A new Colorado wellness retreat harnesses the healing power of trekking in nature, clean eating and daily massage to catalyze a full mind-body reset.
Telluride’s San Juan Mountains are the glorious natural backdrop for a week of wellness.
A deck of meditation cards, a palm stone and a small spray bottle of palo santo, a holy wood known to cleanse away negative energy, sit on a custom concrete tray on my hotel bed. A tiny card instructs me to mist the air and find a comfortable position. I fold myself into a lotus position on the meditation cushion, spritz—and begin to breathe deeply. Ommm.
Guests can opt for fly-fishing.
It’s the first in a series of nighttime rituals at Reset Telluride, a new ultra-luxury retreat set in Colorado’s rugged San Juan Mountains. One night, the ritual features an elixir of turmeric golden milk; another night, handcrafted bath salts designed by Reset’s master aromatherapist invite a muscle-soothing bedtime soak.
Plates are healthy and scrumptious.
My muscles do need soothing. In six days at Reset, I log 35 miles on the trail with 7,561 vertical feet. Launched in spring 2022, Reset combines daily mountain treks with massages, yoga, meditation, body movement and deliciously clean eating. There are sound baths and tea ceremonies, hyperbaric chambers and plant-based plates. The intensive four- and six-day experiences are a blissful blend of wellness and indulgent self-care that promises to be life-altering. “Reset will have a big impact on folks,” says Dylan Bates, who co-founded Reset with Telluride local Holli Owen. “It can be stressed-out executives, people going through life transitions, someone who’s battling cancer. Everyone resets differently.” Ten years ago, Bates, a hard-charging executive, found himself out of work-life balance and 40 pounds overweight. He spent a week at The Ranch Malibu in California. “I needed to get off the hamster wheel,” he says. The experience was rejuvenating and gave him an idea. “I thought I could do something similar but with more service touch points,” he says. “We want you to feel 100% taken care of so you can optimize your reset.”
Self-care means daily massage.
Home base for the week is Madeline, Auberge Resorts Collection, a swanky oasis in Telluride’s Mountain Village. Reset occupies its own floor, with meals served in a custom suite. On the desk in my room, a metal box scribed with topo lines invites me to stow my cellphone for the duration. “Disconnect to reconnect,” a small note reads. Our group quickly falls into a dreamy routine: Days start with yoga or meditation in Reset’s private wellness center, followed by a nutrient-dense breakfast—think gluten-free granola with housemade cashew milk paired with carrot-turmeric juice. Led by AMGA-certified mountain guides, our morning treks range from 4 to 8 miles. On day two, we hike to Bridal Veil. At 365 feet, it’s the tallest free-fall waterfall in Colorado. The treks are an immersion in nature that push us physically, but chatting on the trail is also therapeutic. “Hiking’s bilateral stimulation of the body helps us process our emotions,” Leona Waller, one of Reset’s guides, tells me. “When you walk and talk, you’re not in your own head.” After the treks, lunch is either at the trailhead or back at Madeline, where our Reset concierge pours a warm foot bath, adding restorative salts, fresh herbs and a healing crystal for good measure. We sit, soak and sip chlorophyll water, letting the trail dirt and any lingering stress wash away. After lunch, it’s back to the wellness center for flow yoga or functional fitness. The ultimate indulgence is the daily in-room massage. “Massage is critical to the success of the program,” Bates says. “It allows your body to recover quickly after walking all those miles on the trail.” I can tell you, it is divine.
Himalayan bath salts
A typical dinner: wood ear mushroom chili with local quinoa topped with cashew ricotta and microgreens. And while Reset’s private chef uses no refined sugar in the menu, the meal is punctuated by a single chocolate-orange truffle containing anandamide, a molecule known to boost a feeling of well-being. “There is medicine in the pure bliss of the moment,” Bates says. “It’s healing.”
Yoga helps you reset and restore.
On the final day, we set out toward Lizard Head, an eroded 400-foot rock spire. It’s time to turn off the trail chatter; and, for the first half-hour, our guide sends us down the trail solo. Tuning in to the warble of birds and the smell of pine gives me time to be grateful for a week dedicated to self-care. Inner peace and purpose may just be found on a trail that winds past wild irises, the soundtrack of thundering falls in the background.
Editor's note: As of spring 2023, RESET Telluride has paused operations; a company representative indicates that there are plans to bring the concept back online at a future date to be determined.
Photography by: PHOTO COURTESY OF RESET TELLURIDE
