Wellness Resorts Embrace Art Classes as Travel Itineraries Prioritize Creative Healing

During a July 2026 stay at Mii Amo, a wellness resort in Sedona's Boynton Canyon, a pregnant journalist found unexpected calm through watercolor painting at the Artist Cottage. The experience, while not formal art therapy, offered a reprieve from anxiety. Art therapy, a guided practice led by trained professionals, has gained traction globally, with physicians in the UK and Switzerland prescribing art classes and museum visits for mental health. Experts like Erica Krutzen and Bella Hudson emphasize that art therapy involves a therapeutic relationship and focuses on process over product. Resorts such as Alila Ventana Big Sur and Fairmont Orchid now offer creative activities like anthotype printing and lei-making. Continuing art at home is encouraged, with simple exercises like scribbling or working with clay. The American Art Therapy Association provides resources for finding licensed practitioners, underscoring that art's benefits are accessible to all, regardless of skill.