Hikes with scenic vistas are part of the daily schedule .
A fitness center provides equipment for workouts in between yoga and hiking .
get out and get moving and we need to pass out at night . … Our whole world — simple things like walking in the wilderness instead of walking on flat surfaces — that ’ s all natural . That ’ s normal . And [, here ,] we try to get people back to normal .”
A LASTING IMPACT For Kelly and Tobey Tick , sisters originally from Long Island , New York , their experiences at The Pearl have been impactful enough to keep making the trek west : Kelly ’ s fourth visit , and Tobey ’ s third , came at the start of 2024 . Though their mom typically visits with them ,
this time it was a siblings-only trip .
When she first came to The Pearl in 2014 , just her and her mom , Kelly says she had no idea what to expect . “ Coming in , not knowing a single thing , you are kind of thrown in … and it ’ s people from all different walks of life ,” she explains . “… For me , it ’ s all about coming and resetting and feeling good about myself , and then that translates into what I ’ m doing after I leave .”
Once , Kelly visited after having knee surgeries and was having a hard time even walking , yet alone hiking . But , two days in , she noticed she already felt more powerful and comfortable on the trails . “ And then , we ’ re like halfway up and Geo ’ s sitting there , watching and cheering everyone along and it was just awesome to see that paired with the pain going away . … It ’ s a very magical experience . You ’ re in your head a lot [ while you ’ re there ], but in a good way .”
For Tobey , the retreat at The Pearl taught her the importance of taking time away from the craziness of college life to ensure that your mind and body feel good . “ I came [ for the first time ] my senior year of high school and yoga was not my thing , hiking was not my thing . … but it changed my perspective on a lot of it ,” she says . “… You could come for a week and feel good for a week , but it kind of changes your life after … [ and inspires ] just a clearer , healthier lifestyle .
That ’ s really why we keep coming back .”
In fact , the majority of The Pearl ’ s visitors are repeat clients , with some having attended the retreat more than 60 times . Some of the appeal is likely the fact that everything is planned out for you , so you don ’ t have to develop your own itinerary . “ You don ’ t have to make a single decision here ,” Tobey notes . “… I love the structure .”
Although they ’ ve been multiple times already , the Tick sisters plan to keep returning , with Kelly noting that she hopes to one day bring her own family and friends to introduce them to this special place , in the same way her mother introduced her . And she says that , even when she ’ s back home in Manhattan , she finds herself using tools she ’ s learned during her time in Laguna .
“ Geo has these ‘ I ams ,’ so you think about what you want to be and then take that little mantra as you ’ re walking ,” she explains . “… I totally find myself doing them all the time in the city , too .”
And , truly , that ’ s what the program is all about . “[ Being at The Pearl ] allows people to rediscover themselves , think about things , meditate , get back in shape ,” Geo says . “ And the program works . We get amazing results and people go away from here feeling fantastic in a week — a week to change your life . … If they change even one thing [ when they go back home ], it changes everything .” g
LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 49