“I’m curious about fasting retreats, but they look expensive…”
“Even without going to a facility, wouldn’t fasting at home have the same effect?”
Interest in fasting retreats (residential fasting programs) is on the rise.
There’s certainly an appeal to resetting yourself in an environment far removed from everyday life.
But is it worth paying hundreds of thousands of yen, and couldn’t you get the same results at home? You’re probably wondering about that, right?
In this article, I’ll scientifically compare fasting retreats and fasting at home in terms of “effectiveness, cost, sustainability, and safety”, and give you the information you need to decide which one suits you.
- 1 What Is a Fasting Retreat? What Does It Involve, and How Much Does It Cost?
- 2 The Main Benefits of a Fasting Retreat: Strengths You Can’t Get at Home
- 3 An Honest Look at the Drawbacks and Precautions of Fasting Retreats
- 4 How to Choose a Fasting Retreat: 6 Checkpoints to Avoid Regrets
- 5 The Benefits of Fasting at Home and the Scientific Evidence
- 6 When a Retreat Is the Right Fit, and When Fasting at Home Is
- 7 Frequently Asked Questions About Fasting Retreats and Fasting at Home
- 8 Fasting at Home Every Day Is Overwhelmingly More Cost-Effective and Effective in the Long Run
What Is a Fasting Retreat? What Does It Involve, and How Much Does It Cost?
What a Fasting Retreat Involves
A fasting retreat is a program where you stay at a dedicated facility for several days to several weeks and take on fasting and detox under the guidance of experts.
A retreat means getting away from where you usually live to let your mind and body rest slowly, and in Japan it’s sometimes described with the term “tenchi ryoho” (therapy through a change of environment).
A typical program often includes the following.
- A fast of about 1 to 7 days (the length varies by program)
- Mindfulness programs such as yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises
- Dietary and health guidance from nutritionists and doctors
- Body care such as hot springs, saunas, and massages
- Support with refeeding after the fast (returning to normal meals)
In Japan, many facilities are located in nature-rich regions such as Nagano, Gunma, and Okinawa, and a style called “danjiki dojo” (fasting dojo) is also popular.
A Sample Day at a Fasting Retreat
Programs differ by facility, but at many fasting retreats, the day goes something like this.
- Morning: after waking, drink warm water or plain water, and wake up your body with yoga or a walk
- Late morning: take part in programs such as meditation, breathing exercises, or talks
- Midday: have the drinks the facility provides, such as enzyme drinks or vegetable soup
- Afternoon: rest your body with hot springs, saunas, or strolls in nature
- Evening: bathe early, step away from your phone, and go to bed early
Since you aren’t eating, you have plenty of time on your hands, so a defining feature is that you can focus on “resting,” something you usually put off.
The Cost of a Fasting Retreat
The cost varies widely depending on the program content, length, and the grade of the facility.
| Program | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|
| Day-trip trial course | ¥10,000–30,000 |
| 2-day, 1-night course | ¥30,000–80,000 |
| 3- to 5-night course | ¥100,000–300,000 |
| Full-scale course of one week or more | ¥300,000–1,000,000+ |
Joining a full-scale retreat often costs on the order of hundreds of thousands of yen, so it’s not something you can casually repeat.
The Difference Between a Fasting Dojo and a Fasting Retreat
A “fasting dojo” and a “fasting retreat” are the same in that you stay at a facility and fast.
| Fasting dojo | Fasting retreat | |
|---|---|---|
| Emphasis | Seriously confronting the fast itself | Healing the mind and body as if you were on vacation |
| Facilities and content | Relatively simple facilities and routines | Combines programs such as yoga, meditation, hot springs, and spas |
| Best for people who | Want an experience close to ascetic training | Want to experience it while relaxing |
Fasting dojos tend to follow a traditional style that emphasizes seriously confronting the fast itself, and many have relatively simple facilities and routines.
Fasting retreats, on the other hand, often combine programs such as yoga, meditation, hot springs, and spas, and emphasize healing the mind and body as if you were on vacation.
If you want an experience close to ascetic training, choose a fasting dojo; if you want to experience it while relaxing, choose a retreat. It’s best to pick according to your goal.
The Main Benefits of a Fasting Retreat: Strengths You Can’t Get at Home
Even a costly retreat has strengths that fasting at home doesn’t.
