Editor’s note: This story is part of Beyond the Spa, our series on wellness, recovery, and performance-focused travel beyond the traditional spa. In this piece, Alexa Ryan, a skilled Neurotherapist, Nutritionist, and Naturopathic Practitioner and the founder of The Healthy Hour, shares how she’s redefining nightlife with alcohol-free gatherings that prioritize connection, restoration, and intentional design, proving that wellness doesn’t have to end when the retreat does.
You know that feeling when you leave a wellness retreat glowing, balanced, and promising yourself you’ll carry it all back into real life? And then… reality hits.
The intimate group dinners turn into loud bars, the morning rituals get lost in traffic-jammed commutes, and the connection to community slips away.
Wellness retreats remind us how good life can feel when it’s built around healing, connection, and joy. But what happens when the retreat ends?
I’ve spent most of my career in the world of wellness. As a Neurotherapist, Naturopath, and founder of a private practice and wellness brand, my days are spent helping people heal their bodies and minds.
Outside of my work, I found myself looking for something that didn’t exist: a way to socialize that was both restorative and joyful, an alternative to the typical evening out that left me feeling drained rather than restored.
That gap, the distance between how well we feel in curated spaces and how little wellness is woven into everyday gatherings, is exactly why I created The Healthy Hour.
Where the Idea Began
As someone who absolutely “practices what I preach”, my life DID incorporate many “retreat-like” activities, being that it’s quite literally my job to know how and when to rest, reset, and revive myself and others.
For my friends and family, though, they only had those experiences away from home. They would complain about daily life while they worked themselves into a cycle of burnout to justify an earned vacation or spa weekend.
I would always ask myself, “Why do these healthy, happy experiences have to be rare escapes… why can’t everyday social gatherings feel like that too?”
As both a practitioner and a founder, I started imagining an evening that felt like a “mini retreat.” One where health was a priority and real connection was the main event.
Creating The Healthy Hour
The Healthy Hour was born as a pop-up experience, equal parts social gathering and wellness retreat.
We create evenings that allow people to enjoy themselves while also caring for their bodies and minds.
A place where we can proudly NOT serve alcohol and offer a way for not just wellness-focused people but also non-drinkers, sober curious, and everyone in between to partake in a “better for you” way of socializing over a drink.
Instead of cocktails, we serve functional mocktails crafted with adaptogens, nootropics, and mood-boosting botanicals. Instead of fluorescent lighting and background noise, we curate music and ambiance designed to restore nervous system balance.
We host parties outside, under the stars, to connect with nature. Instead of “small talk over a drink,” we meditate as a group or have aura readings to stimulate conversation, laughter, and connection.
One of the first details I obsessed over was the beverage menu. As someone who practices functional nutrition and loves being in the kitchen, crafting something others will enjoy, I wanted every sip to be purposeful.
Drinks like our Dope Juice are like a green juice martini full of CBD and Lion’s Mane. The Spicy Avocado Margarita features ingredients like schisandra berry, L-theanine, and ginseng that support energy and mental focus.
Or a round of shots before a meditation that actually help relax you naturally with GABA and 5-HTP.
It was also very important to me that the drinks were fun and beautiful, because there’s something special about a natural dopamine hit from drinking a pretty drink in a magical space.
What I’ve Learned from Hosting
Hosting The Healthy Hour has been both rewarding and eye-opening.
I’ve learned that wellness hospitality isn’t about stripping fun away; it’s about layering intention underneath it.
It’s about creating spaces where people feel comfortable being themselves, where socializing doesn’t mean sacrificing health goals, and where the body feels as good the next morning as it did the night before.
I’ve discovered that people are more than ready for healthier ways to gather. Many guests arrive curious but skeptical, wondering if an event without alcohol can still feel fun.
By the end of the evening, that skepticism turns into enthusiasm. They’re surprised at how easy it is to connect when there’s no numbing involved, how refreshing it feels to leave energized instead of depleted.
It may be even more rewarding to have people who have never had somewhere they felt comfortable being the non-drinker say “I can’t tell you how nice it is to be somewhere where not drinking alcohol is normal and cool”.
I’ve also learned that connection itself is medicine. The very act of gathering, sharing stories, laughing, and being seen is profoundly healing.
Looking Ahead
For me, The Healthy Hour is just the beginning. My dream is to see these kinds of experiences expand beyond a niche wellness retreat. A world where socializing is synonymous with well-being.
The future of hospitality is providing unique alcohol-free experiences that inspire people to prioritize their health, connect authentically, and embrace the fullness of life without compromise. Spaces that nourish as much as they entertain, experiences that leave people better than when they arrived.
As a practitioner and a founder, I’m proud to create spaces where wellness is celebrated as something attainable and “normal”, reminding us that socializing doesn’t have to mean self-sacrifice.
Because wellness shouldn’t live only in the clinic or the retreat center. It should live in the ways we gather, the drinks we share, the food we eat, and the moments that bring us back to ourselves.
