It could have been the fact that I was lounging in a comfy recliner, staring out of the open-air room at the Four Seasons Resort Maui, in Hawaii, listening to birds chirping, surrounded by exotic plants and palm trees. Perhaps it was the calming outrigger canoe ride I had taken from the shores of Wailea Beach, just steps from my hotel room, where we encountered jumping humpback whales and snorkeled with trumpet fish. Or maybe it was the IV therapy, which was sending electrolytes, vitamins, and amino acids directly into my  bloodstream, sending my body into a state of heightened awareness and calm.

Whatever it was, I shut the door on 2024 feeling great, because of the many “extreme” wellness measures I tried that brought me clarity and fulfillment. Whether it’s cutting-edge IV therapy treatments, trying out the trendy sauna culture, or good old-fashioned cold-water swimming, 2025 is an opportunity to get healthy through experiencing wellness “hacks” in the outdoors.

My top hack for the new year is saltwater swimming. I live near Richmond Beach Saltwater Park, and I find that swimming in the Puget Sound is a fantastic way to find peace. Sometimes I use a wetsuit to swim laps along the beachfront. Sometimes I take a cold plunge in nothing but a swimsuit. Saltwater has nutrients such as magnesium, potassium, and zinc that may benefit the skin, and cold water may help enhance mood, reduce inflammation, and increase cognitive thinking. Plus, it’s free! Coldwater Collective, a Seattle-based group dedicated to using “the power of cold water to grow physically and mentally stronger,” is open to anyone, and is a great way to experience the highs of saltwater cold plunging within a community.

Von Sauna combines heat with cold-water plunging.

COURTESY OF VON SAUNA

Sauna — an ancient Scandinavian tradition of healing through heat — is blowing up in Seattle. There are increasing ways to combine sauna with cold-water plunging. Von Sauna on Lake Washington in Kirkland is one of the state’s first floating saunas, and is a true respite from the day-to-day grind. Here, most sauna goers rotate from a few minutes in the heat, to the cold, and back, which leaves the body tingling and buzzing hours later. Bywater Sauna brings mobile saunas to different locales around the city, from Golden Gardens to Alki Beach, and is perfect for socializing with strangers and ideal for Instagram.

Most sauna goers rotate from a few minutes in the heat, to the cold, and back, which leaves the body tingling and buzzing hours later.

Healing through heat at Von Sauna

PHOTO COURTESY OF VON SAUNA

IV therapy is best known for helping cure hangovers, but it’s more than just that. NAD + IV therapy replenishes your supply of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a coenzyme in every living cell of your body. As we get older, our supply of NAD starts to diminish, but by replenishing this supply, we are effectively slowing down aging to help look and stay younger. Sound crazy? Well, it kind of is. When I did my IV treatment at the Four Seasons Resort Maui, it felt very strange to be injected with a yellow substance while I was sitting in paradise. But I did notice a significant spike in my energy and mood for almost a whole week after the treatment. In Seattle, there are many places to dive into this wellness hack, from the Drip Lounge IV Bar in Eastlake to Drip Hydration mobile IV therapy, which brings the treatment to your door or office.

Most people don’t think about outdoor massage. They should. To me, getting a massage in a traditional spa can feel claustrophobic and medical, but an open-air massage is a game changer. In December I had a massage at the Maui Spa & Wellness Center, where I could hear the waves lapping against the sand, and could taste the saltwater on my lips. The extra time getting UV, especially at this time of year when winter can feel like it’s dragging on, is something we often don’t think about, and combining a dose of sunlight with the healing powers of massage might just be the reset to get you back on track with your New Year’s goals that may have lapsed. Massage Traveler in Seattle comes to your home, office, event, or workplace, bringing massage to the outdoors and minimizing the hassle of finding a treatment facility.

According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness economy reached $6.3 trillion by the end of 2023, and is forecast to hit $9 trillion by 2028. We have a constant influx of new ways to become healthier, and growing research on out-of-the box trends and hacks. For me, living in Seattle means access to nature and trying things outdoors that will help me live a happier, healthier life.

Saltwater plunging and outdoor saunas are two of the simplest ways to get outside in a unique environment. Being pampered in Hawaii is certainly nice. It helped me finish 2024 on a strong note, but finding wellness hacks and retreats close to home is easier than one might expect. It’s never been easier to find ways outside to boost our moods, get a hit of dopamine, and get healthy than it is in 2025, so let’s get to hacking!