Frequently Asked Questions

Cost varies by room category and is shown on the Reserve Your Spot page. The retreat is full payment at booking — no deposits, no installment plans. Pay once, your seat is locked, you’re on the list.

Cancellations are tiered by how far out from the retreat date you cancel — the earlier you cancel, the more recoverable. Full specifics live in the Terms & Conditions you accept at checkout. Travel insurance is strongly recommended.

All pricing is in USD. WeTravel handles currency conversion at checkout if your card is in another currency.

Yes. If the retreat sells out, email hello@ssretreats.com to be added. Seats open occasionally as plans change — we contact the waitlist in order.

The cohort is licensed mental health professionals only — that’s part of what makes the room feel safe. Partners and guests can’t attend the program. If your partner wants to be in El Salvador during the retreat, write to us and we’ll discuss options.

In March 2022, El Salvador’s government declared a State of Exception in response to a homicide surge. It suspends certain constitutional protections and has been renewed monthly by the Legislative Assembly. The government credits it with the drop in violent crime; Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have raised serious concerns about mass detentions and due-process protections. Both are true. We surface this because clinicians evaluate trust for a living and deserve the full picture before traveling.

U.S. State Department: advisory page (currently Level 1, lowest). Canada Global Affairs: advisory page. Advisories update on their own cadence — check directly before booking and again before flying. We track them too. If anything material changes for your travel window, we email all confirmed attendees.

Three reasons. First, the location is functionally exceptional — open ocean, surf breaks at the door, quiet coastline ten minutes from a small town with everything you need. Second, the country is in a real moment of transformation, and sitting inside that energy as a guest is itself a teaching for people who spend their professional lives helping others change. Third, it’s economically accessible in a way that lets us put the budget into the experience — facilitators, accommodations, food, transfers — rather than into a North American venue premium.

Four protocols, layered: private SAL airport transfers (you don’t navigate ground transport solo), 24/7 on-property security with controlled access, no solo off-property travel during the program (any off-site activity is group + ground team), and the founder reachable 24/7 throughout the retreat for anything that comes up. Detailed protocols are shared with confirmed attendees before arrival.

The U.S. Embassy is in San Salvador (about a 75-minute drive from the retreat property). Canada’s consular services are available locally; the regional embassy covers El Salvador. Both countries recommend registering your trip — U.S.: STEP, Canada: Registration of Canadians Abroad (ROCA). Takes two minutes. Gives your embassy a way to reach you in an emergency.

Solo female clinicians make up a meaningful share of every cohort. The structure removes the friction points solo women travelers report most: you don’t navigate ground transport alone (private SAL transfer), you arrive into a vetted group of professional women and men, the property is gated with on-site security 24/7, and off-property activity is group + ground team. Happy to talk in more detail — email hello@ssretreats.com.

We monitor U.S. State Department and Canada Global Affairs advisories continuously. If anything material shifts for your travel window, all confirmed attendees receive an email with the change, our read on it, and your options. If we ever assess the situation has changed enough that we don’t feel right running the retreat, we’ll say so and refund accordingly. Your judgment matters too — if your read of the situation changes, talk to us.

Private ground transfer is included in your booking. Our ground team meets you at arrivals — name placard, vetted driver, air-conditioned vehicle. You don’t navigate taxis or rideshares solo. Same setup for your departure.

We recommend booking flights after the cohort is confirmed (~12 weeks out from the retreat) so you don’t lock in flights for a date that shifts. Once we confirm, your pre-trip packet includes the recommended arrival and departure windows — plan flights against those.

U.S. and Canadian passport holders do not require a visa for tourism stays under 90 days in El Salvador. Your passport must be valid for at least six months past your travel date. Confirm latest entry requirements on the U.S. State Department or Canada Global Affairs page before booking flights.

El Salvador uses U.S. Dollars as its primary currency. Bitcoin is also legal tender (since 2021) but USD is what everyone transacts in. Bring small bills for tipping ($1–$5). Card acceptance is good in cities, less reliable in beach towns — carry some cash.

Most U.S. and Canadian carriers offer day-pass roaming in El Salvador — check yours. Airalo, Eskimo, or other eSIM providers work well as cheaper alternatives. The retreat property has Wi-Fi suitable for messaging and basic browsing — it’s not built for heavy work, and we encourage stepping back from the laptop while you’re here.

