Eha has opened on Estonia’s Hiiumaa island, with wooden forest houses, outdoor hot tubs and Baltic Sea views through the trees. Pine forest and coastline surround the new wellness retreat, whose calendar includes a fifth season: Springrise, the brief transition from winter into spring.
Eight suites and three forest houses make this an intimate place to stay. Its year-round programmes bring together movement, sauna rituals, treatments and seasonal food, with mushroom foraging, sap collection or berry harvesting taking guests into the island landscape. Each stay begins with a personal wellness consultation, and the signature retreat lasts five nights.
“We wanted to create somewhere that could not exist anywhere else, a place where the landscape, the seasons and Estonia’s heritage are part of the experience,” says co-founder Eva Maran.
A Baltic island of forest and shoreline
Hiiumaa is Estonia’s second-largest island, lying in the Baltic Sea and forming part of UNESCO’s West Estonian Archipelago Biosphere Reserve. The wider reserve encompasses pine forests, mixed woodland, coastal meadows, swamps and peat bogs, giving this part of Estonia a varied natural setting.
Eha describes an island with forest covering two-thirds of its land and a population density of nine people per square kilometre. Summer brings long daylight hours, while limited light pollution is another feature of the island. Woodland, shoreline and the changing weather give the retreat’s outdoor programme its focus, from forest walks to beach exploration.
Estonian architect Tiit Trummal designed Eha, with interiors by Studio Argus, UNT+CO and Vaikla Studio. Natural materials and understated Nordic design carry through accommodation that frames the surrounding forest-to-sea landscape.
The larger suite option measures 71 square metres, with a separate lounge, walk-in wardrobe and private balcony overlooking the Baltic. Oak, linen, limestone and wool feature in these rooms, alongside dual bathroom sinks and a choice of a super-king bed or twin singles. The 47-square-metre Junior Suite looks towards the forest and has integrated seating, a freestanding bath and a rainfall shower.
The three standalone Forest Houses sit at the woodland edge, a short walk from the main house. Each has a vaulted ceiling, living space arranged over two levels and a mezzanine bedroom, with sea views through the trees. A balcony and outdoor hot tub extend the space outside, while a roll-top bath and rainfall shower sit within. They offer the clearest sense of staying among the trees, with the main retreat close by.
Personal guidance, with room to rest
Eha says its wellness programming is designed to support nervous system regulation, using movement, breathwork, sound journeys and traditional sauna practices. Core activities remain throughout the year, while their emphasis and the treatment menu change with the season.
“There is no expectation at Eha to optimise every moment,” says Amber Gauci-Ward, general manager and wellness director. “We create the conditions for guests to rest, move, connect and restore in the way that feels right for them. The experience is guided, but never prescriptive.”
Gauci-Ward also describes a pre-arrival process on Eha’s website, followed by the arrival consultation, through which Eha personalises nutrition, wellness sessions and treatments. Participation is optional, including for guests who would rather sleep, spend time in the thermal suite or walk the beach at their own pace.
Daily schedules alternate morning movement, meals, seasonal workshops, private sessions and free time. Each day, guests can choose either a private consultation on wellness or one signature treatment, with their individual timetable supplied after the arrival consultation. Evening options include meditation, sound journeys and fireside gatherings; an Olo sound system provides guided sleep meditation in the suites.
Shared spaces have a no-tech, no-cameras policy. High-tech wellness equipment is introduced selectively according to individual needs and goals, keeping the everyday experience centred on the guest’s chosen practices and surroundings.
Five seasons, five different stays
Eha’s five seasonal programmes vary in their movement sessions, treatments, outdoor activities, kitchen workshops and meals. Springrise is Eha’s name for the short period of softening winter weather, snowmelt and the first returning growth, which lasts only a few weeks each year.
Autumn Inner Balance brings guided bog trails, mushroom foraging and forest walks, alongside private float sessions and mushroom-and-fermentation kitchen workshops. Morning movement options range from qi gong and yoga to fascia flow, walking, running and functional strength. Root vegetables, grains, warming spices, ferments and preserved foods feature on the menu. Eha frames this programme around grounding and preparation for winter.
