On a drizzly afternoon in Sedona, Arizona, I tried something completely outside my usual adventure-travel routine. I picked up a paintbrush.
That’s not how I normally spend my time visiting the Southwest’s sun-scorched red rocks. As an outdoors photographer and journalist, I’m usually on the trail, photographing wildlife and landscapes, or doing some kind of nature-based activity far off the grid.
But during my July 2026 trip to Mii Amo, a boutique wellness resort spa tucked into Sedona’s crimson-tinged Boynton Canyon, everything pointed to one thing: rest. Recent wildfires had closed most trails. Monsoon rains made even the few open paths slippery. And perhaps most importantly, I was pregnant, with energy levels far below my usual.
An outdoor dining area at Mii Amo.
Photo: Ken Hayden
Getting hands-on with watercolor painting and other activities at the resort’s charming, canyon-view Artist Cottage gave me the relief from second-trimester stress and anxiety that I didn’t know I needed. Within minutes of that first brushstroke, I felt calmer and lighter. The worries I’d been carrying since that first positive pregnancy test finally quieted, letting me paint in the moment.
This quick sense of healing, I learned, is a major draw of art therapy—an expert-guided practice that can support personal growth while helping participants cope with trauma, low self-esteem, and emotional or physical challenges. “Art therapy is a way of expressing what’s inside you and putting it outside of you so you can see it differently and create room for new information,” says Erica Krutzen, a Vancouver-based art therapist.
Inside the Artist’s Cottage at Mii Amo.
Photo: Courtesy of Mii Amo
This introspective practice has gained major momentum in recent decades, so much so that doctors from the United Kingdom to Switzerland now prescribe hands-on classes and museum trips to help patients improve their mental health.
True art therapy, however, is more than just dabbling in painting or pottery. “Like traditional talk therapy, [art therapy] involves a therapeutic relationship between the art therapist and client or patient,” says Florida-based licensed mental health counselor and board-certified art therapist Bella Hudson, founder of Flow State Art Therapy & Counseling, LLC. She notes that an art therapist meets the patient, assesses their needs, and creates an action plan to best support their health goals.
Hudson’s sessions typically last around an hour, and no previous art experience is required. “I often work with adults who haven’t picked up a paintbrush or marker in years,” she says. Many of these patients feel intimidated not by the act of creating itself, but by making art in front of others. “I think this comes from the idea that art is supposed to be ‘good.'”
Overcoming self-doubt and perfectionism is perhaps one of the most important lessons of art therapy. In school, art class trained us to color within the lines and create based on the outcome, not the process. With art therapy, “the goal is not about art technique, accuracy, or aesthetic outcome,” Hudson says. “Your art therapist is not there to judge your artwork, but rather to offer you a safe space to reflect using something other than words alone.”
While my experience wasn’t actually art therapy—it was simply me, a teacher, a paintbrush, and great conversation—I still enjoyed the surface-level benefits of creativity without boundaries. The activity quieted my mind and muted that anxious stream of pregnancy questions I’d become accustomed to: What will our life as parents be like? Will I lose my sense of adventure? Will I be any good at mothering? Instead, I focused on simple questions, like should the trees be purple, teal, or pink?
Krutzen says this is how even simple, analog art experiences can benefit us. “While you’d need a qualified art therapist to experience art therapy, you can absolutely access the therapeutic benefits of making art or being creative on your own,” says Krutzen. “Art can be healing and grounding as an outlet throughoutLife, not just within a session.” And the activities can cover a wide range. During my time at Mii Amo, I tried watercolor art, chalk painting, and candle-making. The colorful Artist Cottage, open to guests of Mii Amo and the adjacent family-friendly Enchantment Resort, hosts experiences like wheel-thrown pottery classes and jewelry- and soap-making, with a new weaving offering this fall. All experiences are designed to be both creative and meditative; on nice days, guests can take their sketchbooks outside for guided drawing, too. The Artist’s Cottage at Mii Amo.
Photo: Courtesy of Mii Amo While Mii Amo was my first experience with painting while traveling, many wellness resorts increasingly help travelers tap into art’s wellbeing benefits. At Alila Ventana Big Sur on the redwood-dotted California coast, guests can handcraft soaps using natural ingredients like local flowers or experiment with anthotype, a nature-centered printing practice that involves foraging for leaves and blossoms, creating a natural dye, and using the sun to expose plant-based art. Trailside watercolor classes blend hiking and painting here, with real-life inspiration from the roaring Pacific coast. A painting experience at Alila Ventana Big Sur.
Photo: Courtesy of Alila Ventana Big Sur Other hotels, such as the Fairmont Orchid near Kona on the island of Hawai’i, combine culture and art with hands-on classes beneath the palms. There’s Kui Lei-making, where visitors hear the history of the lei while learning to sew one; traditional bamboo stamp printing; or coconut frond weaving, which Native Hawaiians have practiced for millennia. Creating art on vacation is an excellent way to experiment, but continuing the practice at home, when life’s stressors resume, is just as essential. To me, it’s also the most intimidating. Where do I even start? Keep it simple, suggests Krutzen. Try “scribbling with no goal in mind, choosing a color that matches how you’re feeling and letting that guide you, or working with clay with your eyes closed, focusing on touch rather than how it looks,” she says. “Journaling and guided meditation can also help you move into a relaxed, creative state before you begin.” Photo: Courtesy of Alila Ventana Big Sur For more of a guided experience, seek local art classes. Many independent art studios, and even supply shops or museums, host sessions with all materials provided. Better yet, enjoy one of the creative world’s deepest forms of healing with a true art therapy class. Hudson says many hospitals, community centers, museums, and schools run these events. For U.S. participants, the American Art Therapy Association’s map tool will help you find licensed practitioners to go further into your healing journey through the arts—a journey that’s open to everyone, even those who struggle with stick figures. “If you’re someone who does not consider themselves to have an artistic bone in their body, that is okay,” says Hudson. “It doesn’t matter what the art looks like. It just matters what it does for you.”
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Add an Art Class to Your Next Wellness Travel Itinerary
1 What does art wellness travel actually mean
It means planning a trip where making art is part of how you relax and recharge You might take a painting class join a pottery workshop or do a sketching sessionusually alongside things like yoga spa time or nature walks
2 Why would I add an art class to a wellness trip
Making art helps you slow down and focus on the present moment similar to meditation Many people find it lowers stress boosts mood and gives them a fun break from screens and busy schedules
3 Do I need to be good at art to enjoy this
Not at all Most wellness art classes are designed for beginners and focus on the process not the final result If you can hold a brush or a lump of clay youre qualified
4 What kinds of art classes are usually available
Common options include watercolor painting acrylic painting pottery and ceramics life drawing collage printmaking photography walks and traditional crafts like weaving or batik
5 How long do these classes usually last
It varies Dropin sessions can be 12 hours while halfday or multiday retreats run 3 hours to a full week For a wellness trip a 23 hour class is often a good fit
6 Where can I find art classes while traveling
Try local art studios community centers museums hostels and wellness retreats Apps and sites like Airbnb Experiences GetYourGuide and Viator also list art workshops in most cities
7 What should I bring to an art class
Most classes provide materials Just bring clothes you dont mind getting messy a water bottle and an open mind If youre unsure ask the organizer whats included
8 Are art classes good for solo travelers
Yestheyre one of the easiest ways to meet people Youre creating side by side so conversation happens naturally without any pressure
9 Can art classes help with anxiety or burnout
Many people find them helpful because the focus on color shape and texture pulls attention away from racing thoughts Its not a replacement for therapy but it can be a calming addition to your routine