“I’m here for recovery”: the eudaimonic wellness experiences at the Le Monastère des Augustines Wellness hotel

This study uses Le Monastère des Augustines Wellness Hotel to explore healing seekers’ eudaimonic wellness experiences and how such experiences are conceptualized in alignment with their underlying transformative process in a restorative environment. Using participant observation, secondary data, and thirteen in-depth interviews with eight participants, four key elements regarding wellness hotel experience were identified: 1) the museum and its inspiring reflections; 2) the historical facilities and the power of quietness; 3) the wellness lifestyle and its lasting impacts; and 4) the religious encounters, caring staff, and feeling of being cared for. We further construct a four-stage transformative process of wellness experience: realization, involvement, transformation and appreciation.