We went on a $300 health retreat to show you how to avoid burnout on a budget

Are you torn between wanting to get away for a break but not having enough money to treat yourself? It CAN be done. 

A health retreat CAN be done without breaking the bank. Image: Supplied

Mum burnout is real. 

You're not imagining things if it feels as though every conversation you enter with your friends includes stories about depletion, exhaustion, overwhelm....

Because this is the reality of being a parent in 2024. 

According to recent research conducted by the Parenting Research Centre, three in five parents reported that they did "nothing to relax and re-energise", and nearly half felt they did not have enough time to "get everything done."

Yep, sounds like parents need a holiday! Even better if it is solo and focused on relaxation. But "who has the money for a bougie health retreat?" I hear you ask.

Well, what if I told you it CAN be done on the cheap? 

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After hearing so many stories about burnout from our Kidspot readers and Mum Club podcast listeners, we realised just how much parents - namely mums (sorry lads!) - need a break. 

But at the same time, if you Google "Health Retreat" in your local state, a lot of the results that come up are ridiculously expensive. So we decided to go off and create our own bespoke weekend on a budget. 

Find yourself some cheap accommodation

You'll be lucky to find a reasonable, budget hotel for under $200 a night these days, so finding somewhere cheap to stay was one of the important steps to making this weekend an affordable one. 

With many families turning to communal stays to be able to travel Australia, we decided to settle into the YHA Katoomba - an incredibly brave move for someone like me who has never backpacked or stayed in a hostel, ever!

The hostel was clean and comfy with many communal areas to sit, chat, or have a bite to eat. 

We stayed in a family-style dorm room, which meant we had to share amenities like the toilet and showers, but we were willing to make a few sacrifices in the name of "budget wellness". 

Budget accomodation sorted at the YHA in Katoomba. Image: Supplied

Give your body a break

We wanted to kick off the wellness weekend by doing something beneficial to our bodies and with the world completely obsessed with the health benefits of hot and cold plunging, we checked ourselves in for two uninterrupted hours at the Blue Mountains Sauna.

The communal (there's that word again, but hey, for the sake of keeping things budget!), Finnish-style sauna is where the locals go to relax. 

"It’s the one space where tech is left behind, where you sit and sweat in 90°C heat, feel your heart rate increasing, and at the end of a session, you smile and share that euphoric experience with others who know exactly how you feel," the website reads. 

And the description was spot on. We hopped from the sauna to the ice bath multiple times with blissful breaks outside by the communal fire sipping herbal tea and eating apples, and before we knew it, two hours were done and our morning was off to a splendid start!

Leah and Em blissing out at the Blue Mountains Sauna. Image: Supplied

Splurge on just one activity

Now, what's a wellness weekend without a bit of "Woo-woo"? 

I went searching for people who do chakra balancing in the Blue Mountains area and became a little overwhelmed with the very Woo-woo options out there. That's when I thankfully found Adriana from Golden Thread Holistics, a qualified sound therapist, holistic counsellor and creative-mindful workshop facilitator. 

We booked ourselves in for a sound therapy session, which is a form of gentle vibration therapy using a range of instruments including Tibetan bowls, crystal singing bowls, tuning forks, chimes and drums. The benefits are said to include stress relief, deep relaxation, emotional regulation, increased energy levels, reduced muscle tension and a boost in the immune system. 

For us, it was just what the doctor ordered.

We lay down for an hour while Adriana made her way around the room with the different instruments, and at times placed them on parts of our bodies to encourage energy release. During these moments, some people can experience tingling or heat in their body while others twitch or breathe heavily. We experienced all of those things during our session and came out of there with a sense of complete calm. 

Emily and Leah settling in for a sound therapy session with Adriana from Golden Thread Holistics. Image: Supplied

For myself, the heat came when Adriana applied the tuning fork to the top of my head. A weird sensation but also not at all surprising that that's where I would feel the energy being released. 

Emily says: "It was deeply, deeply relaxing and I was surprised to find my body react in some unexpected ways, such as my hands twitching! When Adriana placed the tuning fork to my chest, the feeling was wild - like I could actually feel the sound in my body. It was a completely different sensation to anything I've ever experienced before and I'm really glad we gave it a go."

If you want to add just one paid activity to a budget weekend, this ticks all those zen boxes. And if sound therapy isn't your thing, Adriana also offers a range of other services to help balance the mind and body. 

Listen to what Em and Leah got up to when Mum Club went on the road for their "Woo-woo Weekend"! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

Ditch the expensive high tea

Now let's talk food. With places like Lilianfels and the Hydro Majestic offering deliciously fancy high teas, it's tempting to add that to your itinerary. 

But we're here for budget activities, folks! To keep costs down, we took high tea in our own hands in the form of a sunset cheese and charcuterie spread at the Three Sisters lookout. Iconic, right? 

For about half the price of a standard high tea with bubbles at the Hydro Majestic, we had a wonderful, snacky feast all from the local Woolies washed town with a cheeky bottle of Prosecco. 

RELATED: I’m in my lazy mum era and it has changed the way I parent

Who needs a fancy high tea when you can do it on a budget... with an uninterrupted view of the Three Sisters. Image: Supplied

Zen out in nature

You know how much it is to do a bushwalk and bathe in a forest in the Blue Mountains? NOTHING! 

There are so many hiking options around the area but we chose the easy 1.6k walk to the Pools of Siloam to be one with nature. 

Sitting by the waterfall as we did mindful colouring and reflecting was just as relaxing as a bath or sitting back on Adrian's table for sound therapy. The sound of the cicadas was deafening but in a strangely relaxing way. 

The walk to the Pools of Siloam is free and a great way to bathe in nature. Image: Supplied

Let's break this down...

Over two days, we put ourselves first in the most unapologetic way and it cost us nowhere near what a health retreat would charge for the same experiences we included.

So let's do a little budget breakdown. 

The cost of some health retreats in the area are priced at anywhere from $600 to $1500 per person. Here's the impressive amount we spent for something almost identical: 

Woolies "high tea" arvo = $67 (snacks) + $15 prosecco (of course!). Divided by three people, the total cost of the afternoon worked out to be $27.30 per person. 

Blue Mountains Sauna = $45 per person

YHA accommodation = $155 per night. Divided by three across two nights, the total cost per person was $103.

Sound Therapy session = $100 per person

TOTAL COST = $327.30

Not a bad effort, we say! If you'd like the itinerary, hit us up at [e-mail] and we'd be happy to share so you can put yourself first for once too. 

Emily and Leah were hosted by YHA Katoomba and Golden Thread Holistics. 

Originally published as We went on a $300 health retreat to show you how to avoid burnout on a budget