Shinrin yoku forest therapy

Shinrin-yoku is a term that was originated in Japan over 40 years ago, and these are considered as sacred spaces in the Japanese culture. The forest bathing shinrin yoku is not something you can only experience in Japan. Yes, this was initially introduced in Japan in the 1980s as a solution for tech burnouts and other stress-related issues and conditions. It involves using all your senses to experience the best of nature, and this practice has now spread to many countries around the world.

6 Shinrin-yoku retreats I loved

Akasawa Natural Recreation Forest, Japan

This shinrin yoku forest therapy retreat is Japan’s first designated natural recreation forest, meaning that this is the birthplace of forest bathing in Japan. You can visit the forest all year-round, but the best time to be here is during the beginning of summer when the weather is pleasant, the forest is packed with fresh greenery, and unlike during the winter, the hiking trails remain open during early summer. You can take in the breathtaking views, the soothing sounds, and the smell of nature, eventually reducing your stress hormones and boosting your immunity, at the very place where it all began.

Tsuguru Quasi-National Park – Juniko Lakes, Japan

As you look down from the Okuzure coast you will be able to spot 12 ponds down below, and there are 33 named ponds here, making it all the more beautiful and relaxing. The park has been protected and maintained as a rich natural landscape, making it the ideal place to take part in the Japanese bathing in nature experience. It’s beautiful and calming.

Black Forest, Germany

Attracting thousands of visitors from around the world, the Black Forest regions is located in the Southern part of Germany. The Black Forest is famous for its rich green trees and picture-perfect landscapes with woodlands, evergreen trees, beautiful lakes, rivers, and more. During Spring the flowers will be blooming and during fall the pretty leaves will glow in rich shades of green as the air is more crisp.

Seogwipo Healing Forest, South Korea

700m above sea level, this 11km-long dense forest trail is perfect if you would like to enjoy a slow stroll with surroundings sheltered from the warm sun, as the smell of the fresh cypress calms you down. You can space out, think of absolutely nothing, just feel the fresh breeze, the forest smell, hear the rustling leaves, and walk out feeling refreshed and reset. You will feel as if though all the weight you felt on your shoulders have been brushed away by the calming breeze.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Attracting thousands of visitors from around the world, the Black Forest regions is located in the Southern part of Germany. The Black Forest is famous for its rich green trees and picture-perfect landscapes with woodlands, evergreen trees, beautiful lakes, rivers, and more. During Spring the flowers will be blooming and during fall the pretty leaves will glow in rich shades of green as the air is more crisp.

Udawattakele Sanctuary, Sri Lanka

Once a garden dedicated to the exclusive use by the Kandyan royal family, this forest was also referred to as ‘Uda Wasala Watta’ translating to ‘garden above the royal palace.’ This is home to over 3 rock cave dwellings for monks, as it is also considered a religious area. With over 100 hectares, this sanctuary is located high up on a hill, away from all the chaos and crowds, more peaceful, calming, with pleasing sounds, and the cool air all around you.

Why forest bathing is good for your health

What are the shinrin yoku benefits? This is something I was curious about before I went on my first forest bathing experience. Japanese nature bathing, shinrin-yoku, is how I learnt to disconnect from the reality that never gave me a chance to relax or catch my breath, and focus on the gifts of nature that have been given to us at no cost whatsoever. From my first bathing in forest experience to my most recent one that happened just two months ago, I have gained so much peace and calmness within me. Even as I was writing this blog, I stepped out for a few minutes to relax myself. The air is cool, the rain has started to slow down a bit, and the leaves and grass are glistening as the water drops rest on them.

Forest bathing is over a hundred times better than that! It’s all about feeling and not thinking, which is the complete opposite of what we are generally used to. Trust me when I tell you, you will never walk in and walk out the same after any bathing in forest experience you decide to go to. It will feel like you have discovered the actual purpose of life, and you will want to stay in this calm zone forever and ever.

Bathing in Forest — would you go?

It’s obvious enough that I truly love and enjoy forest bathing. To me, personally, it has been life changing. This is something I would continue to do for the rest of my life, thanks to that article that I ready all those years ago. This is something that I have recommended to my friends who I know are just as stressed out as I am, and they have truly loved it. In fact, we go on these bathing in forest experiences together now, and it is worth every penny and second we spend. But that’s me, what about you? Would you want to try out any bathing in forest experiences? Think you would enjoy it? And more importantly, would you really not missing out on it? It’s time to decide!