WHEN I FIRST LEARNED I’d be spending 5 nights / six days on the legendary We Care Spa in Desert Scorching Springs, California, I knew little or no about what to anticipate apart from it appeared to be on the tip of each tongue in LA’s underground wellness scene (as if it have been part of a real-life Reddit thread). “Liquid fasting,” “colonics,” and “checkout salad” have been all phrases that flew by me at fast velocity, so I knew I used to be in for a writable expertise, regardless of which manner it went.
What I found was that celebrities, wellness fans, and other people in want of a profound life change have been “within the know” about We Care since its inception in 1986. As one of many well being spa OGs—providing a detox protocol you’ve positively by no means seen carried out anyplace else at such a excessive caliber—it’s no marvel that We Care Spa has made it onto a number of lists for “Finest Detox Spas within the US”…and even the world.
I’m going to let you know completely all the pieces shortly, however be aware that colonics will probably be talked about repeatedly (in the easiest way attainable)!
An Oasis In The Center Of The Desert
With over 20 acres of land, juxtaposed towards a mountain-laden backdrop, We Care sits smack dab in the course of Desert Scorching Springs, which isn’t conventionally recognized for its “luxurious” enchantment (IYKYK).
It’s so tucked away that the majority (myself included) nearly miss it when driving down the dead-end highway that results in the property, which is definitely the unique property of Founder Susana Belen’s authentic residence. Throughout the pandemic, We Care acquired a serious facelift, increasing its grounds to accommodate extra friends (about 40 at a time) and remodeling the property right into a full, literal spa oasis that’s crammed to the brim with 360-degree wellness facilities, a full-service juice bar to make you your whole every day drinks, and sufficient chlorophyll to fill one in all their two swimming pools. Each side of We Care’s expertise makes it inconceivable to be bored or hapless throughout one’s cleaning course of. Sure, this consists of every day rebounding and vibration machines for lymphatic drainage.
Higher but, they provide over 40 unmatched spa therapies (to which I can attest) and non secular therapeutic periods which have been thoughtfully curated to assist a completely holistic method to detoxing. Based mostly by yourself distinctive objectives and well being challenges, the insanely attentive workers creates a customized itinerary in order that friends can get probably the most out of their one-day, three-day, five-day, and even two-week keep.
“The Gandhi Of Good Well being”
If you happen to’re going to “ball out” on a health-and-wellness retreat with a fairly intense program (like colonics, for instance), you’d hope that the individuals operating it might dwell by their very own protocols—or not less than have skilled it for themselves. Fortunately for all We Care individuals, Susana—also called “The Gandhi of Good Well being”—is the true deal…a wellness queen, if you’ll.
Now in her mid-to-late 80s, Susana has been working towards what she preaches for over three many years, and it reveals. Not solely does Susana nonetheless come to We Care to attach with friends, obtain her personal weekly colonics, and train workshops on diet and way of life modifications, however she can also be the human embodiment of wellbeing on probably the most non secular degree. To not point out she wakes up on the first light to bounce on her rebounder whereas watching the solar rise. Goddess objectives, when you ask me.
I had the fortune of studying Susana’s story head to head—though I technically needed to bend over a bit due to our respective top variations.
The TL;DR: Again within the 70s, earlier than wellness was mainstream in any capability, Argentinian-born Susana discovered herself dwelling in Palm Springs, divorced with no job, no group, 4 youngsters, and a language barrier. Compounding stress left her chronically in poor health, which prompted her good friend to ship her to a chiropractor who put her on a cleanse paired with colonics. “In simply two-week’s time, I used to be a very completely different particular person. As an alternative of crying, I used to be in a position to snicker. My ideas have been completely different. I used to be completely different. I knew I wanted to go deeper into no matter I had simply skilled.”
Fueled by curiosity, ardour, self-guided analysis, spirituality, and a transparent calling to pursue holistic therapeutic, Susana started instructing yoga and offering dietary steerage and non secular lectures throughout the desert (when she wasn’t working in the course of the day as an inside designer).
