By: Derhy Enterprises
In a world that grows increasingly fragmented, the concept of a ‘retreat’ has evolved. It’s no longer about simply escaping from the stresses of daily life, but about immersing oneself in a process of regeneration, both personal and environmental. At TerraLux, retreats are designed not only for individual healing but also as prototypes for a new, sustainable way of living. These immersive spaces aim to inspire a holistic approach to wellness, integrating the land’s wisdom with cutting-edge design and technology to support the next generation of human habitats. In this interview, Marco Derhy shares the transformative philosophy, systems, and stories behind TerraLux’s retreat offerings, where the idea of wellness extends far beyond individual care and touches on global regeneration.
The Shift in the Meaning of Retreats: From Escape to Engagement
In today’s world of uncertainty, what do you believe people are truly seeking when they choose a retreat experience?
The conventional idea of retreat as a mere escape is becoming less relevant in a time when societal and personal disruptions are at the forefront. The increasing unpredictability of our world has shifted people’s focus toward building resilience and fostering personal growth that can better support them in navigating future challenges. Rather than seeking refuge, individuals now seem to look for tools, practices, and insights that might help them prepare for the unknown future. This movement also calls for a deeper connection with others. Many of our guests are change-makers, creators, and individuals who want to make a positive difference. Our retreats create a space where like-minded people meet, form lasting relationships, and build supportive networks that extend beyond the retreat itself.
TerraLux Retreats: A Vision for the Future
You’ve mentioned that TerraLux retreats are ‘glimpses into the future.’ What drove you to transform your properties into spaces for transformation, and how does this differ from conventional wellness tourism?
TerraLux retreats are more than just temporary sanctuaries; they are designed to serve as living models for what future human habitats could look like. They embody an integrated approach where wellness, architecture, technology, and the environment work together. Each property is intended to be a living example of regenerative architecture, featuring design elements that support physical, emotional, and ecological well-being. We aim to reduce the gap between peak experiences and everyday life, offering guests not only healing but also practical tools they might use to integrate sustainable practices into their routines.
In a world increasingly burdened by various types of toxicity, whether physical, emotional, or ecological, there’s a growing belief that healing needs to be embedded in how we live, rather than postponed for occasional getaways. While smart cities are likely to continue growing, there is also a parallel movement toward eco-villages and regenerative hubs. TerraLux retreats aim to give people an experience of what a regenerative future could look like in a more tangible way.
Designing Retreats Around the Land: Environmental Intelligence as the Foundation
Each TerraLux retreat is tailored to the unique characteristics of its land. How do you ensure that your retreats align with the ecological and cultural intelligence of the land?
The first step in designing a TerraLux retreat is to understand the land itself—the history, the native ecosystem, and the rhythms that shape it. Regeneration goes beyond simply adding greenery to a space; it’s about restoring the relationship between people and land, creating conditions where the local ecosystem can thrive again.
To guide our design process, we use a platform called Spatial Network, which provides a comprehensive understanding of the land’s natural patterns and socio-economic context. From there, we aim to align our architecture, energy systems, and water management with the site’s existing conditions, ensuring that the built environment supports, rather than disrupts, the land’s natural state. Once the physical design is set, we turn our focus to experience design, tailoring the retreat’s activities to the site’s energy and rhythm.
For example, in the Dominican Republic, the elevated terrain offers long views and natural stillness, making it an ideal place for reflective practices like breathwork and meditation. In contrast, our Catskills location is surrounded by dense forests, free from external distractions, making it an excellent setting for creative workshops, tech incubations, and group collaborations. Every retreat is co-created with the land itself, making it a unique and sustainable experience for all involved.
Integrating Wellness Technology: Enhancing Healing, Not Distracting From It
Technology plays a big role in TerraLux retreats, with tools such as circadian lighting, air purification, and wellness mirrors. How does this tech contribute to guests’ well-being?
