Home › Blog

The 6 Best Wellness Retreats in South Carolina, From a Trappist Abbey to Hilton Head

The best wellness retreats in South Carolina sit almost entirely in the Lowcountry, the flat, tidal stretch of coast between Charleston and Savannah. That shapes what you get: salt marsh, live oaks and river light rather than mountain trails, and a split between two very different kinds of place. On one side are faith-rooted centers where a week costs less than a night at a resort. On the other are two resort spas and one of the longest-running wellness resorts in the country. Every place below was checked on its own website in September 2026 and is taking bookings.

Bar chart comparing land at three South Carolina retreats: Mepkin Abbey about 3,000 acres, St. Christopher 314 acres, Springbank 80 acres
Land at three of the centers below. Graphic by Retreat Central, from each center's own website.

1. Mepkin Abbey, Moncks Corner

Best for: real silence, on a monastery's timetable.

Mepkin is a community of Trappist monks on the Cooper River, a short drive inland from Charleston, with several miles of river frontage and about 3,000 acres of woodland and farmland. Its St. Francis Retreat Center takes guests who want to share the monks' prayer life, food and landscape. Retreats run Monday afternoon to Friday morning or Friday afternoon to Monday morning, with week-long stays from Monday to Monday or Friday to Friday when there is room.

Only twelve people can stay at a time. Rooms have a bed, desk, reading chair and private bath, and meals are taken in the same silence the monks keep. There is no set price; donations are asked for and encouraged. Book through the abbey's online booking page or by phone, and book early, because twelve places do not go far.

2. Springbank Retreat, Kingstree

Best for: a long sabbatical with an ecological bent.

Springbank sits on 80 acres near Kingstree, in the rural Pee Dee country northeast of Charleston, with walking trails, a labyrinth, a "cosmic walk" and a live oak the center dates at 500 to 800 years old. It was given to the Dominican order in 1955, relaunched as a retreat center in the 1980s, and is now run by sisters under an ecumenical board.

What makes it unusual is length. Alongside weekend stays and private retreats with spiritual companioning, it runs sabbaticals of 4, 8 or 12 weeks and mini sabbaticals of one to two weeks, with creative arts and eco-spirituality woven through. Its fall 2026 programs are open for registration. Rooms are a mix of en suite and shared facilities, and there is an art studio looking out over the woods.

3. St. Christopher Camp and Conference Center, Seabrook Island

Best for: a beach retreat that does not cost resort money.

St. Christopher is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina on 314 acres of beach, maritime forest and salt marsh on Seabrook Island, about an hour from Charleston. It started as a summer camp in 1938 and its conference center is open year round. Anyone can book a personal retreat, not just Episcopalians: the center lists quiet time to write or make art, rest, time as a couple or a family, and space to think through a job change or a family situation among the reasons people come.

There are also day retreats and discounted respite stays for clergy and church staff. Its naturalists run kayak tours and hikes, and the dolphins in the creek are a regular sight. It is the easiest place on this list to combine a retreat with the sea.

4. Hilton Head Health, Hilton Head Island

Best for: a structured health reset with coaching.

Hilton Head Health has been running for more than 45 years and is the closest thing on this list to a classic American wellness resort: all-inclusive stays with daily movement classes, chef-prepared meals, workshops, spa services and coaches. Guests choose a track. Life Balance focuses on stress, mindfulness and emotional wellbeing; Metabolic Health on weight loss and keeping it off; and a GLP-1 Support Experience is designed for people taking those medications.

New for 2026 is a seven-day retreat built with the Blue Zones organization around its Power 9 principles, with cooking demonstrations, yoga, mindful walks and strength training, ending with a personal longevity plan. Choose it if you want a program with a clear goal and people keeping you to it.

5. The Spa at The Sanctuary, Kiawah Island

Best for: a spa weekend by the ocean.

The Sanctuary is the oceanfront hotel at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, just outside Charleston, and its spa is the most polished in the state: treatment rooms, solariums and aqua retreats, with single treatments or full-day experiences. There is no program to follow, which is the point.

One date to note: the spa is closed from January 3 to 24, 2027. If you are planning a New Year reset, book either side of that window.

6. Spa Montage, Montage Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton

Best for: river quiet and live oaks, with room service.

Montage Palmetto Bluff sits on the May River between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, inside a large, heavily wooded community. Spa Montage runs treatments from 8:30am to 7pm with a fitness center open around the clock, and the resort programs wellness activities alongside it. It is the choice for someone who wants the Lowcountry landscape at its most beautiful and has no interest in a shared bathroom.

How to choose between them

  • Want silence and structure? Mepkin Abbey. Nothing else in the state comes close.
  • Want time, weeks rather than days? Springbank's sabbaticals.
  • Want the beach on a budget? St. Christopher.
  • Want a health goal and coaching? Hilton Head Health.
  • Want treatments and privacy? The Sanctuary or Spa Montage.

If you are still working out the budget, start with what a wellness retreat costs, and if this is your first time, read what to expect on a first retreat. For the Blue Ridge rather than the coast, our North Carolina guide and the Georgia roundup cover the neighbors, and the Retreat Central home page links every state.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best wellness retreat in South Carolina?

It depends on what you want from it. For silence and a spiritual retreat, Mepkin Abbey near Charleston is the standout. For a structured health program with coaching, Hilton Head Health has more than 45 years behind it. For a spa weekend, The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island.

Can you stay at Mepkin Abbey?

Yes. The abbey's St. Francis Retreat Center takes up to twelve guests at a time for stays of Monday to Friday, Friday to Monday, or a full week when available. Rooms have a private bath, meals are eaten in silence with the monks, and payment is by donation.

Are there silent retreats in South Carolina?

Mepkin Abbey is the clearest option, because guests keep the monks' silence at meals and through most of the day. Springbank in Kingstree and St. Christopher on Seabrook Island both offer private retreats where you can set your own level of quiet.

How much does a wellness retreat in South Carolina cost?

The range is wide. Mepkin Abbey asks for a donation rather than a fee, and faith-based centers such as St. Christopher publish lodging rates you can check before you book. All-inclusive programs at Hilton Head Health and nights at Kiawah or Palmetto Bluff sit at the resort end of the market.

Is Hilton Head Health still open?

Yes. It was taking bookings in September 2026 and has added a seven-day Blue Zones retreat to its Life Balance, Metabolic Health and GLP-1 Support programs.

Sources