Demand is on the rise for a nearly $7,000 luxury psilocybin magic mushroom retreat as the wellness industry flocks to psychedelic drugs see what it's like inside

Petar Savic

• Beckley Foundation's psilocybin magic mushroom retreats are seeing an uptick in demand.
• Beckley Retreats' will accommodate 75 participants this year and about 300 people next year.

Psilocybin mushrooms are no longer reserved for experimental hippies, parties, and warm summer afternoons. Now, if you have the money, they're readily available to use on international luxury retreats.

Psilocybin mushrooms      Anitram/Shutterstock

Some international wellness retreats are saying goodbye to days at the spa and hello to the once taboo substance.

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This includes Beckley Retreats, backed by Beckley Foundation, a UK-based think tank and non-governmental organization researching substances like cannabis and psychedelics with the intention of reforming drug policies.

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Source: Beckley Foundation

The foundation — which launched in 1998 — also runs a startup incubator, a training and certification academy, a segment that works on "neurological and psychiatric disorders" …

Psilocybin mushrooms on a mossy log      jackfoto/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Source: Beckley Retreats

… and now, Beckley Retreats, which was started with the help of angel investors, VC funds, and its two co-founders: Amanda Feilding, the co-founder of Beckley Foundation, and Neil Markey. Markey told Insider he was inspired by a "need for ethics around this work."

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Over the last few years, the use of psychedelics in the wellness and health industry has been booming as researchers and companies tout its therapeutic effects for people with depression, addiction, and anxiety, among other illnesses.

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The US Food and Drug Administration has yet to approve the widespread use of psilocybin, but discussions around psychedelic drugs are quickly becoming more mainstream.

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Source: Vice

And the market for psychedelics-based medicine has been growing just as fast with the potential of someday hitting $100 billion, Insider previously reported.

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Startups that specialize in drugs like psilocybin and MDMA have received millions of dollars from private investors. And throughout the last few years, retreats using psychedelics have popped up in countries like Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Canada.

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But according to Markey, not all of these new players are focused on the right causes.

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"There is a lot of money flowing into this space, but some of it maybe didn't have the purest intentions," he said, noting that some people just want to maximize their profits. "I think that this work should be more about helping people, improving their wellbeing, and being a conscious organization."

Psilocybin found in magic mushrooms is a type of psychedelic      Alexander Volkov/Getty Images

Like other retreat companies around the world, Beckley wants to help its participants have a transformative and supportive experience.

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Source: Beckley Foundation

Beckley ran its first round of retreats with 70 guests last year with "pretty incredible feedback," Markey said, including some people who said it was the "most transformative and meaningful experience of their lives."

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"We've had people say calling it 'completely life changing' is an understatement," he said. "Those are bold claims, but you can get bold outcomes if you do this work the right way."

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The next round of retreats begin this month and will continue until mid-December, accommodating about 75 people total. One of these dates is already fully booked, and Markey expects the rest will sell out as well.

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And it'll only become more popular from here: Next year, the retreat expects to see about 300 participants as it grows its number of events and group sizes.

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"Demand's quite significant," Markey said, noting that most of its participants are well-educated and self-described leaders. "There's a lot of people that have now in the last couple years heard about this and want to try it in a safe professional environment."

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Oftentimes, participants feel unfulfilled and "stuck" in life, he said. Other times, they're just interested in trying magic mushrooms for the first time. But no matter the intention, none of its guests are on what Markey calls the "extreme end of the trauma spectrum."

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While psilocybin can help people with a history of mental health problems, this retreat isn't for these people, Markey says.

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Instead, it's designed more for the "healthy normals that are coming to look for personal and spiritual development."

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To help mitigate any problems, Beckley Retreats pre-screens its potential guests to see if they're a good fit.

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And you're not just paying for a few days of vacationing and tripping. Instead, the process begins remotely with a month of virtual pre-retreat preparations.

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When it's time to begin the actual in-person experience, participants then head to Good Hope Villas in Jamaica.

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The property, tucked away from other people, is on lush grounds with access to a nearby river and beach, two on-site swimming pools, and a villa with 13 rooms …

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… creating a relaxing environment for visitors who are about to embark on a potentially life-changing trip (pun intended). "Psilocybin is less than 50% of the experience. The rest is setting," Markey said.

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During the five nights in Jamaica, guests will meditate one to two times a day, practice yoga, and have group discussions with a psychotherapist for intention setting and "integration."

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And now the part we've all been waiting for: the psilocybin ceremony.

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Visitors will undergo two six-hour psilocybin "ceremonies" using mushrooms grown in local facilities.

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To help make the experience more individualized, there is at least one facilitator — whether it be a physician, musician, or therapist — for every four guests.

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And when the experience is over and the guests have returned home, they undergo six weekly post-retreat meetings to "sustain and integrate the retreat experience," according to its website.

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Source: Beckey Retreats

Markey believes it's details like this that make "tripping" on a Beckley-run retreat more of a life-changing experience compared to just trying psilocybin at home with your friends.

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With a price range from $3,900 to $6,900 for a room, it's evident these retreats are not for everyday people, although Beckley does offer scholarships to subsidize some participants' retreats.

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But as the industry grows and sentiments around psychedelic drugs continue to change, there could be some more accessible options — be it retreats or local community-based centers — popping up en masse in the future. At least that's what Beckley wants to do.

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"There'll be so much demand for whoever figures out how to do this work the best way," Markey said. "I think we'll be one of those organizations that's leading the way on that."

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