Find Inner Peace at Sedona's New and Improved Spiritual Retreat

Just 120 miles north of Phoenix rests Sedona, known as one of the premier destinations for hiking, mountain biking, and experiencing some of the finest metaphysical offerings in the country—and an ideal place for beginners to become initiated. Since its post-COVID reopening, L’Auberge de Sedona has been upping the ante on its metaphysical programming, launching immersive classes on crystals, sound healing, astrology, Reiki, vortexes, and more—all within the 88-room property’s 11 acres.

Here, the property’s director of guest experience, Caroline Gonzalez, breaks down how to ease into the resort’s more unique offerings.

Crystals are new to me. Will I be lost in a crystal lecture? 

Truthfully, I’m from New Jersey, which is maybe the most skeptical place you can imagine. But between the vortexes here and the natural beauty of the setting, it’s easy to see how it is all captured in crystals. I started researching what the most entry-level experience we could create would be. I think most people know that rose quartz is for love, but we also wanted people to channel crystal experiences for other emotions or things they were experiencing, whether that’s grieving or looking for a new path. When guests participate in one of our Intro to Crystals classes, even if they’re not a “believer,” there’s still the hope side of it, and we’re always breaking down things for each guest’s own comfort level.

A sound bath sounds overwhelming. What should I expect?

It’s a complete and utter immersion into allowing yourself to calm down from head to toe and be in silence. Sound healing is an experience where you’re giving your body time to rest and indulge into the senses. A lot of the things we do on property touch on all of the senses, but here, we’re taking away the obvious one of sight—you see the beauty every day, but this is about closing your eyes and listening and smelling what’s happening around you. All you have to do is lie down and let the rest just wash over you.

Sedona’s mountains are majestic—but also look really steep. If I’m not an avid hiker, will I be out of my element? 

A lot of our guests are the standard person who hikes every so often for fun—they’re not all mountain climbers necessarily. A lot of our hikes are easy to moderate, and you can get all of the views without having to exert yourself too much. Also, Sedona has all of these vortexes, which are essentially intersections of the earth’s electromagnetic lines, but they’re not in a specific location where you have to be to get the feeling—you can feel their energy from a lot of the hikes that border them. A lot of the hikes we recommend are very minimal—more like scenic walks—but if you are looking for something more intense, there’s nothing like Cathedral Rock, which is the No. 1 vortex site. It’s vertical for about 1.5 miles up, which takes most people abut 45 minutes, but then there are 360-degree vista views. There’s nothing like it.

I’ve only ever done a couple of yoga classes in my life. What if I can’t keep up?

We used to offer yoga every day, but now we’re more about providing a variety of practices. We want to show guests different kinds, so we have three to four classes per week that change from morning, afternoon, evening. Our instructors will read the room and then determine the level. There’s everything from whole-body movement to a more gentle practice that’s great for post-hike stretching. There’s never any pressure to go outside your comfort level.

I failed at astronomy. I mean astrology. No wait, I think I mean astronomy. What do I have to know for stargazing?

We are a dark-sky community, which means that, at 9 p.m., our outside lighting has to stay below a certain voltage. We can’t have big lights on—just twinkle lights and pathway lights. The stars in Sedona are unlike anywhere else because you don’t have the blocking of the skyscrapers or city lights all around you, and instead, you can engulf yourself in absolute beauty. We provide stargazing classes Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. You can be outside with a glass of wine, looking at the sky, and it just really touches on the romance of being here.

Having my aura read sounds cool. What is that, though?

A lot of people visiting us don’t normally have it at their disposal, and you can get an authentic aura reading here, which is determining the color around you and what energy you’re giving off based on that. So many people in Sedona have perfected their craft and have been working toward it their entire life. We have a vendor we recommend who does portraits. She’ll take your picture and show you the light around it, then creates a portrait for you to take home.