How a Longevity Clinic in Costa Rica Helped Me Overcome My Grief After a Year of Loss

"I'm not much of a nature person-I've called New York City home for a decade and primarily opt for metropolitan vacations-but I was holed up at Hacienda Altagracia, Auberge Collection, a wellness resort in the foothills of Costa Rica, in the hopes that it might reset my nervous system and help me redefine the grief that had been weighing on me for months."

"It was a difficult year to say the least: I lost my aunt after a fierce battle with cancer, my grandmother deteriorated shortly after, and my family's beloved cat passed unexpectedly right before the holidays. These back-to-back deaths left an indelible mark on me, and forced me to reckon with my own impermanence. While still young and healthy, being faced with the reality that we all have an expiration date made me subconsciously retreat into myself."

I settled into Hacienda Altagracia, Auberge Collection, under afternoon jungle rain and felt an unexpected calm as lush greenery stretched past the horizon. I admitted to being primarily a city person, yet the wellness resort and Casa de Agua spa aimed to reset my nervous system and help redefine months-long grief. A series of 2025 losses — an aunt to cancer, a deteriorating grandmother, and an unexpectedly deceased family cat — forced confrontation with mortality and prompted internal retreat. The Estée Lauder Skin Longevity Clinic at the spa reframed aging. Longevity as a wellness focus now extends beyond vitamins and exercise, with some travelers planning visits to blue zones known for high centenarian populations.

Read at Conde Nast Traveler