I recently traveled to Euphoria, a wellness retreat recommended to me by Maison You.
Maison You is a curated wellness platform founded by two friends of mine here in London, Stefanie Mach and Natalia Montigny. They specialize in matching people with retreats and experiences tailored to their individual needs and where they are in life.
As a curator for Maison You, I had the opportunity to experience this process firsthand. We scheduled a Zoom consultation to discuss what I was looking for: something relatively close to London, with a strong focus on nutrition, wellness treatments, flexible programs, and a beautifully designed property.
Well, the girls delivered. Less than a month later, I was packing my bags for Kalamata, Greece.
I don't usually spend a casual five days at a wellness retreat, and I was very aware of what a luxury it is to sashay out of everyday life, disconnect (ideally and completely), and have an experience entirely tailored to me. But after five days, I understood the appeal - and I'm already planning a second visit with my sister next autumn.
If a wellness retreat is on your radar and you're curious about what actually happens during one, I've broken down my five days at Euphoria. Here's what I loved, what surprised me, and what I could probably do without.
Maison You founders Stefanie Mach and Natalia Montigny with the author during a Zoom consultation.
The retreat is in Mystras, beneath Mount Taygetus in the Peloponnese, less than an hour from Kalamata Airport.
The area is also home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Mystras, a preserved Byzantine city dating back to the 13th century, with medieval churches, monasteries, and palaces built into the hillside. The property itself sits above the edge of a dramatic pine forest overlooking the valley, with endless views.
I signed up for a program called “Inner and Outer Glow,” which included a customized itinerary designed around, according to the website, a “truly holistic program that will leave you feeling beautiful, inside, and out. You will nurture your inner sparkle and self-awareness while indulging in Euphoria Retreat’s signature treatments, natural healing experiences and inspirational wellness sessions.”
Inner sparkle? Yes, please. Plus, I saw there were a lot of massages and facials, so I signed right up.
Day 1
I arrived at Kalamata Airport from London around 3 pm, where I was picked up in a Tesla by a friendly Greek gentleman and driven to the property about 50 minutes away. We pulled into a charming little village, and there was Euphoria, looking like a contemporary stone castle with gorgeous arches, surrounded by thousands of those wonderful Mediterranean cypress trees.
I arrived in a grand reception room, was offered their daily oregano-infused water (a habit I will start at home), and received a short tour. I was escorted to my junior suite to unwind for 30 minutes, where I scarfed down an excellent feta-and-tomato wrap brought to my room, and it all began.
Day 2
This day included more medical analysis and fewer hands-on treatments.
Before I get into the schedule, here's a bit about the food: Each day, I received a personalized menu of three meals and two snacks, which I could enjoy in the dining room or have delivered to my room. The program follows a five-meals-a-day approach, which Euphoria recommends to support metabolism, and the retreat's nutritionist tailored everything specifically to me. The food, by the way, was fantastic.
11:00 Free Your Voice
This was a big game-changer for me, and I go into it in more depth on Maison You's Substack. In a nutshell, our practitioner, Chris, walked us through how to breathe correctly, and guess what? I wasn't doing it properly and apparently hadn't been for years (something I'd actually been told before).
Who would have thought breathing required so much instruction? What stuck with me was learning to breathe more deeply using my diaphragm rather than relying so heavily on my upper chest. I had been carrying enormous tension in my shoulders and upper body, and becoming aware of how I breathed made a noticeable difference.
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17:00 Lymphatic Drainage Massage
Given how much I love a good massage, I was surprised I'd never tried lymphatic drainage, which seems to be a celebrity favorite. I imagined someone forcefully mooshing me around, which sounded appealing. In reality, it's a very gentle massage intended to encourage lymphatic fluid movement and reduce swelling.
It was fine, but I don't think I felt any different afterward. I'm more of a deep-tissue person.
19:00 Medical & Holistic Consultation
Euphoria reasonably assumes many guests are fairly stressed out (because who among us isn't?). But at this particular moment, I was actually feeling relatively calm, so the consultation became an interesting exercise in trying to identify problems that weren't necessarily bothering me.
At times, it felt like we were searching for traumas, but I am already taking those appropriate measures with weekly therapy at home.
Some of the questions were fascinating. Do you eat the fat off meat? Yes. Do you eat organ meat? Yes, to my husband's horror. I would have loved a little more explanation of what the answers revealed and how they informed the assessment.
At the end, I was offered a herbal treatment intended to address my nervous system issues, with the rather significant condition that I give up caffeine while taking it. The promise of a more permanent solution sounded a little too good to be true, and I wasn't convinced enough to abandon my matcha habit, so I politely declined.
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Day 3 - The Human Regenerator
16:00 Lecture on the Five Elements
Missed it as I fell asleep in the spa. I guess the Human Regenerator knocked me out.
