Spirit of the Still
Harvest wild Southwest botanicals. Work with a professional alembic still. Create your own natural perfume. Immerse yourself in the high desert of northern New Mexico.
No other retreat in the US brings together a psychiatrist-pioneer in psychedelic therapy, a master French herbalist-distiller, and a field botanist who has discovered rare plant hybrids—all in one 5-day immersion.
✦ Small group experience – Limited to 10 people
- Your own distilled hydrosol, essential oil + custom natural perfume
- Mini herbarium of wild Southwestern botanicals
- Daily mentorship with master distiller & botanist guides
Not a classroom demo. Produce actual essential oils, not just aromatic waters (hydrosols or hydrolats). You'll see the oil separate, learn to collect it, and understand why still design matters.
Piñon, juniper, sagebrush and other powerful aromatic plants that have resilience and thrive in the high desert. The unique landscape of northern New Mexico becomes your classroom.
Jah Skipper, professional botanist, will teach you plant family identification and ethical harvesting indicators (abundance, season, plant health). This is not a casual walk. This is field botany for distillers.
You will learn when to harvest for maximum aromatic compounds, how to cut without damaging the plant community, which tool for which plant, and many other points.
French Colleagues
Traditional French oils such as lavender, rosemary, Saint John's Wort. You will not just hear their names. You will smell their oils and learn their methods.
Indian Attar Family
Small-batch oils and attars from a traditional attar-producing family. Understand how your own distillation connects to a wider world of plant alchemy.
- Arrival – after 4pm
- Welcome circle + introductions
- Farm-to-table dinner
- Evening Discussion – Introduction to aromatic botany
- Exploring habitats (plains, high desert, waterways)
- Identifying native species
- Wildcrafting techniques + ethics
- Making a professional herbarium
- Discovering Southwest oils & hydrosols
- Evening Discussion – Human & plant relationship
- Morning harvest
- Discovering the still
- Preparing + filling the still
- Watching hydrosol & essential oil form
- Creating a totem plant / hydrosol
- Thistle enfleurage
- Evening Discussion – Human history of scent
- Visit to Santa Fe
- Art of Botanical Perfume – full day workshop
- Create your own nine-note botanical perfume
- Work with rare essences, CO₂ extracts, absolutes
- Last harvest and distillation (different plant)
- Discovering oils from India & France – techniques
- Finishing herbariums
- Last evening and closing circle
- Leave after breakfast
- 5 nights' accommodation (shared or private options)
- All meals – locally sourced, dietary accommodations available
- All materials: plants, distillation equipment, perfume supplies
- All transport once the retreat begins
- Full day class at Illuminated Perfume in Santa Fe + your own natural perfume
- Your take-home kit: hydrosol + essential oil + mini herbarium
- All instruction from botanist, distiller, and wildcrafting guides
- Airfare / travel to Taos, New Mexico
- Alcohol (we focus on plants)
- Travel insurance (strongly recommended)
Cathy trained in France as an herbalist and aromatherapist before teaching botany at the largest herbal school in Europe (École Lyonnaise de Plantes Médicinales).
She has distilled plants for nearly twenty years and works with the family running the only essential oil distillery in New Mexico.
Jah is a classically trained botanist (MSc) who taught botany at a major European herbal school and worked as a laboratory botanist validating herbal raw materials.
He is the distiller at Forgotten Plants, professionally extracting essential oils and hydrosols.
Florian is a holistic former psychiatrist deeply transformed by working with essential oils by scent to support deep healing and growth.
His approach is rooted in partnership with the plants and the Wounded Healer's journey.
Roxana is a visionary botanical perfumer and former fine artist. Her path was transformed by a powerful encounter with juniper essential oil at a sweat lodge, shifting her from visual art to creating full sensory experiences with nature.
- You love essential oils and natural perfumes and want to understand how they are really made.
- You are interested in distilling and want to know more about it from harvest to end product.
- You dream of making your own natural perfumes but don't know where to start.
- You want to get out into nature and work with plants hands-on.
- You love aromatic plants and the Southwest.
- You expect luxury spa services (this is a working distillery retreat).
- You're not comfortable with outdoor walking and light physical activity.
- Single occupancy · King bed $4,900
- Single occupancy · Queen bed $4,200
- Shared occupancy · two per room $3,700
Airfare, travel insurance, and alcohol not included. Select your room type at checkout.