- The reset effect of a new environment: you can focus on fasting in an environment completely cut off from everyday stress and temptation
- Expert support: the peace of mind of having doctors and nutritionists on site who can respond immediately to changes in how you feel
- A sense of solidarity with others: working toward the same goal alongside other participants boosts your motivation
- A deep reset in a short time: what you get from 3 to 5 days of intensive fasting is a deep sense of detox that’s hard to achieve in daily life
- Time away from your phone and work: stepping back from digital devices and work messages lets your mind and head rest
Let’s take a closer look at each of these strengths.
(1) You Can Reset Your Everyday Life, Environment and All
When you fast at home, there are lots of things that unsettle you: the food in the fridge, your family’s meals, messages from work, and so on.
At a retreat, those temptations aren’t even in sight, so it’s naturally easier to keep fasting without relying on willpower.
(2) The Peace of Mind of Expert Support
When a headache or sluggishness shows up during a fast, it’s hard to judge for yourself whether it’s temporary or something that means you should stop right away.
If you’re in an environment where you can consult experts, even first-timers can take on fasting calmly.
(3) A Sense of Solidarity Keeps You Motivated
Even in moments when you might give in on your own, having others around can help you get through them naturally.
Being able to talk with other participants about changes in your bodies and the tricks you’ve found is another pleasure unique to retreats.
You also often hear stories of people who stay in touch with friends they met at a retreat after going home, encouraging each other as they keep fasting at home.
(4) You Can Experience a Deep Reset in a Short Time
Many people probably live in a way where, on top of three meals a day plus snacks, their stomach and intestines never get a break.
Some people say that by giving their stomach and intestines a proper rest for a few days, they rediscovered “what it feels like to be truly hungry” and “how delicious food is.”
Once you experience the lightness in your body and the clarity in your head, your aversion to “time without eating” fades, and it can easily become a trigger to rethink how you eat afterward.
Another big appeal is that it’s valuable not just for the fasting itself, but as “a place of realization” for rethinking how you eat and live.
(5) You Get Time Away From Your Phone and Work
Many fasting retreats encourage you to stay away from your phone and computer as much as possible during your stay.
Having time when you’re not chased by notifications and messages helps sort out the clutter in your head and makes it easier to listen to your body.
Being able to put a little distance between yourself and not just food but also information is precious time that’s hard to create in everyday life.
An Honest Look at the Drawbacks and Precautions of Fasting Retreats
The Question of Cost-Effectiveness
The biggest drawback of a fasting retreat is, as you’d expect, the cost.
Even if you spend ¥100,000–300,000 on 3 to 5 nights, if you go back to your everyday eating habits after returning home, within a few weeks your body will drift back toward its pre-retreat state.
An “out-of-the-ordinary experience” gives you a sense of reset, but that alone won’t change your constitution.
Also, since you have to rearrange work and family schedules and be away from home for several days, you could say the bar is high in terms of time as well.
Watch Out for Rebound After a Retreat
Even if you lose weight by fasting for a few days at a retreat, much of it comes from a decrease in the body’s water and glycogen,
and once you return to normal meals at home, your weight often drifts back toward where it was within 1 to 2 weeks.
Glycogen is the sugar your body can store.
To prevent a rebound, it’s essential to carefully go through the “refeeding period” after the retreat while continuing a fasting habit at home.
For how to get back on track if you slip back into your old eating habits after a retreat, please also see
【It’s OK If You Slipped】5 Reasons People Quit Fasting, and 7 Steps and Mindset Tips to Restart Successfully.
Long Fasts Also Carry Risks for the Body
With long fasts of 3 days or more, dizziness, lightheadedness, low blood sugar, dehydration, and similar problems can occur.
If any of the following apply to you, be sure to consult a doctor before deciding to join a retreat.
- People with chronic conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure who take medication
- People with heart, liver, or kidney disease
- People who are pregnant or breastfeeding
- People with a history of eating disorders, and people who are very underweight
- Older adults and people who are unsure of their physical stamina
You Also Need Preparation Time Before and After the Fast
A fasting retreat isn’t something where you only have to make an effort while you’re at the facility.
It’s recommended that you get your body used to it starting a few days before you go, by gradually reducing how much you eat and cutting back on alcohol and sweets.
After you get home, too, it’s important not to jump straight back into your usual meals, but to return to them over several days, starting with foods that are gentle on the stomach, such as okayu (Japanese rice porridge) and vegetable soup.
