Our Process
How We Score Every Retreat
Scores are never for sale. Retreats pay us when you book — you pay nothing, and the score doesn’t move. Every score is independently calculated using the same weighted methodology across all 120+ retreats.
Philosophy
Built Independent
RetreatVault was founded on a simple premise: if you’re spending $5,000–$50,000 on a wellness retreat, you deserve data you can trust — not marketing copy.
The scoring system was built by RetreatVault founder Chad Waldman with deep experience in quantitative evaluation. That same rigor is applied to every retreat in the vault: controlled variables, weighted criteria, reproducible methodology — and a scoring pipeline sealed from revenue.
How we make money: retreats can pay us for bookings and leads we send them, and can claim their listing to verify factual details. None of that touches scores or rankings — the scoring pipeline is sealed from revenue.
Where possible, retreats are visited first-hand. Where not, we rely on a triangulation of multiple verified data sources — never a single point of reference. The result is the most comprehensive, unbiased wellness retreat rating system available.
Independence Charter
The Score Freeze
Every score is computed from data and frozen with a database timestamp before any property visit or partnership is booked. The number exists first; the relationship comes after.
On-site visits add verified media and data corrections to a listing — new photos, confirmed amenities, corrected details. They never add points. A retreat that hosts a founder visit and a retreat that never responds to an email are held to the identical weighted formula.
The RV Score
15 Weighted Categories, One Number
Each retreat is scored 0–10 across 15 categories. The final RV Score is a weighted average, with weights calibrated to what matters most to informed wellness travelers. Categories like Nutrition and Medical carry more weight than Add-Ons because peer-reviewed research shows they drive outcomes.
When a category can’t be verified for a given retreat, we exclude it from that retreat’s average and redistribute its weight across the categories we can confirm — a property is never penalized for data we simply don’t have. The resulting scores are then calibrated across the full directory so a number means the same thing on every listing, and so the RV Score reflects where a retreat stands among its peers rather than an isolated tally. To keep the scale honest, we only publish a numeric RV Score at or above 6.5; below that we show the tier label “Listed” rather than a precise figure, because the underlying data isn’t yet complete enough to stand behind a specific number.
Nutrition & Food Quality
Menu analysis, dietary accommodation, organic sourcing, chef credentials, on-site gardens.
Fitness & Movement
Class variety, instructor qualifications, equipment quality, outdoor programming, personal training availability.
Mindfulness & Meditation
Daily offerings, teacher lineage, meditation spaces, silence options, breathwork programs.
Spa & Relaxation
Treatment breadth, therapist training, facility quality, hydrotherapy, signature experiences.
Sleep & Recovery
Mattress quality, blackout capability, noise environment, sleep programs, evening protocols.
Medical & Clinical
Physician credentials, diagnostic capability, lab access, treatment protocols, clinical research.
Personalization
Intake assessment depth, custom programming, staff-to-guest ratio, follow-up protocols.
Amenities & Facilities
Architecture, pools, grounds, room quality, common spaces, overall property impression.
Pricing & Value
Cost relative to inclusions, service bundling, hidden fees, cancellation policies.
Activities & Excursions
Off-property options, adventure programming, cultural experiences, nature access.
Education & Workshops
Lecture quality, workshop depth, take-home knowledge, expert faculty, cooking classes.
Ease of Travel
Airport proximity, transfer logistics, international accessibility, visa requirements.
Sustainability & Ethics
Environmental certifications, energy sourcing, waste management, community impact, local employment.
Social Proof & Reputation
Google/TripAdvisor ratings, press coverage, industry awards, longevity, word-of-mouth.
Add-Ons & Options
Upgrade availability, extended programs, specialist consultations, aesthetic services.
Score Tiers
What the Numbers Mean
The absolute pinnacle. Fewer than 5% of retreats earn this distinction.
Outstanding across nearly every dimension. Worth traveling for.
Strong programs with clear strengths. Great for specific goals.
Solid fundamentals. May excel in one or two areas.
Data Sources
Where Our Data Comes From
No single source is trusted in isolation. Every retreat is evaluated using multiple independent data streams, cross-referenced for accuracy and recency.
Retreat Websites
Every program page, menu, rate card, and facility description is manually reviewed and cataloged.
Google Reviews
Aggregate ratings and sentiment analysis across hundreds of verified guest reviews.
TripAdvisor
Cross-referenced ratings, review volume, and recency-weighted sentiment scoring.
Industry Awards
World Spa Awards, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Forbes Travel Guide designations.
First-Hand Visits
Select retreats are visited personally by our team. Visits add verified media and data corrections — never points.
Published Research
PubMed studies on retreat outcomes, fasting protocols, and wellness modality efficacy inform category weights.
Ongoing
Scores Are Never Final
Retreats evolve. Chefs change. New programs launch. Facilities renovate. We re-evaluate every retreat quarterly and update scores to reflect the current experience — not what it was two years ago. The Vault Score History chart on each retreat page shows exactly how a property’s rating has moved over time.