Join Emilee of GARA and April of the EQ Gym for five days devoted to beauty and belonging.
This retreat is an invitation to step away from the outside world and explore the deeper aspects of beauty.
What if the most beautiful version of yourself isn’t younger …
She is serene, present and at peace with her life’s path.
She is at home in her body in every moment.
Through Family Constellation, somatic bodywork, beauty rituals, and connection with the earth, we’ll explore the roots of self-rejection and the stories that shape how we see ourselves.
Together, we’ll begin to reconnect with the parts of ourselves we’ve learned to hide, change, or reject.
We are here to create space for greater self-acceptance, ease, and belonging in the life we are living.
And we’ll immerse ourselves in beauty along the way.
Tea ceremonies.
Face sculpting.
Somatic practices.
Organic food.
Warm water.
Nature.
Rest.
Play.
WHAT IS TRUE BEAUTY?
Many of us have learned to measure our beauty against an ever-changing ideal.
Younger. Smoother. Thinner. More lifted. More desirable.
We compare ourselves, chase trends, and look outside ourselves for reassurance that we are still beautiful, still attractive, still enough.
But what if beauty isn't something you lose with age?
What if it is something you become more fully within yourself.
This retreat is a space to explore the deeper roots of insecurity and self-rejection. A space to discover what becomes possible when you fall in love with the woman you see in the mirror.
It’s not about changing how you look.
It’s about seeing the beauty that has been there all along.
And claiming it.
A RETURN TO YOURSELF
We’ll explore your unique beauty and the feminine gifts carried through your lineage, bringing them into awareness so you can see, feel, and honor what is yours.
Through Family Constellation and somatic work, we’ll look beneath the surface at the patterns, beliefs, and inherited stories that can influence how we experience ourselves.
Through beauty rituals and self care practices, we’ll reconnect with the body as a place of pleasure, presence, and expression.
And through rest, nature, nourishing food, water, and spaciousness, we’ll create the conditions for integration.
The intention is not to become someone new.
It is to come home to who you already are.
THE EXPERIENCE
Over five days, we’ll move between intentional inner work and simple practices of beauty and pleasure.
FAMILY CONSTELLATION
Explore the hidden dynamics, inherited patterns, and stories that may shape your relationship with yourself and your sense of belonging.
SOMATIC PRACTICE
Come into relationship with the body through movement, awareness, breath, and embodied practices.
FACE SCULPTING & BEAUTY RITUALS
Learn practices that invite you to slow down, connect with your face and body, and experience beauty as a form of presence rather than correction.
TEA CEREMONY
Gather around a simple, sensory ritual designed to create space for reflection, connection, and receiving.
NATURE & WATER
Spend time in the landscape of Ojai — hikes, healing waters, fresh air, sunshine, and room to simply be.
REST & INTEGRATION
There will be spaciousness in the schedule to rest, journal, nap, swim, wander, talk, laugh, or do absolutely nothing.
A TRUE IMMERSION
This is not a drop-in retreat or day experience.
We believe the depth of this work comes from stepping away from your normal environment and giving yourself enough space to truly arrive.
For the duration of the retreat, we’ll invite you to unplug from the outside world and limit phone use.
No day passes. No rushing in and out. No social media sharing during the retreat.
Just five days to slow down, listen inward, and make room for yourself.
COME AS YOU ARE
You don't need to arrive with anything figured out.
You don't need to be a certain age, look a certain way, or have a particular goal.
Come curious.
Come tired.
Come ready for change — or simply ready for rest.
Come exactly as you are.
There is nothing to fix.
THE DETAILS
April 28 – May 2, 2027
Ojai, California
YOUR RETREAT FEE INCLUDES
- 5 days / 4 nights of accommodations
- Organic, nourishing meals prepared daily
- All retreat practices and experiences
- Family Constellation work
- Somatic practices
- Face sculpting and beauty rituals
- Tea and integration rituals
- Fire ceremony
- Hot springs and nature immersion
- Time and space for rest, reflection, and connection
NOT INCLUDED
Travel to and from Ojai
The Beauty of Becoming Retreat
The Beauty of Becoming Retreat
Unavailable
You’ll have the option to stay at either Mistoyo, our primary retreat space, or The Grand Villa, our nearby second location.
Both properties offer a beautiful, private setting for your stay. Guests staying at The Grand Villa will have daily shuttle transportation to and from Mistoyo, where the retreat programming and main gatherings will take place.
Mistoyo offers the most immersive retreat experience, with the saltwater pool, spa, outdoor kitchen, dining room, and retreat activities right outside your door.
The Grand Villa offers more separation and privacy, with private bedrooms and bathrooms and daily transportation to Mistoyo.
Either way, you’ll be surrounded by nature, beauty, and the spaciousness of Ojai.
MISTOYO
Set on 55 acres of wild, mountainous land, Mistoyo is our primary retreat space — a place to slow down, reconnect with nature, and settle into the experience.