Keep in mind that once you include the preparation before and after, it takes more days than you might think.
My Take: A Retreat Is the “Entrance,” Fasting at Home Is the “Main Event”
I think using a fasting retreat as “an entrance to a fasting lifestyle” is absolutely a good idea.
But the real benefits of fasting lie in what you build up day after day.
I believe using a retreat as a trigger, a reset, and an experience, with 16-hour fasting at home as the main event, is the most balanced way to think about it.
How to Choose a Fasting Retreat: 6 Checkpoints to Avoid Regrets
Fasting retreats vary greatly in content and quality from facility to facility, so it’s important to check things carefully before you sign up.
(1) Whether There Are Medical Staff
The first thing to check is whether there are professional staff such as doctors, nurses, or registered dietitians.
Especially if you’re going to try a fast of 3 days or more, having a system in place that can respond immediately to changes in how you feel is an essential point.
It’s also reassuring to ask in advance about the conditions for participants with chronic conditions and how they respond if you start feeling unwell.
(2) Whether the Length and Method of the Fast Suit You
Fast lengths range from day trips to a week or more.
The fasting method also differs by facility, from water-only fasts to fasts that include enzyme drinks or vegetable soup.
If it’s your first time, I recommend choosing a short course with a gentle method.
(3) Whether the Breakdown of Fees Is Clear
- Check what’s included in the price: lodging, program fees, drinks, optional massages, and so on.
- There may be additional charges on top of the listed price, so asking for a quote will give you peace of mind.
- You’ll also want to check reviews and the like to see whether they push you to buy expensive supplements or products.
(4) Whether There Is Refeeding Support
The most important part of fasting is actually the “refeeding” period after the fast, when you gradually return to normal meals.
Check whether refeeding meals are provided and whether you can get advice on what to eat after you get home.
(5) Whether the Access and Schedule Are Reasonable
If the journey to the facility is too long, it puts a strain on your body before and after the fast.
Think about whether you can put together a reasonable schedule, including travel time and your plans after returning home.
(6) Check Reviews and Reputation
Before signing up, also look through the reviews and reputation from people who have actually attended.
Points to look at include how the staff treat you, the follow-up if you feel unwell, the cleanliness of the facility, and whether there are additional fees.
A facility that carefully explains its safety measures and aftercare is more reassuring than one that keeps emphasizing weight numbers like “lost X kg.”
The Benefits of Fasting at Home and the Scientific Evidence
The Effects of 16-Hour Fasting at Home
Intermittent fasting (16-hour fasting) done at home works through the same physiological mechanisms as a retreat.
When your fast goes beyond 16 hours, the sugar stored in your body (glycogen) runs out, and ketone bodies, which use fat as an energy source, are produced.
This “metabolic switch” happens the same way as part of how the body works, whether you’re at a retreat or at home.
A 2019 review in the NEJM (The New England Journal of Medicine) also confirmed, with data from fasting done at home,
that intermittent fasting is effective at improving body weight, blood sugar, blood pressure, and inflammatory markers.
For more details, please also read the health benefits of fasting proven by a medical journal.
The Overwhelming Cost Advantage of Fasting at Home
The biggest strength of fasting at home is the cost.
| Item | Fasting retreat (3 nights) | 16-hour fasting at home (1 month) |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ¥100,000–300,000 | Almost ¥0 (your food bill goes down) |
| Hassle of travel and preparation | Significant | None |
| How often you can do it | 1 to 2 times a year at most | Can be continued every day |
| Impact on daily life | Need to rearrange work and family schedules | Almost none |
The scientific view is that fasting at home every day brings about greater changes in the body over the long term than going on a retreat once a year.
My Own Experience: Consistency Is the Biggest Benefit
The reason I was able to lose 15 kg (33 lb) by keeping up fasting for 3 months wasn’t that I went to an expensive retreat, but that I steadily kept up 16-hour fasting every day.
The “out-of-the-ordinary reset feeling” of a retreat is appealing, but once your everyday habits return after you get home, the effects fade too.
Fasting at home, on the other hand, is something you can keep up for life once it becomes a habit.
Know the Drawbacks of Fasting at Home Too
Of course, fasting at home has its weak points too.
