Overview:
Sacred Society is a new wellness retreat described by its founder as providing a "deeply immersive, multi-sensory relaxation experience."
With the grand opening of Sacred Society on Feb. 13, Denver has a brand-new wellness retreat that offers a cornucopia of mindfulness tools. Mindfulness and meditation are a burgeoning practice, with around 45% to 55% of Americans meditating weekly in 2024. However, these practices can sometimes be wedded with dogma from certain religions and commercialization that can make them seem impersonal.
“Spirituality means something different to each person, and our space reflects that,” said Barbie Beltran, co-founder of Sacred Society. “We don’t prescribe a specific spiritual path. Instead, we provide tools and experiences that encourage self-exploration and inner peace.”
In the bustling haze of our lives—riddled with nine-to-fives, school, kids and more—relaxation is one of the most elusive experiences where many people can’t still their mind. But Sacred Society plans to bridge accessibility to these practices with its lauded VR meditation pyramid.
“While building this business, I realized that my husband struggled with visualization during meditation,” Beltran said. “This led me to discover a condition called Aphantasia, which affects a small percentage of the population and makes it difficult to create mental images.”
Beltran considered combining meditation with virtual reality in order to address the traditional challenges of meditation. Enter the VR pyramid, created in collaboration with Sensiks, an Amsterdam-based company, and the only one of its kind worldwide. It is a Nubian pod outfitted with infrared panels, air vents and speakers to further immerse all five senses into the VR experience. For instance, the air vents will suffuse a smoky essential oil at the sight of fireworks and waft a chill breeze.
“The beauty of this device is that it provides deeply immersive, multi-sensory relaxation experiences in just seven to 12 minutes,” Beltran said. For $15, the VR experience’s content can range from a static meditation guide to a rich source of wisdom, including stories about consciousness. Some of the stories have a psychedelic feel, with scenic imagery, an out-of-body experience and fractal-like patterns combined with thought-provoking narration.
Sensiks, Sacred Society’s collaborator, introduced these rectangular booths as a solution for the stresses of work in 2018. Taller guests or those who do not feel comfortable in a semi-crouched position in the pyramid can also use this rectangular booth, which is available at Sacred Society. The crystals that adorn the pyramid’s base and peak add to its uniqueness. In general, both VR pods are said to improve PTSD, addiction and quality of life.
“We collaborated with Sensiks to commission a one-of-a-kind energetic pyramid pod,” Beltran said. “Offering an easy, approachable way for those who have difficulty relaxing to begin their journey.”
Beltran drew on her Indigenous roots to pioneer Sacred Society, which is why visitors to the lounge will find resources on Ayurveda, numerology, intuition and other topics. The wellness retreat offers a photobiomodulation therapy capsule with low-level laser light to promote cellular repair and hair growth. It is an advent in modern medicine that appears like a tanning bed, where clients lay for 10 to 20 minutes. The benefits swell into joint health, sleep, skin and cognitive function.
There’s also a 30 minute vibroacoustic therapy that stimulates the body, both sonically and physically. Their very own music and embedded transducers in the bed act to ground, grant relief from pain or stress, and reduce symptoms of chronic conditions.
Sacred Society also has a café that offers grab-and-go for the gut. The café uses locally sourced, organic ingredients that include prebiotics and postbiotics.
“Our menu is designed to nourish both the body and soul,” said Jose Guerrero, chef and co-founder of Sacred Society. “Each item on our menu is crafted to align taste with healing properties, making every bite a step toward wellness.”
“We want to make mindfulness and healing more accessible to everyone,” said Beltran. “We want our guests to leave feeling lighter, more centered and inspired to nurture themselves.”
“Some guests may benefit from weekly visits to maintain balance, while others find value in periodic visits for a deeper reset,” Beltran said. “Our space is designed to support both approaches to honor flexibility in lifestyles and wellness goals.”