Guests staying at Mistoyo will have access to the full shared kitchen, a refrigerator for personal food storage, dining room, saltwater pool, spa, and outdoor kitchen.
There are three rooms available at Mistoyo:
THE PRIMARY SUITE
Private · King Bed · Private Bathroom $4,500
Our most spacious room at Mistoyo, the Primary Suite is located just off the kitchen and opens directly onto its own private patio.
The room features a king-size bed and a full private bathroom with a bidet toilet, double vanity, full-size soaking tub, and walk-in shower.
With its open doors and direct connection to the outdoors, this is a beautiful room for those who want a little more space.
THE UPSTAIRS SUITE
Private · Queen Bed · Private Bathroom $4,200
Located on its own floor upstairs at Mistoyo, this cozy private suite features a queen-size bed and its own private bathroom and shower.
A lovely option for those who want their own private space while still being immersed in the retreat environment.
Please note: this room is up one flight of stairs.
THE SHARED SUITE
Shared · Two Twin Beds · Bathroom with Full Tub $2,800 per bed
The Shared Suite features two twin beds, making it ideal for friends traveling together or guests who are comfortable sharing a room.
The suite has its own bathroom with a full bathtub and single vanity.
Please note: this bathroom will also be accessible to retreat participants during the day. It will be thoroughly cleaned each day by our staff. The bedroom itself remains private to the guests staying in the Shared Suite.
THE GRAND VILLA
Just a short distance from Mistoyo, The Grand Villa offers a little more space and separation from the main retreat setting while keeping you closely connected to the experience. Nestled among the orchard and horse stables, it is a quiet, grounding place to rest, reconnect, and spend time with the horses.
Guests staying here will have access to the shared house kitchen and their own private bedroom and bathroom, outdoor patio and many walking paths through the orchard and around the horse stables.
Daily shuttle transportation to and from Mistoyo will be provided, so you can settle into the retreat without needing to drive.
The Grand Villa has three private bedrooms:
THE GARDEN ROOM
Private · Full/Queen Bed · Private Bathroom $4,000
A peaceful, completely separate room with a comfortable full/queen-size bed and its own patio and separate entrance. The bathroom is located inside the house which features a clawfoot bathtub, stand up shower and incredible views of the mountains.
THE TREE ROOM
Private · Full/Queen Bed · Private Bathroom $4,000
A warm and inviting private room with a full/queen-size bed and stunning tree top views. This room has its own private attached bathroom with a full size tub.
Please note: this room is up one flight of stairs.
THE HILLSIDE ROOM
Private · Full/Queen Bed · Private Bathroom $4,000
A quiet, private room with a full/queen-size bed and stunning views of the Ojai Valley. This room has its own private bathroom with a full size tub.
Please note: this room is up one flight of stairs.
What is the exact location in Ojai?
The exact retreat location and arrival details will be provided with your confirmation. We keep the location private to create a peaceful and intentional retreat environment.
How do I get to Ojai?
Ojai is located approximately 90 minutes northwest of Los Angeles and 30 minutes from Santa Barbara. The closest major airports are Santa Barbara (SBA) and Los Angeles (LAX). Detailed travel recommendations and arrival information will be provided upon registration.
Return/Refund Policy
All retreat and experience purchases are final and non-refundable. If you have questions or experience an emergency that affects your ability to attend, please email us and we will be happy to discuss your situation.
EMILEE OF GARA
Emilee is an herbalist, co-founder of GARA Skincare, and certified Sculptural Face Lifting practitioner. Her work is rooted in the belief that the body holds profound wisdom, and that healing unfolds through relationship — between self and skin, touch and tissue, plant and person.
Through years of working with plants, skin, and clients, Emilee has explored the ways the face carries our stories through muscle tension, structure, expression, and patterns of aging. Her interest in beauty is less about changing the external and more about understanding what the external can reveal about the internal.
Her work with Sculptural Face Lifting and kinesiology face taping brings together anatomical study, hands-on practice, and deep listening. In 2026, she launched an online face taping course, offering accessible tools to help people look more deeply at facial patterns, beauty, and the relationship between the face and the body.
Her approach invites greater awareness of the face as a reflection of the whole person — cultivating softness, vitality, and a more connected relationship with ourselves.
APRIL OF THE EQ GYM
April Wickström is a CTI- and ICF-educated facilitator, author, and trauma-informed somatic teacher specializing in Family Constellations. She has facilitated healing retreats and constellation work in Ojai for more than a decade, working with individuals and groups from around the world.
April’s own path into this work began with a profound period of burnout and depression that challenged a life built around achievement, productivity, and external validation. Through therapy, bodywork, meditation, breathwork, 12-step work, and spiritual exploration, she began a deeper journey into the body, the heart, and the inner life.
Family Constellations became a particularly transformative part of that journey. After immersing herself in the work and completing more than 100 personal constellations, April went on to study deeply within the tradition of Bert Hellinger and the Orders of Love.
Today, she brings more than a decade of experience to her work, creating spaces for people to explore belonging, family patterns, and the parts of themselves that have been left behind.