Each day features a different facilitator running a workshop block organized around one of the six pillars (Design, Identity, Purpose, Expansion, Connection, Creativity). Workshops are experiential, not lecture-style — expect movement, dialogue, embodied practices. Facilitators are senior clinicians, somatic specialists, and creators chosen for substance and presence.

Yes, fully. Every facilitator session, every optional excursion, every group practice is opt-in. The structure is designed so you can match the intensity of the week to where you actually are. Skipping a session and napping is a legitimate choice — facilitators don’t take it personally.

The cohort is licensed mental health professionals only — that’s by design. Everyone in the room understands containment, transference, and what professional process feels like. The result is a level of psychological literacy that’s rare in retreat spaces. People show up as themselves, not as their professional persona.

English. All facilitators conduct sessions in English. Property staff are bilingual (English/Spanish). You don’t need any Spanish to attend, though picking up a few phrases is appreciated locally.

Tell us. Email hello@ssretreats.com before you arrive if anything is up — we’ll know to look out for you. On-site, the founder and senior facilitators are reachable, and the structure has more spaciousness than people expect. Arriving fried doesn’t disqualify you — half the cohort arrives that way every retreat.

Yes. The attendee questionnaire at booking captures dietary restrictions, allergies, and preferences. We work with the property’s kitchen to handle vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and most allergies. Severe or complex restrictions — email hello@ssretreats.com before booking so we can confirm.

The property provides purified drinking water everywhere — main living areas, your room, and reusable bottles. You don’t need to buy bottled water. Standard tropical-travel advice still applies for excursions off-property.

The retreat is not dry, but it’s not a party. A welcome drink is offered on arrival night. Wine and cocktails are available at most dinners. Workshops, breathwork, and morning practices happen sober. Most attendees drink less here than they expected to — the rhythm doesn’t invite it.

All four room categories are private. You have your own space to retreat to whenever you need it.

Standard practice: give clients adequate notice (typically 3–4 weeks for a week-long absence), share your coverage plan (the colleague handling emergencies), and clarify what’s available to them while you’re gone. You don’t owe clients the specifics of where you’re going — “professional development” is sufficient. If you want help thinking it through, the cohort is full of clinicians who have done this many times.

Yes — the cohort operates under a confidentiality agreement signed at the start of the week. What’s shared in the group stays in the group. Specifics are covered in the opening circle. The cohort is also licensed clinicians, which means everyone in the room understands what confidentiality actually requires.

The cohort is small (typically 12–16 attendees), and meaningful connections often form. Standard professional ethics on dual relationships still apply when you go home — peer consultation, supervision, and referral are tools you already know. Use them. The week is for connection and growth, not for setting up future clinical relationships.

Dengue is present in El Salvador, especially in coastal areas. The property uses standard preventive measures (screens, fans, treated areas). Bring DEET-based or picaridin insect repellent, plan to use it especially at dawn and dusk, and consider long sleeves in the evenings. Talk to your travel medicine provider about your specific risk profile.

Yes. Bring meds in original prescription bottles, carry a copy of your prescription, and pack enough for the full trip plus a few extra days. Controlled substances — check El Salvador customs guidelines and travel with documentation. If you have questions about specific medications, ask your prescribing physician or pharmacist.

The property has emergency medical protocols and partnerships with regional medical providers. The nearest hospital is roughly 30 minutes by ground transport. The retreat isn’t a clinical treatment setting — facilitator sessions are experiential and developmental, not therapy. If you’re in active treatment, talk to your clinician about travel timing before booking.

We have protocols. The founder and senior facilitators are reachable 24/7. We have relationships with regional clinical resources and English-speaking medical providers. If you arrive in a fragile place, tell us before you come so we can support you well. Coming to a retreat in acute crisis isn’t usually the right move — talk to your own clinician first.

Yes, laundry service is available on-property for a small fee. Turnaround is typically 24 hours.

Photography of the property and your own experience is welcome. Photographing other attendees requires their consent — please ask. Group shots with explicit consent only. Social media posting about the retreat is at your discretion; we ask that you not name or tag other attendees without their permission.