A new kind of wellness retreat has opened on Hiiumaa, a quiet Estonian island in the Baltic Sea that sits within a Unesco biosphere reserve. Called Eha — Estonian for 'the moment after sunset' — it opened in October 2026 after seven years in the making, and it's positioning itself as neither a spa nor a hotel, but a place designed for genuine rest.
The arrival ritual sets the tone: guests leave their shoes at the door and slip into handmade woollen slippers by Estonian brand OmaKing for the duration of their stay. With capacity for just 22 people across eight suites and three forest houses, the property is intimate by design. The architecture, led by Tiit Trummal with interiors by UNT + CO and Studio Argus, draws heavily on the setting — a thatched roof woven from shoreline reeds, floor-to-ceiling windows onto the coast, warm woods, and a sculptural copper spiral staircase around a circular fireplace. Suites are individually named and styled; the premium Koit suite has a private sauna and vaulted ceilings, while rooms come with thoughtful touches like a bedside 'Olo' button that plays nature soundscapes recorded on the island, silk eye masks, and red-light therapy panels.
The programme leans on Estonian healing traditions rather than generic spa menus: peat wraps, birch sauna ceremonies where guests pat themselves with birch whisks to boost circulation, dawn mist walks, and wild herb foraging. Days might start with fascia flow or qi gong in a blonde-wood studio overlooking the forest, and end with candlelit breathwork or sound baths. Between treatments there's an indoor-outdoor pool, steam room and infrared sauna. Retreats run three, five or seven nights and shift with the seasons — grounding in autumn, deep rest in winter, renewal in spring, vitality in summer — plus a local fifth season called 'springrise' when the island thaws.
Food is a highlight. Head chef Peeter Pihel, who founded Tallinn's Michelin Green Star-rated Fotografiska restaurant, cooks multi-course meals with no set menus — guests share preferences in advance. Expect chicory and onion broth with homemade rye bread, celeriac and pesto risotto, pike mousseline, and local honey, berries and smoked salmon at breakfast, all paired with inventive non-alcoholic wines. Ingredients are foraged or grown on site.
For the founders, the project is personal: Eva Maran, who runs functional mushroom company Shroomwell, had a grandfather born on Hiiumaa, while co-founder Sonny Aswani's great-grandfather was a traditional healer.
Worth knowing: it's not easy to reach — the reviewer needed three flights, though a helicopter service from Tallinn is planned. But remoteness is the point. Five-night retreats start from £5,500 (about $7,380) per person, single occupancy, covering all meals, treatments and activities, and the whole property can be booked for exclusive use. For travellers burnt out on gimmicky wellness, this is a serious, slow, nature-first alternative — you leave with fewer mental bags than you arrived with.