Information rapidly unfold all through the desert of Susana’s therapeutic method, and shortly, she determined to construct a house the place individuals may simply come straight to her, do yoga, hear lectures from different wellness gurus, and finally keep to pursue their very own therapeutic journeys. And so We Care Spa was born. Please bear in mind that is extremely abridged, however you get the gist!
We Care’s Therapeutic Protocol
We Care’s detox program is predicated on Susana’s philosophy that when you take away emotional, non secular, and bodily poisonous build-up within the physique, you may make house for the physique to heal itself.
Reasonably than starve the physique, We Care makes use of a “food-as-medicine” mannequin with a liquid quick—also called a nutritive quick—that goals to nourish the physique with simply absorbable nutritional vitamins and vitamins that also enable for full digestive relaxation. By placing the physique right into a state of autophagy, your cells begin to leverage all of their vitality to eliminate lifeless or inactive cells that add to irritation. Merely put: in case your physique doesn’t must spend a lot vitality digesting meals for a set time period, it could use that vitality wherever else it’s wanted.
Together with the quick is a fairly rigorous schedule of every day colonics, which is what We Care is thought for (just one per day, I promise!). These releases not solely promote a better detox—decreasing the prospect for attainable Herxheimer reactions—however in addition they enable for a deeper reset of the microbiome altogether.
All the shakes, teas, detox drinks, and accoutrement are supposed to foster extra profitable colonic periods that assist to “clear the whistle.” Due to this fact one can be clever to comply with their prep, protocol, and post-fast directions fairly carefully as a result of, as I found, each step issues! Do you know that the intestines can maintain as much as 25lbs of waste? Sounds fairly heavy to me.
Right here’s a style of We Care’s every day liquid diet:
Morning Routine
+ Lemon Water+ We Care Meals-N-Zymes+ We Care Natural Inexperienced Meals+ We Care Natural Detox Drink+ We Care Regulator Plus w/ aloe, apple juice, water chaser+ 2-3 Thermos of water by 12p+ Alkaline Kangen Water+ We Care Blood Air purifier Tea+ We Care Liver Kidney Tea+ After-colonic Every day Probiotic
Noon Routine
+ Mug of Yerba mate tea (or an iced Yerba mate “slushie” that many people turn into keen on)+ Veggie Juice—Inexperienced orCarrot+ We Care Blood Air purifier Tea+ We Care Liver Kidney Tea+ We Care Energy Greens+ We Care Natural Detox Drink+ We Care Regulator Plus w/ aloe, apple juice, water chaser+ 2-3 Thermos of water by 4p+ Alkaline Kangen Water
Night Routine
+ Soup + We Care Meals-N-Zyme+ Alkaline Kangen Water+ We Care Regulator Plus w/ aloe, apple juice, water chaser
5 Days I’ll By no means Neglect
Once I swirled into the wellness vortex of We Care, I used to be at an inflection level with my well being. Whereas I don’t have any severe well being points, I’ve simply sufficient on the fritz to wreak havoc on my pores and skin, hormones, and digestive system. For years, I’ve complained to “my staff,” who—previous to my cleanse—stated, “We’ve tried all the pieces. It’s time for a severe shift.”
With practitioner-approval on my facet, I had little or no hesitation about diving proper into no matter We Care wished to throw my manner, and boy oh boy, did they throw me into the gauntlet of aspirational hearth.
Inside minutes of my desert touchdown, I used to be swept into an orientation with my new “fasting household,” a cohort of principally girls—aged anyplace between 30 and 70—from all around the world. We got the rundown of the grounds, strolling paths, spa facilities, and our new liquid weight loss plan for the subsequent 5 days. Then we have been off to the colonic races—robes and humility in tow.
As if I had entered a really stylish colonic summer time camp expertise, I discovered myself in a short time bonding with my quick associates, who have been among the most compelling individuals I had met in a very long time (I’ve already talked to an astrologer one in all them really helpful to me!). Daily, we might all discover ourselves within the communal kitchen or by the poolside juice bar, making ready our detox drinks, offering each other with “taste hacks,” serving to one another bear in mind which step of our wellness scavenger hunt we have been on (we had a guidelines, don’t fear), and endlessly regaling each other about our therapies and colonic scores—”I acquired a ten+!”—as if we had been associates for many years. By the way in which, when you’re extra of the introverted sort, that’s completely high-quality. We Care provides rooms your individual detox toolkit, so you may go full hermit whilst you digestively relaxation.
