Nuns, Gregorian Chant and Gong Baths: Provence Hotel Lou Calen Launches Unique Wellness Retreat

Sound baths may be the wellness trend of the moment, but above the village of Cotignac they have been sung for centuries. This November, Lou Calen, the hotel at the heart of Cotignac, officially one of France’s most beautiful villages, will host a three-day Sound Therapy & Qi Gong Retreat, and at the centre of the programme sits something no wellness menu can manufacture: a walk up to the Saint-Joseph monastery, where the sisters perform live Gregorian chant for the group.

Running from 6 to 8 November 2026 and capped at just fifteen guests, the retreat is led by sound therapist Erycka Savarin de Marestan and Qi Gong teacher Florence Peltier. Across the three days, guests move between gong baths, sound yoga, conscious breathing, breathwork for emotional release, art therapy, gentle Qi Gong and river walks, with vegetarian menus throughout from the kitchen of a hotel whose garden restaurant, Le Jardin Secret, features in the Michelin guide. Every session is low-impact and optional, making the programme as suited to first-timers as to seasoned retreat-goers.

The timing is deliberate. Rather than the traditional January reset, taken in the bleakest month of the year as an act of repentance, Lou Calen is making the case for a November one: a pause before the party season begins, in a Provence of soft light, quiet lanes and autumn produce, when the village has been handed back to the people who live there.

Programme Highlights:

Friday: arrival, an opening circle, sound meditation and conscious breathing, then the late-afternoon walk to the Saint-Joseph monastery for Gregorian chant sung live by the sisters, followed by a gentle walk back to the hotel

Saturday: sound yoga, the Six Magical Movements stretching practice, an art therapy workshop, Qi Gong, breathwork to foster emotional release, an introduction to foot and hand reflexology, and an evening sound relaxation

Sunday: a walk to the river with a self-compassion Qi Gong session (swimming optional), a gong bath, and a closing session on creating your own vibrational medicine

Vegetarian lunches and dinners throughout, and accommodation at Lou Calen for the two nights
The Essentials:

Sound Therapy & Qi Gong Retreat at Lou Calen, Cotignac, Provence

Friday 6 to Sunday 8 November 2026, capped at fifteen guests

Led by sound therapist Erycka Savarin de Marestan and Qi Gong teacher Florence Peltier

From EUR 555 per person

Full programme and bookings: www.loucalen.com/en/sound-therapy-and-qi-gong-retreat