Someone is always up first. Tea in hand, sweater on, she slips out to the garden while the light comes over the mountains and the house is still asleep. Nobody needs anything from her for the next hour. That's when the retreat begins.
I wrote this for the woman who has been holding everything together and is ready to hold something for herself: after a hard year, a loss, a breakup, a big birthday or a career she's outgrown. Maybe she's coming alone. Maybe she's bringing the one or three friends who have been there through all of it. Either way, this is a retreat you design yourself, at a private house in Etna, with the beds, the bookings and the drive times already worked out.
Why design your own
A retreat run by someone else hands you a schedule. One you design gives you back the thing you came for: the right to decide. You choose when to wake, when to talk and when to go quiet, what to try and what to skip. That's sovereignty in practice, and it starts small.
Blossom Sanctuary is at its best for one to four. The whole house is yours, with no strangers in the next room and no front desk. A California King sits under vaulted ceilings. The second bedroom has a Queen bed, a writer's desk and the house's yoga mats. A full bed waits up a ladder in the loft, "only accessible to the adventurous." Coffee and tea are included, the kitchen is set for a long dinner, and the wood stove does the rest.
Set your intention
An intention is not a goal or a to-do list. It's a direction you choose to face for a few days. Write it on arrival, keep it somewhere you'll see it, and close it on the last night. If friends come, each woman sets her own and shares it only if she wants to.
A few kinds to choose from, with a line to borrow:
Rest. I give myself permission to stop.
Release. I'm ready to set down what I've been carrying.
Reclaiming your body. I want to feel at home in my body again.
Boundaries. I decide what's mine, and I say so.
Reconnection. I want to come back to my friends, and to myself.
Courage. I'll do one thing that scares me a little, by choice.
Joy. I'm making room for delight.
To open: on the first evening, write your intention on a card and set it by the wood stove. To close: on the last night, read it again and write one sentence underneath: what you're taking home.
The writing desk in the second bedroom, for intentions and journals.
Day 1, Thursday: arrive and land
Afternoon. Aim to arrive in daylight. Medford (MFR) is about an hour and a half away if you're flying in. Claim beds, find a chair under the oaks and let the drive fall away.
Evening. Keep the first night easy. Walk into Etna for dinner at Denny Bar Co., or cook something simple with groceries from Ray's in town. Then set your intentions by the stove.
Night. Carry blankets out to the garden and stay for the stars. Etna is far from city light, and the sky shows it.
Day 2, Friday: silence, then softness
Morning. Try a silent morning: no phones and no talking until 10. Carry the mats from the second bedroom out to the garden and move however your body asks, on your own or with a teacher. The concierge can arrange a private class with Kreate Yoga, who works with Blossom on wellness programming, or you can check the schedule for Yoga with Chai Perlman. Deer and birds wander through. They never critique your form.
Late morning. A facial or Reiki at Citrine Lounge Spa in Etna. The Signature Facial runs 75 minutes and Reiki an hour; book online ahead and stagger the times. Prefer bodywork? Ask the concierge about Mari Kraus Massage and Wellness. Every one of these is optional, and skipping one is a perfectly good use of your sovereignty.
Afternoon. Journals out under the oaks, with a pot of tea and treats from Little Whisk Baking Co. within reach. She's known for her macarons, and her sourdough is the secret bread lovers talk about, so order ahead. Two prompts to start: What am I ready to put down? What do I want to carry home?
Evening. Cook together. Everyone takes a dish, nobody plays host, and the long talk happens on its own. Prefer to be cooked for? A private chef can be arranged for an added fee.
Two chairs under the oaks, for the long talk.
Day 3, Saturday: Ashland, hot and cold
Getting there. About 68 miles, roughly an hour and 20 minutes: Highway 3 north through Fort Jones and Yreka, then I-5 over Siskiyou Summit, the highest point on I-5. Drive it in daylight and check Caltrans QuickMap and TripCheck before you leave.
Late morning. Walk the paths in Lithia Park, 93 acres with a Japanese Garden and a rose garden, then pick up lunch at the deli at Ashland Food Co-op.
Afternoon. This is the adventure, and it's a gentle one: Chozu Bath & Tea Gardens, a Japanese-style bathhouse with sauna, steam, hot pools, a cold plunge and massage, plus a tea lounge for after. Go hot, then cold, then hot again. The cold plunge is a small, chosen act of courage, and you'll feel it for hours.
Night. Home over the summit before dark if you can, then close your intentions by the stove.
Plan by season
Fall and winter: the wood stove, long nights, silent mornings, stars and Chozu. Snow closes the high country, so keep the drives in daylight, stay together, and save the mountains for the view.
Spring: foxgloves and daisies come up in the garden, and mornings outside get longer.
Summer: come back for the high country. Lakes like Taylor, Paynes and Sky High sit above the valley, and a local guide or a friend who knows the trails is the way to go. Rafting on the Klamath runs with outfitters like Momentum River Expeditions.
Good to know
This plan runs Thursday to Saturday because Citrine Lounge Spa is open Monday to Saturday and Chozu is closed Mondays. Check hours before you go.
In winter, Siskiyou Summit may require chains or traction tires. Driving home to California, the border station at Hornbrook asks a few questions about fruit, plants and firewood.
Ashland adds 5% to restaurant meals.
Coming alone? That's not a smaller retreat. It's the most sovereign version of this one.
The circle you come home to
Friendship and community don't end at checkout. Through December 31, joining the Sovereign Circle is free: member rates, instant booking from the members calendar, and a community of people who make time for this kind of rest. Your first stay comes with a gift from our store.
See open dates and prices for your stay at Blossom Sanctuary. Questions about your dates? Text the concierge at 530 572 1122 or write to Concierge@blossomsanctuary.com.
