Picturesque Ontario healing retreat comes with a magic mushroom trip
A new healing retreat known as "Dimensions Algonquin Highlands" is gearing up to open in Ontario's hinterland, a three-hour car trip from Toronto. But that's not the only 'trip' involved with this destination.
The 45-acre wilderness getaway, is the first healing retreat being established by Dimensions, a Canadian company that offers what it describes as "safe and legal psychedelic-assisted experiences for personal growth, well-being, and creative exploration."
So basically, they will get you good and blasted on shrooms, weed, and even the psychoactive compounds found in good old-fashioned cacao.
Already well under construction on the shores of Maple Lake, three hours north of Toronto, Dimensions Algonquin Highlands will offer visitors mind-altering experiences in the lap of luxury, with 17 private cabin suites, a dining lodge and spa facilities.
Other amenities will include an orchard, apiary, and organic garden, which will help supplement other local ingredients for the retreat's menus.
The grounds feature a design from acclaimed landscape architect Joel Loblaw in collaboration with DesignAgency, with built-in sensory features like a meditation maze and scent garden, all designed to fit in with the site's natural landscape.
And it won't just be mind-altering substances and pretty spaces, the retreat to include programs that blend eastern and western treatments, such as yoga, Qigong, acupuncture, Reiki, cranial-sacral therapy, sound therapy, and deep-tissue massage.
If outdoor cottage life is more your speed, the retreat will also offer a range of outdoor activities like paddleboarding, hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.
If you're asking yourself "is this legal?," the answer is indeed a yes, though a representative at Health Canada has clarified that "an individual's possession of psilocybin would only be legal under very particular conditions."
Cannabis and cacao are permitted in Ontario, and guests that have received approval by Health Canada’s Schedule 56 exemptions and Special Access Programs can experience the trip of psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms).
There are still plenty of rules that apply, and if you think you can just treat the retreat like a shroom dispensary, you'll find yourself disappointed with the reality.
According to Health Canada, "activities with magic mushrooms, psilocybin and psilocin — such as sale, possession, and production — are illegal unless authorized," adding "health care practitioners may only apply to access restricted drugs, such as psilocybin, on behalf of patients with serious or life-threatening conditions."
Individuals who have received an exemption "must adhere to the terms and conditions of their exemption; these conditions typically require the individual to consume the psilocybin under medical supervision and in conjunction with psychotherapy," adding that "patients are not permitted to possess or transport the drugs themselves."
If the three-hour drive sounds like a lot, you can always get high on your way to getting high. In a hint at who the target demographic here may be, Dimensions points out that the retreat will just be one hour by helicopter from Toronto.
Dimensions
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