The Best Wellness Retreats in Louisiana: Three Picks, From a Silent Riverside Retreat to Grand Coteau and a New Orleans Spa
The best wellness retreats in Louisiana lean on two old traditions: Jesuit retreat houses and New Orleans hospitality. Manresa House of Retreats, on the Mississippi at Convent, runs silent three-day retreats for men with no set fee. Grand Coteau Retreats, in Acadiana, offers silent and preached retreats for men, women and couples. And the Ritz-Carlton on Canal Street has what Louisiana's tourism office calls the largest spa in New Orleans.
The three at a glance
| Retreat | Where | Best for | Cost basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manresa House of Retreats | Convent, St. James Parish, on the Mississippi | Men wanting a silent, preached Ignatian weekend | No set fee; suggested donation |
| Grand Coteau Retreats | Grand Coteau, near Lafayette | Men, women and couples; silent and preached retreats | Contact the centre for rates |
| The spa at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans | 921 Canal Street, New Orleans | A secular spa break in the city | Hotel rate plus treatments |
1. Manresa House of Retreats, Convent
Convent, Louisiana, on the east bank of the Mississippi. Manresa sits roughly midway between Baton Rouge and New Orleans on a 130-acre campus. Its main buildings date from the early 19th century, when the site was Jefferson College, a school for the sons of planters; after the Civil War the Marist Fathers ran it as a Catholic school, and the Jesuits bought it in 1931 as a retreat house.
The format has hardly changed since. Each retreat is three days of silence built on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola. A retreat master gives eleven talks of about 30 minutes, Jesuit staff are available for confession and spiritual counselling, and there is daily Mass. Weekend retreats run from Thursday night to early Sunday afternoon, every weekend of the year except the last, and six mid-week retreats run from Sunday night to early Wednesday afternoon.
- Who can go: men only, aged 18 or over by the date of the retreat. Manresa says there are no exceptions.
- Group size: up to 111 men per retreat, with an average of 108.
- Cost: no set fee, only a suggested donation, and all contributions are anonymous.
- Booking: Manresa runs on 57 retreat groups, each with a captain. You pick a group on the scheduling page, which sends a request to its captain, who contacts you about space. Every group has a waiting list, but vacancies do come up.
Silence for three days is a big step if you have never tried it; our explainer on what a silent retreat is covers what to expect. For more men's options across the country, see our best men's retreats in the USA.
2. Grand Coteau Retreats, Grand Coteau
Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, about 15 miles north of Lafayette. Jesuits have worked in this small Acadiana town since 1837. On 15 August 2024, the province joined its two retreat and spirituality centres there, Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House and the former Jesuit Spirituality Center at St. Charles College, into a single centre called Grand Coteau Retreats, using the buildings and grounds of both.
Where Manresa does one thing, Grand Coteau does many. Its programme includes silent retreats based on the Spiritual Exercises, preached retreats for men and for women, retreats for married couples, senior retreats, and days of reflection for school staff, as well as retreats run with partner groups. Individuals can come, as can parishes and other groups. Our Lady of the Oaks is the more intimate house, for up to about 50 people, and most rooms across the centre have queen beds and blackout curtains; most rooms at Our Lady of the Oaks have private bathrooms. Meals are served in the centre's dining rooms.
Prices are not published in one place, so call or check the calendar at GCRetreats.org for the retreat you want. Grand Coteau suits anyone who wants a Catholic retreat in Louisiana but is not eligible for Manresa, including women and couples. For more faith-based options nationally, see our best Christian retreats in the USA.
3. The spa at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans
921 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA 70112. Not every retreat needs a chapel. For a few days of rest in the city, the Ritz-Carlton on the edge of the French Quarter has a 25,000 square foot spa with 22 treatment rooms, which Louisiana's official tourism site describes as the largest spa in New Orleans. The spa has its own cafe and boutique, a fitness centre and a hot tub.
Treatments and prices change through the year, so check the hotel's spa menu before you book; spa access is generally tied to booking a treatment or a stay. A spa weekend here pairs easily with slow walks in the Quarter and along the riverfront. For more spa-led options, see our best spa and wellness retreats in the USA.
How to choose
- For silence and structure: Manresa, if you are a man over 18 and can wait for a place.
- For a retreat as a woman or a couple: Grand Coteau Retreats.
- For rest without religion: a spa stay in New Orleans.
Louisiana is hot and humid from late spring to early autumn, and hurricane season runs from June to November, so late autumn to early spring is the most comfortable time for walking the grounds at Convent or Grand Coteau. Looking further afield? See our picks for Texas, Arkansas and the Southeast, or go back to the Retreat Central homepage.
Sources: Manresa House of Retreats, about; Jesuits Central and Southern, Grand Coteau Retreats: a place of healing and nourishment (16 December 2024); Jesuits, Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House; Explore Louisiana, the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans. Checked 25 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a retreat at Manresa cost?
There is no set fee. Manresa asks for a suggested donation, and all contributions are anonymous. Retreats run Thursday night to early Sunday afternoon, with six mid-week retreats a year.
Can women go on retreat at Manresa?
No. Manresa's retreats are for men aged 18 and over. Women looking for a Jesuit retreat in Louisiana can go to Grand Coteau Retreats, which runs preached retreats for women and for married couples.
How do I book a Manresa retreat?
Through a retreat group captain. Manresa has 57 groups of up to 111 men; you choose a group on its scheduling page, which emails the captain, who tells you about vacancies. All groups have waiting lists.
What is Grand Coteau Retreats?
The Jesuit retreat centre in Grand Coteau formed on 15 August 2024 by uniting Our Lady of the Oaks Retreat House and the former Jesuit Spirituality Center at St. Charles College. It offers silent, preached, couples and senior retreats.
Is there a non-religious wellness retreat in Louisiana?
For a secular break, a resort spa stay is the usual choice. The spa at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans, 921 Canal Street, covers 25,000 square feet with 22 treatment rooms, according to Louisiana's tourism office.