From Luxurious to Minimalist, Psychedelic Resorts Are a Study in Contrasts

Experiences vary wildly

Mushrooms
There's a growing travel industry centered around psychedelic mushrooms.
Mycellenz, CC BY-SA 4.0

In late 2021, The New York Times published an article about the rise of wellness retreats centered around psychedelic experiences. Some of these are situated outside of the United States, while others can be found where psychedelics have been legalized within the U.S. While they may differ in the specifics and locations, they have one thing in common — their price. As the article notes, attendees could expect to pay between $5,000 and $10,000 for a seven-day stay.

Alternately, something that had once been considered a widely accessible experience has turned into a luxury product, at least in certain circumstances. There’s a reason there’s a dig at tech moguls attending ayahuasca ceremonies in Glass Onion, after all.

That doesn’t mean that more accessible paths to psychedelic therapy aren’t out there, though. In a new article for Air Mail, Elena Clavarino chronicles the contrasting experiences of psychedelic resorts, from the most exclusive to the most scaled-back. And it does seem like there’s a kind of stratification taking shape in the world of retreats.

One retreat founder told Clavarino, “No C.E.O. wants the mosquito jungle shamanic context.” But that doesn’t mean experiences geared towards C.E.O.s are the only options available: Clavarino also describes visiting a retreat, Refugio Terraza de la Tierra, where cabins cost between $35 and $50 per night and psychedelic mushrooms are plentiful in the area. It’s a study in contrasts; then again, it’s far from the only part of modern life where that’s the case.

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