Why Sound Bathing Is Your New Shortcut to Zen—And Where to Try It This Month

Meditation. We’ve read the studies, heard the testimonials, downloaded the apps, and studied the serene, incandescent faces of its devoted practitioners. But for those of us married to keyboards and smartphones, slipping into that mind-clearing state is easier said than done.

Which is why a first foray into the world of sound bathing resonates all the more. Awash in the sonic landscapes of gongs, singing bowls, and tinkling chimes—at Maha Rose North, a retreat center in the Catskills, say, or the Brooklyn home of sound therapist Nate Martinez—you just might find the experience to be akin to a meditative shortcut or a blissed-out high.

Fortunately, the practice is gaining momentum in wellness circles, with sessions popping up at yoga studios and chic spas around the globe. Here, a list of sound-therapy destinations where you can tune in and chill out.

The Standard Spa, Miami Beach
South Beach’s pulsing beat takes a restorative turn inside the hotel’s serene, Nordic-style spa, where singing crystal bowls accompany a massage for a deeper sense of mind-body balance. Upcoming events include a floating full-moon meditation, complete with underwater sonic vibrations by local practitioner Sadhu Singh, as well as an evening kundalini-and-gong workshop featuring yoga poses, breath work, and a head-clearing soundtrack.

Sky Ting Yoga, New York City
When owners Chloe Kernaghan and Krissy Jones are not cranking out their own freewheeling playlists during asana practice, the downtown New York destination plays host to Nate Martinez, a gifted practitioner who leads monthly sound baths in the skylit studio. Expect a shimmering, multilayered blend of tuning forks, vocal overtones, singing bowls, and more.

Integratron, Landers, California
This white-domed resonant chamber, dating to the 1950s and located in a dusty stretch of the Mojave Desert, is a pilgrimage site for sound meditation. Private sessions with crystal singing bowls can be booked in advance (count on the experience being transporting—if not exactly to outer space, which founder George Van Tassel cited as the inspiration behind the place); visiting practitioners also hold events and retreats.

Maha Rose, Brooklyn
A hub for alternative healing in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint neighborhood, Maha Rose offers a rotating mix of sound-healing experiences (workshops also take place at its Catskills-based sister retreat space, Maha Rose North). The lineup ahead includes sundown sessions with Katie Down of Mindful Music Psychotherapy, a workshop focused on singing crystal pyramids, and a breath work–focused sound bath led by the Brooklyn-based couple Jarrod Byrne Mayer and Melody Balczon.

Secret Yoga Club, London
This globe-trotting group promotes a mindfulness practice that continues off the mat and into the sonic realm. Following on the heels of a weekend-long Tuscan retreat, SYC’s next aural happening takes place in its hometown of London, where Susan Rozo will host a sound ceremony on October 5, incorporating both traditional percussive instruments (rain sticks, drums) and contemporary crystal bowls. Timed with the new moon, the session is geared toward renewal—and relaxation.

Miraval, Tucson, Arizona
Nestled in the foothills of Arizona’s Santa Catalina Mountains, this pioneering wellness resort offers no shortage of activities that bridge plein air fitness and tuned-in mental clarity. Here, in a literal twist on sound bathing, therapists play Himalayan singing bowls underwater while guests float in a warm pool, for a doubly relaxed, doubly charged experience. Dry-land versions are available, too.

Wanderlust Hollywood, Los Angeles
Serving as a permanent clubhouse for the far-flung yoga festivals of the same name, this Los Angeles studio lures in wellness devotees with flow classes featuring local DJs, as well as a rotating lineup of workshops on such topics as breath work, anatomy, and sound bathing. Keep an eye out for the aural Alchemy events led by Ambi Sitham, who often aligns her two-hour sessions with the lunar cycle, summoning untapped energies with gongs and quartz crystal bowls.

Six Senses Laamu, Maldives
Home to dreamlike over-water huts, this secluded resort in the Maldives takes an island-inflected approach to wellness, with fresh coconut-oil treatments and Balinese bodywork. Next month, visiting practitioner Khun Sommai and his Tibetan singing bowls begin a nine-week beachfront residency, which will also showcase his energy-clearing, vibration-based massage technique, Tok Sen.

Woom Center, New York City
As if living in Manhattan weren’t already sensory overload, this new studio on the Bowery aims to put vigorous yoga in literal concert with shifting sounds, visual projections, and subtly diffused scent. Once savasana arrives and the blindfolds come on, you might discern the gentle rustle of a rain stick or a tuning fork alighting on your body. For deeper immersion, there are weekly sound “journeys” that blend participants’ own vocal vibrations with a variety of instruments, including Himalayan singing bowls, bells, and chimes.

Fresh Perception, London
Best known for bringing mindfulness into the workplace, the London-based group heads to England’s verdant Lake District in November for an intimate retreat that combines meditation, yoga, and sound therapy. A Georgian-era farmhouse serves as home base for both lodging and daily sessions, after which you can chase the calm with a hike to nearby rocky beaches.

 

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