The quick itself was actually—and I imply this—not an issue. In actual fact, it was uncommon that I used to be even thought of not having chewed something for 5 days. I used to be ingesting a lot liquid in such a methodical vogue, I truly didn’t even have time to consider meals cravings or the flexibility to show to meals out of boredom, which—I discovered—is oftentimes the purpose of fasting, interval. It was extremely attention-grabbing to have house to guage my relationship with meals and the position it performs in my every day life because it pertains to my time. Once I wasn’t enmeshed in wonderments about once I would have my subsequent meal, I seen how a lot time I truly needed to simply freely wander and have a tendency to myself.
Most apparently, I used to be shocked by how a lot vitality I had and the way good I felt. It was as if I had transcended my physique and was simply the purest essence of myself, floating round and connecting with different individuals at their purest degree as effectively. I do know it sounds insane, nevertheless it sort of was!
Susana shared with me that—whereas some individuals consider We Care as a weight-loss retreat—that’s, on no account, the mission or intention of the detox spa. “This complete course of appears to be simply in regards to the bodily, however what individuals get is one thing else. Once you launch all of those chemical compounds out of your physique, your thoughts, physique, and coronary heart really feel completely different, so that you turn into a distinct particular person. Now, you may see different individuals’s wants, really feel the ache of any person else, and have empathy.”
Now in regards to the colonics: I received’t be going into graphic element of any sort, however I’ll let you know that when you haven’t tried them, speak to your trusted staff after which go for it (once more, in case your staff says it’s okay!). I’ve been within the #EnemaGame for a very long time, however had by no means dabbled in colonics, as they are often considerably controversial within the wellness house. Nonetheless, I used to be in awe of how well-informed, nurturing, and supportive the hydrotherapists have been. Each single particular person I had educated me and made me really feel tremendous comfy all through the method, as in the event that they have been going by it with me (which they mainly have been!).
Past the bodily releases, they have been in a position to establish “outdated matter” and extra “emotional releases,” which I discovered to be profound. I genuinely felt like previous traumas and metaphysical burdens lightened for me post-sessions. I will even say that doing one thing so intense together with your physique encourages you to be in tune with your self in a deeply weak manner—as a result of, in spite of everything, you’re going figuratively and actually deep.
Over time, I went from novice to professional in understanding what my physique wanted earlier than, throughout, and after my periods and the most effective methods for optimum releases main as much as “my time within the chamber.” Scorching tip: the vibration machines + castor oil on the abdomen within the infrared sauna was a sure-fire manner to make sure a “10+.”
Now in regards to the therapies…
Remedies + Classes You Can’t Miss
I might be remiss to undergo my expertise with out describing a few of their all-star therapies that make We Care actually one thing to write down residence about.
Listed below are the therapies I might hold going again for many times:
System Restoration Grasp Remedy | Think about being dry brushed, then having your physique coated in castor oil whereas cocooned in a warmth wrap on prime of an amethyst mat whilst you have your ft or scalp massaged for 90 minutes. Sounds sizzling, proper?
The System Restoration remedy is without doubt one of the strongest detox-supporting therapies at We Care (and some of the euphoric). It helps to cut back stomach discomfort whereas successfully activating liver and bowel detoxing. It’s a must-do by and thru. You’ll be questioning why you may’t do it at residence every single day of the week.
Deep Tissue Therapeutic massage + Cupping | For the reason that pandemic, I’ve struggled to discover a high-quality deep tissue therapeutic massage. I do numerous “restoration work” by myself, however at occasions, I concern it’s not sufficient to assist my intensive exercise routine.
The We Care Deep Tissue Therapeutic massage floored me. My therapeutic massage therapist grew to become my physique intuitive, keenly conscious of what was an issue and why. Utilizing cupping with a vacuum approach on each the back and front of my physique, I skilled severe myofascial launch…and important darkish circles throughout (which I wore proudly across the amenities).
