A brand new retreat is underway in Ontario, and it comes with lake views, stargazing cabins, and... psychedelics. You heard right, the retreat offers plant medicines and metaphysical therapies as part of the wellness experience.
Dimensions Algonquin Highlands is a serene, all-season retreat opening for private groups in July 2022. The venue, which is situated on the banks of Maple Lake, boasts 45 acres of wilderness, including trails, forests, glades, and an organic garden.
Dimensions Algonquin Highlands.Courtesy of Dimensions Algonquin Highlands
This is the first retreat destination from the Canadian-owned company, and it will offer "safe and legal psychedelic-assisted experiences for personal growth, well-being, and creative exploration."
"Witnessing the current mental health crisis, we recognized the need for alternative and natural methods for achieving well-being," CEO Chris Dawson said in a press release. "Establishing Dimensions Algonquin Highlands, the first of several planned global Retreats, is a major milestone for our organization."
Guests will sleep in one of the 17 private, cedar cabin suites with views of the water. At night, you can gaze into the starry sky from the large picture windows and skylights.
Dimensions Algonquin Highlands.Courtesy of Dimensions Algonquin Highlands
There are lots of activities to enjoy during the day, all centred around the theme of wellness and healing. You can visit the meditation maze, relax in the scent garden, practice yoga, go on mindfulness-based nature walks, and partake in things like cross-country skiing in the winter.
On top of these activities, you can enjoy the spa, which features acupuncture, sound therapy, deep-tissue massage, and more treatments to support the psychedelic experience.
So what is the psychedelic experience? The retreat "offers whole plant medicines in accordance with local regulations". In Ontario, guests are permitted to use cannabis and cacao. Certain guests will also be able to use psilocybin, a hallucinogenic chemical found in certain types of fungi, but they will need approval by Health Canada’s Schedule 56 exemptions and Special Access Programs first.
Dimensions Algonquin Highlands.Courtesy of Dimensions Algonquin Highlands
A complete suite of programs will be offered in 2023, but you can register online for private group retreats this summer. After registering, you'll receive updates as soon as they are available.
Dimensions Algonquin Highlands
Dimensions Algonquin Highlands.
Courtesy of Dimensions Algonquin Highlands
Price: To be announced
When: Opening July 2022
Address: Algonquin Highlands, ON
About: This wellness retreat comes with stunning landscapes and even psychedelics.
Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.