As wellness comes to the forefront for some corporate leaders, planners may be tasked with producing a retreat for their organization. 

In fact, the corporate wellness market was valued at an estimated $61 billion in 2023, and this number is expected to rise to $85 billion by 2030, according to Fortune Business Insights.

Where are companies spending on wellness?

In 2024, employers are anticipating a greater investment in mental health solutions (91%), stress management and resilience tools (66%), telemedicine (65%), mindfulness and meditation programs (55%) and lifestyle spending accounts (52%), according to a survey of health insurance brokers who represent thousands of employers and millions of employees published in the 2024 Employee Wellness Industry Trends Report by Wellable. 

In March, we spent three nights and four days at Sedona Mago Center for Well-Being & Retreat to conduct a site visit and sample their wellness offerings for corporate clients. Here’s what we learned.  

The location: Sedona Mago Center for Well-Being offers 103 rooms on more than 180 acres located in the high desert at 4,500-feet altitude. Surrounded by picturesque red rock mountains and vistas with stunning views for miles, the remote retreat center is located 11 miles off the blacktop, about a 30-minute drive on a dirt road.  

Getting there:  Sedona Mago is located 40 minutes southwest of downtown Sedona and 2.5 hours north of Phoenix. Guests can fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and get to the retreat center by driving or booking shuttle services. 

Need to know: Our group received a sampling of wellness services from trained experts in Body & Brain, an eastern holistic energy healing and mind-body practice. Founded in 1985 in the U.S. by Author and Educator Ilchi Lee, Body & Brain is a business that teaches a Korean physical exercise system called Brain Education. 

Desired outcome: Achieve peak performance — a state of optimal cognitive, emotional and physical functioning — not only professionally but also personally.

Key takeaway: One way to help event attendees or your corporate team achieve peak performance is to help them tap into their energy by connecting mind and body to enhance their event experience. Get their creative juices flowing … literally — whether that’s through nature, sound, breathing, meditating, exercising, tapping and so much more.

Sampling of services: A team of wellness experts — including Body & Brain CEO Ilchibuko Todd, Earth Citizens Organization Executive Director Steve Kim, Brain Education TV Director/Producer Linda Yoonjin and Body & Brain Wellness Director of Corporate Wellness Dami Kim — provided:

• Guided meditations at sunrise, at Cathedral Rock next to Oak Creek in the Coconino National Forest, at Bell Rock and in the onsite healing garden.
• Tapping to relieve stress and promote peak performance. View a video of the “Water Up, Fire Down” exercise here. 
• Sound healing
• Qi gong exercises
• Energy principles of Body & Brain Wellness, including chakra, meridian and pressure point training
• Emotional balancing
• Aura reading
• Team building exercises

F&B: Three meals were provided each day in the dining hall, which serves a pescatarian buffet with a salad bar. No meat is served on property. Sedona Mago practices the idea of doing the least damage to the Earth as possible in any way they can, so they do not serve meat. Gluten, dairy and vegan requests can be accommodated. Coffee and tea are available, but no alcohol. 

Words to live by: We learned and used these Korean phrases: “bahn-gahp-seum-nida,” which means you are like the divine, and “kamsa-hamnida,” which means thank you.

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