How much does a retreat cost?
Among the seven example retreats we checked in October 2026, a night cost from about £37 in a shared dormitory to around €360 in a private room. What that buys varies: most include meals and sessions, but packages differ. Flights, transfers, massages and drinks are almost always extra, and a room of your own can add hundreds to the total.
Retreat prices are hard to compare because every organiser bundles things differently. One quotes per person sharing, another per room, another on a sliding scale by income. To make it easier, we took the published prices of seven real retreats as examples, not a survey of the whole market, most of them for gay men or the wider LGBTQ+ community, and worked out the cost per night. Every price below comes from the organiser's own website and was checked on 22 October 2026. We've kept each in the currency the organiser uses.
Real prices, side by side
| Retreat | Where | Length | Price range | Roughly per night |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edward Carpenter Community, gay men's week | Lake District, UK | 7 nights | £260 to £700 (sliding scale by income) | £37 to £100 |
| Sharpham Trust, LGBTQIA+ mindfulness retreat | Devon, UK | 4 nights | £555 to £695 (single room) | £139 to £174 |
| Terra Rosa, Rainbow Journey for gay and queer men | Girona, Spain | 5 nights | €980 (shared room) to €1,800 (private room), current discounted prices | €196 to €360 |
| Casa Brisa, gay men-only retreats | near Sitges, Spain | 5 nights | €1,450 (October neo-tantra week, twin room) to €1,800 (May yoga week, per person) | €290 to €360 |
| Sura Detox | Devon, UK | 7 nights | £1,000 (single bunk room) to £2,200 (cottage to yourself) | £143 to £314 |
| The Cotswolds Juice Retreat | Stroud, UK | 6 nights | £1,350 each sharing to £1,950 alone | £225 to £325 |
| The Raw Retreat | Cornwall, UK | 7 nights | £1,155 each sharing to £3,375 alone | £165 to £482 |
The first four are run for gay men or the LGBTQ+ community. The three detox houses are open to everyone, and they're included because detox weeks are one of the most searched-for kinds of retreat. Per-night figures are our own sums, rounded, from the published price for the whole stay. Each range runs from the cheapest to the dearest option an organiser lists, so it can mix room types and, at Casa Brisa and The Raw Retreat, different programmes. Terra Rosa's prices are its current discounted rates, which it shows next to higher standard prices, so they may change.
What the price usually includes
At most of the seven, the price covers your bed, your meals or juices and the main programme of classes, talks or walks. The Raw Retreat's Simply Stay option is the exception, because you build your own package. The Edward Carpenter Community week includes all meals cooked by caterers, and guests share the washing-up. Casa Brisa includes full board and daily yoga, but not alcohol or transport. Terra Rosa includes meals and all activities, but not flights, transfers or treatments such as massage.
Read each listing for the exact list, and if it isn't clear, ask the organiser to put it in writing before you pay.
Rooms and the single supplement
The room is the biggest thing that changes the price. A single supplement is the extra cost of having a room to yourself instead of sharing. Some retreats charge it as a named extra, while others simply price each room differently, but either way the gap can be small or large. At Casa Brisa's May 2027 week it's €180 (€1,600 in a twin room, €1,780 in a single). At the Cotswolds Juice Retreat it's £400 (£1,550 sharing against £1,950 alone, at the top of the range). At Terra Rosa a private room costs €520 more than a shared twin.
Some places have no single rooms at all. The Edward Carpenter Community's Lake District week uses dormitories with bunk beds. If sharing would ruin your sleep, budget for your own room from the start. If you're going alone and don't mind sharing, it's the easiest way to save money. Going on a retreat on your own as a gay man covers what sharing is like.
Deposits and when you pay
Most retreats ask for a deposit when you book and the rest closer to the date. Sura asks for £250 per person and the balance a month before. The Raw Retreat asks for £300 and full payment a month before arrival. Check what happens to your deposit if you cancel, and what happens if the organiser cancels. How to choose an LGBTQ+ retreat explains how paying by credit card can protect you in the UK.
The extras people forget
Flights are almost never included, and getting from the airport can cost more than you expect. Casa Brisa, for example, says there's little public transport, so most guests hire a car or book a driver. Then there are massages and treatments (from £75 at Sura), spa visits, drinks, tips, travel insurance and, in some countries, a local tourist tax on each night. Add them up before you compare one retreat with another.
Ways to pay less
Share a room. Look for early-booking discounts: Terra Rosa takes €100 off if you book four months ahead. Ask about reduced places. The Edward Carpenter Community, Sharpham and Casa Brisa all mention bursaries or lower-priced places for people on low incomes, and so does Terra Rosa for its EROS week. Community-run retreats and sliding-scale pricing are usually cheaper than commercial ones, and a non-residential option, where you stay elsewhere and join the days, can help too. The Cotswolds Juice Retreat offers one for £950.
On Among Our People, organisers list their own retreats and set their own prices, and we don't take a commission from either side, so the price you see is the organiser's own. Browse gay men's and mixed retreats and ask each organiser exactly what's included before you pay a deposit. ✦
General information, not financial advice. Prices were checked on 22 October 2026 and can change, so confirm them with the organiser before you book.