17:00 Five Element Balancing Treatment (A++)
This was a crazy one. The treatment was performed by Athena, who quickly became one of my favorite therapists. It combines different bodywork techniques, primarily massage and acupressure, intended to encourage the flow of energy throughout the body.
The therapists at Euphoria are no less than excellent, but Athena had something particularly unique about her touch. Her hands felt buzzy, almost electrical, as though she were somehow transferring energy into my body. I can't quite explain it, but it was an extraordinary sensation and one of the most memorable treatments of my stay.
18:00 Phototherapeutic Revitalization
Red light therapy. Nude under a giant red light panel.
A stroll along the property. Photo by Julia Haney Montanez
Day 4
Can you believe I am only now using the spa?! They really keep you busy here. I was thinking - I have barely had time to be bored (I love being bored), and have barely touched my phone. But I am making up for lost time today and spending all my time between treatments in the steam room and sauna.
11:00 Phototheraputic Revitalization (red light therapy)
Almost a convert.
11:30 Sanctuary Massage
Athena again! Lucky. This one was more of an energy-healing session with a tiny bit of massage and acupressure, and it starts by “opening energy channels in the feet.” I enjoyed it, and Athena’s energy was very cool to experience again.
1:30 Muscle and Tension release massage
Athena again yaaaay. A little more straightforward of a massage. I have constant tension in my left shoulder, so I wanted some release.
2:30 Salt Room
Then spa!
The spa stairwell and atrium. Photo by Julia Haney Montanez
The dramatic indoor/outdoor swimming pool in the spa. Photo by Julia Haney Montanez.
Day 5 - The day before I leave
11:00 Phototherapeutic Revitalization (Red Light Therapy)
Another round of red light therapy - stye is gone, I'm a convert.
12:00 Quantum Laser Revitalizing Facial
Thirty minutes with a little light therapy wand. Very relaxing.
14:00 Buccal Massage
This was a last-minute substitution for the Euphoria Inspiring Facial, and the treatment I'd been particularly curious about. For anyone unfamiliar, buccal massage involves massaging the facial muscles from inside the mouth (yes, the therapist wears gloves). It's an unusual sensation, to say the least, but I absolutely loved it. My face felt less puffy afterward, and I could actually see a difference.
I spent the rest of the afternoon eating, wandering around the property, and generally enjoying having nowhere else to be. That evening, I had dinner with three other guests and had a wonderful time getting to know them. After several days of appointments and treatments, it was lovely to end my stay with a little unexpected company.
Before buccal massage
Two things I loved about my stay at Euphoria: the staff always seemed to predict your needs, and, if you’re in the program it’s extremely tailored to you individually, but there is still a lot of flexibility for moving things around or swapping treatments.
Felicia was the therapist for this last facial, and immediately got me. She said “you don’t need to be inspired, you need to be [beat down].” (I forget exactly what she said.) She knew right away that I had tension in my jaw and shoulders and suggested the VERY intense buccal massage that had me praying, disassociating, screaming, and crying. I always ask for the hardest possible deep tissue massage, so this intraoral technique is not for the weak.
However - my before and afters speak volumes. Very noticeably less puffy. I will absolutely do this again.
After buccal massage
I received a new personalized menu every day.
One of my favorite dishes was the lentil with goat cheese.
I didn’t come to Euphoria to necessarily revisit trauma, to “heal” or find a deeper life meaning.
I wanted excellent hospitality, great treatments, good food, proper sleep, and to leave feeling rested and beautiful.
I'm lucky I experienced all those things, and even luckier I was able to take this energy home and still feel it a month later.
Toward the end of my stay, I sat down over herbal tea with the retreat’s founder, Marina Efraimoglou. Marina had built an impressive career in finance, but after a life-threatening illness at 29, her life began moving toward holistic medicine, spirituality and self-development. She later studied Chinese medicine and spent years exploring different healing traditions before creating Euphoria.
Talking to her, the word authentic kept coming up. She wanted Euphoria to embody wellness, rather than be seen as a treatment center, and I understood exactly what she meant.
Many of the therapists and practitioners are from the surrounding area, and Marina spoke about how important their happiness is to her, not simply as employees, but as individuals whose own professional journeys she wants to encourage.
It explained something I had noticed almost immediately: the staff was exceptional, and that comes from believing in what they do.
Yiota was incredibly warm, explained nutrition in a way that made sense to me, and thoughtfully tailored my meals to my needs. Chris identified a breathing pattern I had been reinforcing for years, Athena’s hands somehow felt electrically charged, and Felicia took the time to assess my face and recommend a different treatment altogether. No one was simply administering the next treatment on the schedule.
The philosophy at Euphoria may be built around the Five Elements, Chinese medicine, Greek ideas about wellbeing, nutrition, movement, science and spiritual health, but the people are what made all of it fantastic.
This experience was once in a lifetime, and I thank Maison You for their personalized care and deep understanding of what I was looking for. I hope to be back soon.
