Spa trend: Women’s healing circles

It sounds like something deliciously magical - a Women’s Healing Circle - and certainly anyone with a strong group of female friends will know the power of spending time together. Would you class it as a healing circle though?

Forbes quoted Shonna Chiles, integrative spiritual wellness counsellor in their list of 2023 wellness trends, and she said:

"In this age, spaces for women to show up and hold space exclusively for one another are becoming more limited and even discouraged. Women’s circles are a profound way for women to honour their power while providing uplifting support to one another, as well as connect in deep and vulnerable ways through shared experience. Through these circles, we will continue to navigate and rise above a world where our rights are challenged on a daily basis.”

Sounds good, but what is a women's healing circle?

Vogue describes a women's healing circle as:

"Women's circles are an opportunity to meet with others from all walks of life and share the wisdom of experience."

They go on to link this specifically with your cycle, saying:

"Rather than carrying on as normal during their menstrual cycle – or attempting to ignore it altogether – women are encouraged to rest and honour a time of natural change in the body."

If you've ever synced mysteriously with a friend or female family member, then you will know how strange and sort of impressive that concept really is. The concept is very much up for debate, with a study from the National Institutes of Health in 2006 stating categorically: "We found that women living in groups did not synchronise their cycles." They said that in their study group synchrony was at the level of chance.

The initial idea started with research findings published in Nature, a scientific journal, in 1971, when a researcher called Martha McClintock found that the onset of the date of menstruation was more similar among friends and roommates than among random pairings of women. The hypothesis was that in spending time together, women's pheromones began to affect one another [Reference: BBC]. Today people criticise the hypothesis as not allowing for chance, but lots of women say that coincidence can only go so far - time will no doubt tell.

Back to women's healing circles however, in essence, it's about reconnecting with yourself by connecting with other women.

How does a women's healing circle work?

It seems that a women's healing circle can therefore be something informal (spending intentional time with friends), or something more formal and intentional. Either way, the goal is to be healing, nurturing and promoting self-care.

Technically, it can be a group of people who know one another, or those who don't, to talk, share stories, express emotions, set intentions and practise wellbeing - that might be yoga, or meditation for example. You can create your own, or join one, with more and more popping up worldwide.

Women and Home says: "If you've been experiencing loneliness in your life, then a women's circle could be the answer. For centuries, female connection has been built in this way - with a shared celebration of the highs, commemoration of the lows and a general strengthening of the bonds of sisterhood through conversation and shared experience. However, in modern times - when society has become more fragmented and hectic - many have difficulties to finding female kinship."

The beauty of the idea is that whether you're spiritual or practical, whether you want to gather a group of your friends or create a space that's open to women in your community, it's all about spending positive time together. We all (hopefully) know how good it can feel to spend time with friends, and women's friendships have their own unique qualities. Whether you're all spending time in a thermal suite, chattering over manicures and pedicures, Forest Bathing together, or going for a good walk, we're totally up for healing, quality time together.