Sacred Therapeutic & Journey Session | Spirituality is a significant factor of the We Care expertise. Not solely is the desert a wildly energetic vortex, nevertheless it attracts healers from all around the world (they’ll report that they have been actually known as to the desert).
I labored with a Shaman, who rocked me for 60 minutes as we did some severe inner-child work and moved vitality out and in of my physique. It was extremely transferring, and by the top, I felt like I had left my physique and reentered it as a distinct particular person (there was numerous that all through my 5 days).
The (holi) facial | Agent Nateur is a Chalkboard favourite for a purpose. With tremendous clear, all-natural botanical skincare that’s taking the wellness scene by storm, Jena Covello’s skincare line has turn into a coveted a part of the We Care expertise.
My face was lathered with the entire (holi) staples (which it’s also possible to discover of their present store), and was informed by my finest associates within the communal kitchen that I used to be glowing to the excessive heavens. It was the right come-down from per week of detoxing—particularly since so many toxins go away by the pores and skin, which might trigger some severe purging.
Persevering with My Therapeutic Journey At Dwelling
After 5 days, I actually began to get used to “my new life” at We Care, leaving me in a extreme state of fight-or-flight once I remembered that I’d have to go away and reenter the frenzy of Los Angeles as soon as extra. “Chewing? What’s that even like anymore?”
We Care is emphatic that you need to slowly wean again into consuming over the identical quantity of days as you’ve fasted. As somebody who’s used to leaping into issues in an all-or-nothing vogue, I knew this could be my largest problem.
Fortunately, We Care gave me their Full Rejuvenation Package that allowed me to seamlessly reintegrate with a few of my acquainted detoxing routines with out surprising my system.
For 5 days, I moved very slowly again into my routine, specializing in my chewing (apparently, I’ve been chewing incorrectly for years), consuming mindfully, digestible, and wholesomely. I’ve additionally continued to have their Detox Drink at night time, which has been a recreation changer for my digestion (as a We Care alumni, I can let you know that the Detox Drink grew to become one of many extra well-known elements of all of our routines).
I requested Susana for recommendation to maintain my We Care vibrations excessive as soon as I had returned residence. She steered, “Have 5 good days that you just learn, go for a stroll, eat healthful meals, after which someday per week, do a liquid quick. The remaining day, eat no matter you need. There’s no have to be a martyr. You want to have the ability to take pleasure in your life!”
Last Fasting Ideas
Transparently, there should not sufficient hours on this lifetime to totally specific how uniquely particular my time at We Care was. After all it’s an enormous funding, however I additionally imagine that if you’ll be able to go, it might possible scale back the necessity for different well being expenditures all year long. For me, it 100% moved a needle and gave me the shift I used to be searching for (my staff agrees!).
Most significantly, We Care seeks to supply lifelong, dietary and way of life schooling in order to present individuals the instruments they should dwell extra optimally. Susana’s purpose is to do nothing greater than make individuals conscious of what they’ll do prophylactically and accessibly so that they don’t get chronically sick.
Since coming residence, I really feel completely different—or moderately higher, clearer, and extra energized than I’ve felt in years. I’ve a distinct perspective on my life. I’m extra targeted on simplifying my existence, eradicating as a lot friction and detritus as attainable (which might be difficult if you’re a Gemini rising within the energetic rodeo of Los Angeles). I’ll not dwell amongst an unlimited, open panorama, and I’ll not have the ability to begin every single day on a rebounder, oil pulling because the solar comes up, however I’ve gotten again in contact with my physique as my final information for letting me know what it wants and subsequently what I want.
And sure, I do have a colonic scheduled for subsequent weekend.
*The Chalkboard Magazine and its supplies should not meant to deal with, diagnose, treatment or stop any illness. All materials on The Chalkboard Magazine is supplied for academic functions solely. All the time search the recommendation of your doctor or one other certified healthcare supplier for any questions you’ve got concerning a medical situation, and earlier than endeavor any weight loss plan, train or different health-related applications.