At TerraLux, we see technology as a supportive partner in the healing process. It doesn’t detract from the present moment; instead, it can help deepen it by enabling guests to become more attuned to their bodies’ responses to their environment. We are constantly interacting with the world around us, whether it’s light, air quality, sleep patterns, or nutrition, all of which can influence our mood, energy, and clarity. Our wellness technology helps guests tune into these subtle influences, empowering them to become more aware of their bodies’ natural rhythms.
Tools like AI-guided wellness mirrors and bioscanners don’t diagnose or prescribe; rather, they aim to reveal underlying patterns in the body. This visibility can bring relief, as it enables guests to see their somatic shifts as part of a larger, intelligent system they can engage with. The integration of wellness and ecology allows the body’s natural healing processes to align with the environment, creating a harmonious experience where technology helps facilitate the return to balance.
Holding Space for Both Activation and Stillness
How do you create spaces that allow for both stillness and activation, and what kind of transformations have you seen in guests as a result?
Retreats are deeply personal experiences, often reflecting both quiet introspection and dynamic transformation. Guests arrive with different needs; some are seeking stillness, while others are looking for activation. But it’s often surprising how many guests experience both during their stay. Stillness can be challenging, as it allows repressed emotions and long-standing patterns to surface. The spaces we create are designed to hold this spectrum of experience, allowing guests to move through both phases naturally.
We focus on several key elements to support this process:
- Spatial Flow & Elevation: Architecture that encourages movement and reflection, with the ability to change perspective.
- Water Access: Natural water sources that help with grounding and emotional release.
- Locally Sourced Food: Meals designed to support the body’s rhythms and recalibrate the gut microbiome.
- Wellness Technology: Tools like circadian lighting and wellness mirrors that help guests understand their internal processes.
- Program Rhythm: Carefully designed sequences of practices that allow time for integration, ensuring the transformation lasts beyond the retreat.
Guests often leave these spaces with profound shifts, rediscovering their connection to nature, making career pivots, or moving across continents to pursue new purposes. These experiences can lead to long-term transformation, both on an individual level and within the communities they return to.
Building Communities for the Future: From Industrial to Regenerative
If cities were once built around industry, what might it look like to create communities rooted in restoration, creativity, and shared ritual? How does TerraLux help prepare us for this?
We are at a cultural crossroads where we need to realign environmental, technological, and social systems in ways that foster coherence. At TerraLux, we are experimenting with what it might look like to build communities centered around regeneration and creativity. In these communities, self-care can be viewed as a collective responsibility, and regeneration could become a central tenet of innovation.
Our retreats provide an opportunity to rehearse this new paradigm. Ritual becomes a form of listening, and creativity offers a way of addressing the challenges we face. Through innovative technology, we can track the effects of intention and action, helping us understand the tangible results of aligning with the land and community. These retreats are not just spaces for healing; they may also offer a glimpse of how we could collectively build more sustainable ways of living.
Looking to the Future: New Paradigms and Collaborative Partnerships
As the retreat landscape evolves, what new paradigms are you hoping to seed, and what kinds of collaborators are you excited to partner with?
We see eco-villages as an important frontier for the future, and these communities, grounded in ecological intelligence and supported by innovative technology, could offer a new way of living that is both sustainable and regenerative. Through TerraLux, we invite visionaries, facilitators, and experts from various fields to join us in building these communities, blending their expertise with our focus on ecological stewardship and technological innovation.
Ultimately, we’re seeking individuals who are passionate about ‘relational repair’, facilitating deep healing between individuals, communities, and the land. As we expand, we remain committed to honoring indigenous wisdom and fostering cross-cultural exchange. The future of TerraLux is one of shared vision, where diverse perspectives come together to create a new world. If you feel called to contribute, we invite you to join us in this transformative journey.
For more information on TerraLux YOUTUBE and upcoming retreats, visit their website.
- Email Mayan Metzler: mayan@GermanKitchenCenter.comCall: (347) 992–0410.
- To read the full interview between Marco Derhy and Mayan Metzler, visit the source of this article.
- Media Contact – Derhy Enterprises 1(310) 613-2773.
