Rythmia Life Advancement Center
Hacienda Pinilla, near Playa Avellanas and Tamarindo, Guanacaste
Uno de los retiros de ayahuasca más antiguos y con más reseñas del mundo: un resort con centro médico propio en la costa del Pacífico de Costa Rica, abierto desde 2016, con un programa todo incluido de 7 noches y cuatro ceremonias opcionales, junto con yoga, respiración, meditación y clases de integración.
Datos del sitio web del centro y de fuentes independientes, consultados el 26 oct 2026. Read this page in English
Este centro tiene un historial público: entradas fechadas y con fuente (muertes informadas, actuaciones de reguladores, causas judiciales o denuncias publicadas), con la respuesta del centro cuando la publicó. Se muestran abajo en inglés, con sus fuentes originales.
Public record
Reported events involving this centre, as published by the sources linked. Each entry is dated and attributed; a response is included where the centre published or gave one. We have not investigated these events ourselves.
23 Jun 2022Allegation
Vice published allegations from former staff and guests, including restraint and injection without consent, ceremonies of 80 to 100 people and harassment of women. It also reported that a guest died by suicide two weeks after a 2018 stay. ('An Ayahuasca Retreat Claims to Sell Miracles. Former Workers and Guests Say It's Unsafe and Abusive', Vice, 23 Jun 2022)
Response: Rythmia's founder, Gerard Powell, denied the allegations, according to Vice, and no criminal finding has been reported. The centre has since published a safety hub setting out its standards: doctors and nurses on site 24/7, three-stage medical screening and a 1:4 staff-to-guest ratio.
2022Legal case
Former guests filed a suit against Rythmia Room Reseller, Inc. in Los Angeles Superior Court (case 22STCV12776). The suit was reported dismissed on forum grounds. (Abu Baker et al. v. Rythmia Room Reseller, Inc., Los Angeles Superior Court 22STCV12776 (Trellis))
17 Feb 2025Regulator action
Costa Rica's Ministry of Health asked the Procuraduria General de la Republica to annul the centre's sanitary permit as a medical centre (DARS SC-2020-0372). The Procuraduria declined on 17 February 2025, so the permit stood and the centre continued to operate. ('Ministerio de Salud comete fallos que permiten a resort de Tamarindo usar ayahuasca', La Nacion, 12 Mar 2025; 'Procuraduria no puede anular autorizacion a clinica que usa ayahuasca', CR Hoy, 27 Feb 2025)
- Precio desde
- $4,900 (consultado el 28 sep 2026)
- Duración
- 7 noches
- Ceremonias o sesiones
- 4 por programa
- Evaluación médica
- Descrita en su sitio web
- Pregunta por antidepresivos
- Sí, lo indica
- Equipo
- Fundador y director ejecutivo Gerard (Gerry) Powell; director médico Dr. Jeff McNairy; un equipo residente de chamanes y sanadores formados en tradiciones amazónicas, orientales y occidentales; médicos y enfermeras en el lugar las 24 horas.
- Fundado
- 2016
Programas publicados
| Programa | Duración | Precio | Fuente |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Rythmia Way 7-night all-inclusive | 7 noches | $4,900 | 28 sep 2026 |
Lo que dice el centro sobre la evaluación (cita en inglés de su sitio web)
Three-stage medical and pharmacological screening, with every guest assessed by licensed doctors and nurses. Each medicine is subject to individual medical clearance, and ceremonies run under medical supervision in the on-site medical centre, which the centre says is licensed by Costa Rica's Ministry of Health. Medication (read 2026-10-03): "Those taking SSRIs, antidepressants, MAOIs, or CNS depressants must complete a cessation period with the proper taper protocol."
Situación legal
La ayahuasca no figura en la ley de drogas de Costa Rica, pero tampoco está autorizada: se tolera en la práctica, y fue objeto de una advertencia del Ministerio de Salud en enero de 2025.
Fuentes de la situación legal: (Instituto Costarricense sobre Drogas, current page; Transnational Institute (copy of statute), 2001; Ministerio de Salud de Costa Rica, 27 Jan 2025; La Republica (Costa Rica), 5 Feb 2025)
Fuentes
- Rythmia home · Centre's own site, read 28 Sep 2026
- Rythmia pricing · Centre's own site, read 28 Sep 2026
- Rythmia plant medicine FAQ · Centre's own site, read 28 Sep 2026
- Vice, 23 Jun 2022: An Ayahuasca Retreat Claims to Sell 'Miracles.' Former Workers and Guests Say It's Unsafe and Abusive. · Press, read 28 Sep 2026
- La Nacion, 12 Mar 2025: Ministerio de Salud comete fallos que permiten a resort de Tamarindo usar ayahuasca · Press, read 28 Sep 2026
- CR Hoy, 27 Feb 2025: Procuraduria no puede anular autorizacion a clinica que usa ayahuasca · Press, read 28 Sep 2026
- Abu Baker et al. v. Rythmia Room Reseller, Inc. (LA Superior Court 22STCV12776) · Government, read 28 Sep 2026
- Advertencia Sanitaria sobre uso, consumo y publicidad de Ayahuasca e Ibogaina (Ministerio de Salud, 27 Jan 2025) · Government, read 28 Sep 2026
- Rythmia FAQ: safety and health screening · Centre's own site, read 3 Oct 2026
- Rythmia safety hub · Centre's own site, read 26 Oct 2026
- Rythmia Life Advancement Center, Tripadvisor · Directory, read 26 Oct 2026