- There are lots of temptations close at hand, such as the fridge and your family’s meals
- There’s no expert you can consult right away if you start feeling unwell
- You’re busy with work and housework, so it’s hard to get the feeling that even your mind has been reset
- For safety reasons, long fasts of 3 days or more are not recommended at home
You can make up for these weak points with measures such as keeping your fast to 12 to 16 hours, asking your family to cooperate, and taking a break on days you feel unwell.
When a Retreat Is the Right Fit, and When Fasting at Home Is
Situations Where a Fasting Retreat Is Especially Effective
- You’ve never fasted before and want to start by “experiencing fasting”
- Work, childcare, or stress has pushed your mind and body close to the limit, and you need a complete reset
- You want to safely try an extended fast (3 days or more)
- There are too many temptations at home for you to keep going, and you want a change of environment
- You want to enjoy an out-of-the-ordinary experience as a reward or a gift to yourself
In particular, trying your “first extended fast” in an environment with support from doctors and experts makes sense from a safety standpoint as well.
Situations Where Fasting at Home Is Overwhelmingly the Better Fit
- You’re aiming for long-term weight management and a change in your constitution
- You want to keep it up every day while keeping costs down
- You have work and family, so staying away for several days is difficult
- You want to build the fasting habit you’ve experienced once into your everyday life
- You want to continuously maintain improvements in your health (blood sugar, cholesterol, fatigue, etc.)
For how to make fasting a habit in your daily life, be sure to check out my complete guide to intermittent fasting as well.
“Start at a Retreat, Continue at Home” Is the Ideal Flow
Rather than pitting the two against each other, the most effective approach is to get a feel for fasting at a retreat, then make it part of your daily routine as 16-hour fasting at home after you return.
That’s because the “out-of-the-ordinary reset experience” of a retreat often becomes strong motivation for keeping up fasting at home.
If You’re Unsure, Try “12 to 16 Hours at Home” First
If you can’t decide which to choose, I recommend first trying a 12- to 16-hour fast at home for about 1 to 2 weeks.
If it looks like you can keep it up at home, you can simply turn it into a habit without paying a lot to go to a retreat.
On the other hand, if you find you just can’t resist temptation at home, or you want to experience a deeper reset, it’s not too late to consider a retreat at that point.
If you’ve experienced fasting at home first, your body will already be used to it when you join a retreat, giving you room to enjoy the program.
Frequently Asked Questions About Fasting Retreats and Fasting at Home
For a short period of about 1 to 2 days, it’s relatively safe for healthy adults, but fasting for 3 days or more without the supervision of a doctor or expert carries risks.
If you have a chronic condition or take medication, always consult a doctor beforehand.
I recommend checking in advance whether the facility has medical staff on site.
It tends to be.
Once you’ve experienced “tolerance for hunger” and “the lightness of your body after fasting” at a retreat, the psychological barrier to fasting at home drops dramatically.
The motivation of “I want to feel that every day” gives you the strength to keep up a daily fasting habit.
The “lightness in your body, changes in your skin, and mental clarity” right after a retreat often fade within 1 to 2 weeks.
To make the effects of a retreat last, it’s essential to keep up 16-hour fasting as a daily habit after you get home.
For making fasting a habit, please also see tips for keeping up fasting for 21 days.
Extended fasts carry medical risks when done at home, so I don’t recommend it.
If you’re aiming for a long-term change in your constitution or weight loss, keeping up 16-hour fasting every day for several months puts less strain on your body and gives longer-lasting results than fasting for 3 days or more.
Fasting at Home Every Day Is Overwhelmingly More Cost-Effective and Effective in the Long Run
A fasting retreat has a one-of-a-kind value: an “out-of-the-ordinary reset experience.”
When your stress is close to the limit, when you want to experience fasting for the first time, or as a reward for yourself: for purposes like these, it’s a well-worthwhile investment.
But if your goal is weight management, changing your constitution, or maintaining long-term health, 16-hour fasting at home every day offers overwhelmingly better value for money.
A ¥300,000 retreat once a year, or 16-hour fasting every day: isn’t the answer clear as to which will change your body?
If you’d like to start with fasting you can do at home, begin by reading my complete guide to intermittent fasting.
If you want to make fasting more comfortable to keep up, you also have the option of using supplements that support fasting.
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- 【Revealed by the Latest Research🔬】What Is the NEJM Fasting Paper? 5 Health Benefits Shown by a Medical Journal and How the Metabolic Switch Works
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