Purpose This study explores how psychological well-being is experienced and produced within wellness tourism, with particular attention to the experiential mechanisms through which well-being outcomes emerge in holistic retreat contexts. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected in November 2025 by screening all publicly accessible TripAdvisor reviews related to Kamalaya Koh Samui (n = 646). Eight non-English reviews were excluded due to language constraints. No additional exclusions were applied. The final dataset comprised 638 English-language reviews, which were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis. Findings The findings reveal that wellness tourism simultaneously supports hedonic outcomes, such as relaxation and emotional renewal, and eudaimonic outcomes, including personal growth, meaning and lifestyle change. Psychological well-being is sustained through interconnected experiential mechanisms, including structured health programmes, nutrition practices, digital detox and nature-based sensory experiences, which operate as an integrated system rather than as isolated services. Originality/value By drawing on visitors' narratives, this study provides qualitative, review-based insights into how wellness tourism functions as a holistic and transformative psychological well-being system. The findings contribute to transformational wellness tourism theory by shifting attention from isolated outcomes to interconnected experiential mechanisms, while offering practical guidance for wellness destination design and programming.
Koçoğlu et al. (Thu,) studied this question.