RETREAT
TOUGH LOVE T
ucked away in the foothills of Cal- ifornia’s Santa Monica mountains, the unprepossessing two-storey building seems an unlikely venue for a world-renowned wellness
retreat. But if anything proves appearances can be deceiving, it’s the Ashram. Tis nine- room facility, with just four bathrooms for 12 guests, is not only hugely successful – it’s been fully booked for over 35 years despite never being advertised – but it boasts an A-list alumni, with celebrities from Oprah Winfrey to Gwyneth Paltrow signing up for its unique brand of tough love, including dawn wake-up calls, daily hikes of up to five hours and a strictly controlled diet. It wasn’t always so fashionable, however.
When Swedish business partners Catha- rina Hedberg and Anne Marie Bennstrom
opened the Ashram back in 1974, they had no idea if the concept – an intensive pro- gramme of hiking, yoga and group exercise combined with healthy eating and spiritual renewal – would catch on. Hedberg says: “I remember the beauty editor of Vogue came to stay and she said, ‘Cat, you’re crazy. You’re taking people hiking, doing yoga with them and giving them veg- etarian food… if I write about you, I’ll lose my job!’” But for Bennstrom and Hed-
berg – both of whom held degrees in physical fitness from Swedish universities – it made perfect sense. As the first events director at the prestigious Golden Door spa in southern California, Bennstrom had been an early pioneer of work- out programmes to music. Back in Sweden, Hedberg had set up a wellness travel business, taking tourists to the Canary Islands. She was looking around for a new outlet when she read about Bennstrom in a magazine and, inspired, flew to California to meet her. Te pair hit it off and soon agreed to collaborate on a new kind of wellness retreat. Tey settled on a location in Calabasas, an hour north of Los
It’s known as the place movie stars go to get super-skinny – but that’s not really what the Ashram is all about. Catharina Hedburg, the co-founder and director of the famous Californian retreat, shares the secret of its enduring appeal RHIANON HOWELLS » CONSULTING EDITOR » SPA BUSINESS
Angeles, with stunning scen- ery and excellent hiking trails, and built the modest property from scratch. “It’s pretty small and simple – we have four dou- ble rooms and five private ones, which are allocated on a first- come, first-served basis – and there are no frills,” says Hedberg.
“It’s not the Four Seasons.” Despite Vogue’s initial lack of
enthusiasm, the word-of-mouth magic started working, and before long the retreat was fully booked months in advance.
WINNING FORMULA Although in the beginning they were very much a team, Bennstrom, now 83 (“going on 40”) has retired, while 66-year-old Hedberg remains director. “I’m just the overseer: the mama Cat, who gives the hugs and makes sure everything is working,” she says. According to Hedberg, the original for-
Hedburg is known as ‘the mama Cat’ who “just gives hugs and makes sure everything is working”
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mula has not changed significantly in 37 years. As well as the main building, there is a patio area with a pool and hot tub, some small cottages for massage therapy and a striking wooden dome for meditation and yoga. Te highly structured week-long pro- gramme is also largely the same. A typical day at the Ashram starts at dawn, with yoga at 6am and breakfast at 7.30am, followed by a daily hike lasting four to six hours. Aſter lunch, the aſternoon is filled with group exercise classes and an hour-long massage, before a second yoga session at 6pm. Te day ends with dinner and educational events; by 9.30pm everyone’s in bed.
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