Drug-Based Tourism: No, Really!

drug-based tourism
MoodRXtreat’s wellness retreats provide women with opportunities to relax and become more in-tune with themselves

A Peek into the Growing Drug-based Tourism Industry

By Kaelie Piscitello

Tripping on trips? Drug-based tourism is on the incline, and more people are signing up for wellness retreats that feature psychedelics and marijuana each day. Silo Wellness and MoodRXtreats both provide retreats for clients to relax, build new wellness-related habits, and engage with psilocybin and cannabis, respectively.

Silo Wellness partners with Bob Marley's family to offer people various mushroom products and wellness retreats.
Silo Wellness partners with Bob Marley’s family to offer people various mushroom products and wellness retreats.

Psilocybin and Silo Wellness

Psychedelics like psilocybin, or “magic mushrooms,” have been proven to form new neural pathways in the brain or rewire it. This can sometimes assist people with developing new habits in place of old ones, helping people with traumatic brain injuries, addiction, and mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.

To read more about some of the health benefits psilocybin offers, click here.

About Silo Wellness

Silo Wellness is based in Oregon, however, the company works with the Rastafarian community in Montego Bay, Jamaica, to arrange and implement psilocybin wellness retreats for customers. Guests will stay in the Good Hope Villas and participate in various activities to create new, positive habits instead of old ones.

According to the founder and chairman of Silo Wellness, Mike Arnold, “Most clients attending a retreat at Silo Wellness have heard something about psychedelics and feel curious because they have some kind of hole in their lives”.

He said even though the research shows people can form new habits when taking psilocybin, the types of patterns people develop after taking the drug are up to each individual.

The Silo Wellness Retreat Experience

Arnold said during retreats, people ingest the drug and from there “can start forming new neural pathways to new adventures, but they need a skill set to put that into place, and that’s what we’re trying to offer people.”

On Silo Wellness Retreats, clients can engage in new habits, such as journaling, yoga, recognizing nature’s beauty, and expressing gratitude. Though the curriculum for each retreat depends on the team facilitating it, each retreat is bound to include positive, reflective activities.

Retreat planners use a “spiritually agnostic, non-dogmatic curriculum” when crafting the getaways so people do not feel Silo Wellness is leading them in one direction or another. Arnold explained the staff is “there to provide a safe environment, be a life preserver, and to offer them [the customer] whatever they need at that particular moment.”

Partnered with the late singer Bob Marley’s family, the company also sells several mushroom products, and people can attend in groups, as couples, or custom private retreats.

The next retreat hosted by Silo Wellness will happen between July 15-19 2023, and even more, will occur in August and September.

Recommendations for Attending Silo Wellness Retreats

The purpose of Silo Wellness retreats is to provide people with the tools for self-discovery, not just to inform people about mushrooms. Arnold explains people sometimes need psilocybin to help them “look at the future not with fear, not with anxiety, but with the hope of a better tomorrow.”

Silo Wellness employees recommend retreat attendees come in with an open mind so the staff can properly assist them on their journeys.

MoodRXtreats adds yoga sessions into the weekend. Holly Teegarden Photos
MoodRXtreats adds yoga sessions to the weekend. Holly Teegarden Photos

Marijuana Retreats and MoodRxTreats

MoodRXtreats is a company that hosts marijuana retreats marketed toward mature women. Like psilocybin, marijuana is also a drug that is said to have health benefits.

Research shows cannabis can help fight cancer, prevent seizures, help people avoid relapsing an addiction to other drugs and alcohol, and treat anxiety disorders.

To read more about the health benefits marijuana offers, click here.

About MoodRXtreats

According to the founder and CEO of MoodRXtreats, Holly Teegarden, the company tries to be intentional with the dates set for the retreats. Perfectly timed, check-in for this experience is always 4:20 pm.

This year’s dates are set on two full moons, including a strawberry moon, and two new moons. The company’s most recent wellness retreat was held in Chautauqua, New York, and future retreats will happen in Michigan and New York.

The retreats can host between 8-22 people depending on their location, and women come from many places in diverse configurations of people.

MoodRXtreats’ Atmosphere

Of course, some of the company’s clients are medical marijuana cardholders, and some customers attend the retreat intending to enjoy cannabis and get pampered. However, the company has also seen several mother-daughter duos sign up for the wellness retreats, and a bachelorette party will soon attend an upcoming event for a relaxing getaway weekend.

MoodRXtreats has found many retreat attendees are not “out of the green closet” and come to the retreat looking to express themselves. MoodRXtreats fosters a relaxing, peaceful, and open atmosphere without alcohol or the party scene. Like Silo Wellness, MoodRXtreats wellness retreats encourage a judgment-free zone.

The food served on MoodRXtreats is exceptional. Holly Teegarden Photos
The food served on MoodRXtreats is exceptional. Holly Teegarden Photos

Teegarden shared one client sentiment that, compared to other marijuana wellness retreats she has attended, “there’s a little more intention of like really tapping into your like mind, body, and spirit.” Teegarden emphasized that MoodRXtreats’s retreats are not just geared towards getting high and enjoying the day. Other elements geared towards spirituality and wellness help it stand apart.

The MoodRXtreats Wellness Retreat Experience

On MoodRXtreat’s wellness retreats, guests can experience fantastic chef’s cooking. Teegarden shared that the cook made so much food on the last retreat that all the guests happily brought leftovers home. In the future, all the meals provided will have CBD infused, and the mocktails will have terpenes added in.

In addition to the excellent dining options, retreat attendees can engage in an array of activities. During the upcoming retreat in Michigan, women will spend their time hiking trails around the property they are staying in.

The women will also have the opportunity to have a private tarot card reading and participate in a moon circle around a bonfire.

Other Activities on MoodRXtreat’s Wellness Retreats

Like Silo Wellness, MoodRXtreats also offers clients time to engage in yoga and journaling. Teegarden has also found many of her retreat attendees enjoy coloring, so she has implemented time for women to enjoy Pilgrim Soul coloring books.

The retreat also implements a lot of time for goal-setting, so women can think about their intentions for the future. Next, Teegarden also hopes to bring an element of silent disco to future retreats so the women can dance together in the moonlight.

Click here to read about SwellWomen: an active well retreat for women.

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