The construction of a $4 million wellness hospitality center on 24 acres in Elias Calles is in the works, thanks to two Todos Santos residents.
Paije West is the founder and CEO of Etereo, which means ethereal in English. With her husband, Fletcher Burdick, the couple is in the process of securing investors to make their dreams come true.
“We are a wellness hospitality center with an emphasis on retreats. We will focus on natural medicine and holistic health,” West said. “We are looking to work with people who want to transform their lives. We work with a wide range of people for various intentions.” The goal is to “help people expand their consciousness.”
She has been in the retreat business for the last decade and now she wants to go the next step with having her own center with amenities she deems necessary and in a location that itself is healing.
The location, roughly the same distance between Todos Santos and Cabo San Lucas is ideal for bringing in locals for one-day gatherings, whether it’s to the Spa when it’s built, pop-up events or to attend some event at the 300-seat facility that is on the drawing board. The latter could be for weddings, concerts, culinary events or something else.
What will make Etereo different than other retreat centers, even Modern Elder Academy up the road in Pescadero, is that others will be able to host activities there. In other words, it’s not so insular and it’s more inclusive.
It’s hoped that being in an area that isn’t developed will allow visitors a better opportunity to connect with nature.
Most retreats are expected to be three to seven days, with seven to fourteen people in a session.
While the couple works to add to the $500,000 in seed funding they have, retreats are being hosted at “brand-aligned venues” in Todos Santos while a base camp of sorts has been established at the Elias Calles property where “day-use ceremonies” are taking place.
Weso is the Todos Santos architectural firm that designs Etereo. There is also a plan to have an animal sanctuary where equine therapy could be offered. That is a discipline practitioners have told West they would like to offer.
The large event space will also have a commercial kitchen and restrooms.
As their website states, “Paije began her work in the caregiving arts as a traditional full-spectrum doula supporting families transition into parenthood. She finds passion in holding space and creating safe containers for her clients to evolve and cross thresholds, using the doula model of care as a foundation for her work with psychedelics. After a decade of offering ceremonial experiences, retreats, and integration services to help facilitate growth and healing, she has created ETÉREO.
Paije works with 5-MeO-DMT, psilocybin, iboga and MDMA. She has undergone both an initiation and rites of passage with the Bwiti people indigenous to Gabon, Africa. Paije is a trauma-informed practitioner with training in both clinical protocols for psychedelics as well as earth-based ceremonial practices.
Fletcher Burdick, ETEREO co-founder, is our in-house substance abuse director and a student shamanic practitioner. He has a deep commitment to helping individuals overcome substance abuse issues and find lasting recovery. He has worked with countless individuals struggling with addiction and has used various psychedelic medicine to heal his own substance abuse disorder. Fletcher has a particular interest in the use of earth medicines such as 5-MeO-DMT, ibogaine, and iboga as a means of treating addiction and promoting holistic healing.”
“We are working with a wonderful chef (Paul Barbosa) who is part of our team. The executive chef specializes in fermentation and pre-Hispanic and indigenous cooking,” West said. Barbosa is familiar with Baja Sur, as his grandmother is from Mulege.
A smaller ceremony space features a whale skeleton. The third group space is a movement-multipurpose studio that could be used for yoga retreats.
The pool will be one of the communal spaces. The master plan calls for accommodations to sleep 34.
“Ideally, if all goes according to plans and we receive all the funding we need, we will build-out as soon as possible,” West said. “We envision opening in the next 18 months to two years.”
More information can be found at their website: www.etereobaja.mx