Winter Sleep & Stillness puts sleep workshops, yoga nidra, sound journeys and guided sauna rituals at the centre of the stay. Dusk lantern walks take the programme outdoors, while seasonal treatments include massage with warm botanical oil and a body ritual for deep rest and restoration. A bone-broth workshop accompanies slow-cooked dishes and warming evening menus, with the programme focused on rest and sleep.
Springrise Awakening follows the brief passage out of winter with walks on the lighthouse trails and sap gathering from birch and maple trees. Yoga flow, qi gong, cold-water immersion and sauna rituals sit alongside plant-forward meals incorporating foraged ingredients, fresh greens and broths.
Spring Essential Reset includes forest bathing accompanied by a tea ceremony, guided sessions using hot-cold contrast and time in the garden. A pesto-making workshop reflects menus featuring fermented foods, leafy greens and sprouts. Mobility, qi gong, yoga, lymphatic and fascia flow, and walking or running provide the morning movement choices.
Summer Vitality takes advantage of Hiiumaa’s long daylight hours with outdoor movement, beach exploration, forest outings and hot-cold bathing. Farm visits for berry and fruit picking lead into preserve-making workshops, while shared platters and peak-season local produce shape the dining. It is the programme with the strongest emphasis on outdoor activity and shared meals.
Birch whisk, peat and hot-cold bathing
The Thermal Suite brings together traditional and infrared saunas with steam facilities. Eha’s wider wellness spaces include indoor and outdoor saunas, cold plunges and hydrotherapy pools, giving guests several ways to move between heat, water and rest.
Guided sauna sessions use birch whisk, while guided steam sessions incorporate a body mask made with Estonian peat.
The treatment collection includes Lymphatic Flow Massage, Singing Sound Bowl Massage and the Ash and Chaga Body Treatment. The selection evolves through the year: winter, for example, adds warm botanical oils and treatments focused on deep rest. The consultation helps determine how these sessions fit into an individual stay, alongside movement and time outdoors.
Seasonal food from the garden and island
Michelin Green Star chef Peeter Pihel leads Eha’s kitchen, drawing on the retreat’s organic kitchen garden and small-scale Hiiumaa producers. Foraging, fermentation and traditional preservation techniques shape menus intended to be nourishing and distinctly Estonian.
The seasonal calendar gives the food a clear connection to the activities outside. Autumn mushroom gathering is accompanied by mushroom-and-fermentation workshops; Springrise includes sap collection and fresh greens; summer berry and fruit picking leads to making preserves. Guests can follow an ingredient from the island landscape into the kitchen.
Winter’s slow-cooked dishes and broths give way to spring’s sprouts and fermented foods alongside leafy greens, then summer’s shared platters. Nutrition is also part of the personalised consultation process, so dining sits within the overall retreat programme. All dining experiences are included in the five-night package.
How to book and get there
Eha’s signature five-night retreats start from £5,500 per person, based on double occupancy. The price includes all dining experiences and a curated programme of treatments, wellness sessions and activities. A limited number of three-night stays are offered throughout the year, with seven-night retreats available for specialised programmes. Exclusive-use stays can be requested through the team.
Tallinn and Helsinki are the principal international gateways. For arrivals through Tallinn, Eha recommends the domestic NyxAir flight to Kärdla, described as taking 20 minutes. The retreat can arrange the flight, and the transfer from Kärdla is included in the stay.
An alternative route combines a private transfer from Tallinn towards Haapsalu with a ferry crossing to Hiiumaa. Eha can organise this at additional cost and meet guests on the island. From Helsinki, a private helicopter transfer directly to the retreat takes approximately 30 minutes, also at additional cost.
Reservations are available through Eha’s website. The team can also help arrange partner hotels if the journey requires an overnight stay in either gateway city.
