Rythmia is a spiritual retreat center based in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Find out everything you need to know about this popular wellness center today in our review.
What is Rythmia?
Rythmia Life Advancement Center is a Costa Rican retreat founded by Gerard Powell. The retreat consists of a team of naturopathic healers, health specialists, and spiritual healers who, according to the official website, “are all working in tandem to create the most integrative programs in the world”.
The goal of the Rythmia retreat is to use alternative healing practices to help guests recover from diseases and ailments.
Rates start at around $350 per night. You stay for a 7 or 14 night “journey”. The resort is all-inclusive, with all meals, snacks, and beverages provided.
The Rythmia Life Advancement Center (RLAC) opened in Costa Rica in February 2015. The company made headlines in March 2015 when ET interviewed the retreat’s founder, Gerard Powell, who discussed how Scott Disick was currently undergoing treatment at the facility – including addiction rehab with the help of the iboga plant.
What is Iboga?
Rythmia relies on a special plant called the iboga plant to treat addiction. Iboga and its chemical compound ibogaine are part of a traditional treatment plan to cure addiction.
Iboga grows naturally in the African country of Gabon. The plant has been used in Gabon for centuries. Today, it’s experiencing a resurgence at rehabilitation centers across America, where it’s being increasingly used as a natural treatment for addiction.
Iboga practitioners claim the plant gives you a withdrawal-free rehabilitation experience.
What Can You Expect at Rythmia?
While staying at Rythmia, you’ll be exposed to a variety of healing methods from around the world – including ancient tribal healing methods from the jungles of Central America and alternative health practices from around the world.
The retreat claims that no two guest experiences are alike: all guests receive a fully customized treatment based around their individual needs and desires.
After a stay at Rythmia, the company claims you’ll be more awakened to your higher self, find better happiness and peace, while also “transcending limiting beliefs and patterns, creating prosperity, finding purpose, and improved health and relationships in their lives.”
In short, Rythmia claims to help guests discover their true selves in order to live a happier, healthier, more fulfilling life. Some guests also visit Rythmia specifically for rehabilitation.
All 7 and 14 day journeys start the same: you undergo three tests, including:
- Live Blood Cell Analysis
- Aura Photo
- Medical Consultation
Guests also have access to licensed psychological therapists, a licensed naturopath, and a life coach.
Activities and Events at Rythmia
Rythmia sticks with a weekly schedule, with different activities and events occurring every day of the week. Some of the specific activities you’ll encounter on a daily basis include:
- Meals with Organic, Local Food: All food at Rythmia is sourced from local organic farms.
- Spa: Relax in a steam room or geothermal water jacuzzi.
- Life Coaching: A life coach will address specific conditions in your life “by examining what is going on right now, discovering what your obstacles or challenges might be, and co-creating a course of action to guide you towards the life you aspire to have”.
- Medically Licensed Facility and Staff: Doctors, nurses, and psychotherapists are on staff at the retreat to provide advanced medical treatments along with traditional therapies.
- Massage: Enjoy a healing touch from professional masseuses who use essential oils in private treatment rooms. Your 1 week stay includes three 1 hour massages.
- Dead Sea Cleanse: This is a colon hydrotherapy treatment that cleanses your internal organs and digestive system, removing waste from the large intestine and kickstarting your body’s ability to heal itself.
- Meditation: Meditate on the beach or the jungle around the Rythmia retreat. You can choose to meditate alone in front of “the labyrinth” or enjoy peaceful relaxation in the presence of Buddha statues. You can also meditate as part of a group under the guidance of a shaman.
- Volcanic Mud Baths: Draw out toxins and impurities from your body using the power of volcanic mud. The volcanic ash will purportedly exfoliate and soften your skin.
- Beaches and Bikes: Use one of over 40 bikes onsite to ride off the property to nearby sites, or enjoy a quick 10 minute pedal to the beach.
You can view the retreat’s full schedule and timeline of events here. Activities take place starting at 7am every day (with sunrise yoga) and end with “sound healing” between 8 and 9pm. Guests have several hours of free time throughout the day.
Where is Rythmia Located?
Rythmia can be found in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, about a 10 minute bike ride away from Langosta Beach. The resort itself is in a gated community called Hacienda Pinilla. Downtown Tamarinda is a 10 minute cab ride away.
The location of Rythmia is important. The retreat, according to the official website, is situated in one of the five “Blue Zones” in the world, which are places where people live happier, longer lives.
To get into Rythmia, you fly into Liberia airport, which offers direct flights from cities across North America (including LAX and JFK). Then, you take a 1 hour, 20 minute shuttle ride from the airport to the resort.
You can view the specific location on Google Maps by typing in Rythmia Life Advancement Center.
Rythmia Pricing
Rythmia’s rates start at $299 per night per person, plus a “resort surcharge”.
You can book your visit online through Rythmia.com, or call the resort at (844) 236-5674 for more information.
Who is Gerard Powell?
Gerard Powell is the CEO and founder of Rythmia Life Advancement Center. Gerard partnered with a Gabonese shaman named Moughenda to open the retreat.
Mr. Powell, according to his Wikipedia page, is a 54 year old man from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He founded multiple dot com businesses throughout the 1990s and early 200s, eventually selling his company in 2005 for $89 million in cash. Then, he founded Rythmia Group, Inc., a collection of companies that includes Rythmia Life Advancement Center, SRL; Rythmia Holdings, SRL; and Rythmia Domain Company.
You can learn more about Gerard at his Wikipedia page here. The official Rythmia website describes Gerard as “a conscious entrepreneur, thought leader & philanthropist”. He also leads some lessons at the Rythmia retreat, including his “Truthenomics” lesson.
Who is Moughenda?
Moughenda, according to a press release from the company back in 2015, is the only 10th generation Bwiti shaman in the world. These shamans are traditional practitioners of iboga medicine in Gabon. Gerard Powell learned the tradition of iboga through his father, who learned it through his father, and on down the line for 10 generations.
Rythmia Reviews: What Do Real Customers Have to Say?
Rythmia claims to have a 96% satisfaction rate among customers. They also claim that you can request a full refund if you leave the resort and feel like you haven’t changed in any way.
Unfortunately, genuine, unbiased customer reviews are difficult to find online. The resort is not listed on conventional resort review websites, which means the best source of customer testimonials we have is this page on Rythmia.com: https://www.rythmia.com/testimonials
At that page, you can view dozens of testimonials from previous customers. You may be able to reach out to some of those individuals through social media if you’re interested in learning more about their personal experience.
Rythmia is located in a gated community called Hacienda Pinillla. That community is well-reviewed on TripAdvisor, and currently maintains an average rating of 4.5 stars out of 5. You can book properties in the community through VRBO and other similar booking websites.
Should You Visit the Rythmia Life Advancement Center?
The Rythmia Life Advancement Center is a spiritual retreat in a gated community in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The retreat claims to use the iboga plant, professional doctor supervision, and traditional healing methods to help guests find themselves spiritually – or go through rehab. The center has previously used the iboga plant – led by Gabonese shamans like Moughenda – to cure guests of their addiction symptoms.
Reviews for Rythmia are difficult to find online. However, priced at around $350 per night for an all-inclusive resort experience, Rythmia is competitively priced with other rehab centers and spiritual facilities in the United States (although you’ll need to fly down to Costa Rica on your own dollar).
