Menla

What Menla does

Menla is a 501c3 non-profit retreat center and destination spa operated as a project of Tibet House US, Inc., a New York not-for-profit founded in 1987 at the request of His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama to preserve Tibetan civilization in exile. The organization occupies a 330-acre property at 375 Pantherkill Road in Phoenicia, New York, within the Catskill Forest Preserve, and offers overnight accommodations, structured two-day to week-long group retreats on Buddhism, yoga, holistic health, shamanism, and the sacred feminine, and a customizable Create-Your-Own Getaway product. Supporting service lines include Dewa Spa (eleven treatment rooms, Finnish and Far-Infrared saunas, steam rooms, Tibetan herbal soaking tubs, Ayurvedic room, and outdoor pool), Menla Online (live-stream courses for remote participation), Dewa Skincare (Shopify e-commerce), and Buddha Boxes (weekly organic produce subscriptions at $25 and $43). Roughly 60% of on-property retreats are hosted for third-party organizations, with the remaining 40% sponsored by Menla itself.

The underlying technology footprint is a website-based booking and reservation system with integrated online course delivery, complemented by anonymous-donor-funded fiber-optic WiFi across guest housing, meeting rooms, and outdoor areas. The business model blends transactional revenue (retreat fees, accommodation, spa treatments, facility rental, produce boxes) with recurring revenue (an annual membership ladder from $24 student/senior to $240 Snow Lion) and donation-based revenue (tax-deductible general, scholarship, building renovation, and endowment contributions). Go-to-market is hybrid: direct-to-consumer booking via menla.org and phone, third-party marketplace listing on Retreat Guru, and B2B facility rental for organizational retreats, supported by email, blog/SEO, teacher networks, and cross-promotion through the Tibet House US affiliation in Manhattan.

Menla is led by Executive Chairwoman Nena Thurman, with Managing Director Lynn Schauwecker, Operations Director Amber Hallinan, Director of New Media Justin Stone-Diaz, Executive Chef Alicia Ojeda, Spa Manager Amanda Guy, and Front of House Manager Liz Leacock. Headcount is 20-35 staff across Front of House, Kitchen, Housekeeping, Maintenance, and Spa. Key recurring faculty include Sharon Salzberg, Krishna Das, Mark Epstein M.D., and Dr. Nida Chenagtsang. The organization was financially stressed during the 2020 COVID-19 shutdown, requiring partial staff furloughs and a $250,000 anonymous matching challenge grant, but has since resumed operations.

Name

Menla

Legal name

Tibet House US, Inc.

Website

https://menla.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Menla is a 501c3 non-profit retreat center and destination spa operated by Tibet House US on a 330-acre Catskills property in Phoenicia, NY, offering Tibetan Buddhist retreats, the Dewa Spa, and online courses to spiritual seekers, third-party retreat groups, and wellness tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wellness Retreat & Destination Spa

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Wellness Retreat Centers (Yoga, Meditation & Mindfulness) (THAGAMAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Destination Spa Resorts (THAGAMAA), Destination Spas & Spa Resorts (HSALAFAC), Holistic & Alternative Therapy Retreats (Naturopathy, Energy Work) (THAGAMAI)

Keywords

• Wellness retreats
• Destination spa
• Tibetan healing
• Integrative medicine
• Retreat venue rental

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenicia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Retreat Fees: Fees charged for attending Menla-sponsored group retreats, ranging from two-day to week-long programs on Buddhism, yoga, holistic health, and wellness topics.
2. Accommodation Revenue: Room rentals for retreat participants, personal getaways, and Create-Your-Own Getaway bookings. Options include single queen rooms, double deluxe rooms with private or shared baths, and standard shared housing.
3. Spa Services: Dewa Spa generates revenue from massage therapy, bodywork, facials, herbal baths, and spa amenity use including saunas and steam rooms.
4. Facility Rental: Revenue from hosting third-party group retreats and events. Approximately 60% of retreats at Menla are sponsored by other organizations renting housing and meeting spaces.
5. Organic Produce Sales: Weekly 'Buddha Boxes' of beyond-organic produce and flowers sold for $25 (small) or $43 (large with flowers).
6. Membership Program: Tibet House US/Menla membership with annual fees ranging from $24 (student/senior) to $240 (Snow Lion), offering discounts on retreats, spa, and events.
7. Donations: 501c3 non-profit accepts tax-deductible donations for general operations, specific projects (Scholarship Fund, Building Renovations), and endowment contributions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Menla operates a destination spa and retreat center in Phoenicia, NY that hosts multi-day group retreats in Tibetan Buddhism, yoga, and integrative medicine, as well as personal wellness getaways at its Catskill Mountain facility. The organization also rents its venue to outside retreat leaders and groups, runs a traditional Tibetan healing spa (Dewa Spa), offers live-streamed online courses (Menla Online), and sells organic-produce subscriptions (Buddha Boxes) and a skincare line (Dewa Skincare).

Product overview

Menla is a 501c3 non-profit retreat center and destination spa operated by Tibet House US, offering a comprehensive portfolio of wellness and spiritual services. The core offerings include overnight accommodations in eco-friendly rooms, structured group retreats on Buddhism/yoga/wellness topics, and customizable Create-Your-Own Getaway experiences. Supporting services include the Dewa Spa (offering Tibetan healing therapies and Western massage modalities), Menla Online (live-stream courses), and organic Buddha Boxes produce program. The facility spans 330 acres in the Catskill Mountains with hiking trails, swimming pool, meditation spaces, and event venues for both hosted and third-party retreats.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dewa Spa: The world-class healing spa at Menla offering Tibetan therapies and holistic treatments
• Menla Online

Products and services

• Group Retreats (Buddhism, Yoga, Holistic Health) Multi-day residential group retreat programs at the Menla facility in Phoenicia, NY covering Tibetan Buddhism, yoga, meditation, holistic health, and integrative medicine, open to individual participants and booked through the Menla website.
• Personal Getaways Self-directed individual stays at the Menla retreat property that include lodging and meals for guests seeking a personal wellness escape without a structured group program.
• Host Your Retreat (Venue Rental) Venue rental service that lets outside retreat leaders, organizations, and groups hire the Menla facility, lodging, and meal service to host their own multi-day programs.
• Dewa Spa (Tibetan Healing Therapies) Spa service offering traditional Tibetan healing therapies administered on-site at the Menla retreat center to individual guests and retreat participants.
• Menla Online (Live-Streamed Courses) Online program that streams Menla's wellness, meditation, and spiritual courses live to remote participants who cannot attend in person.
• Buddha Boxes (Organic Produce Subscription) Subscription-based delivery of organic produce and farm goods from the Menla property to subscribers' homes, extending the retreat's farm-to-table brand off-site.
• Dewa Skincare Menla-branded skincare product line sold online as a retail extension of the Dewa Spa and Tibetan healing brand.
• Menla Membership Annual membership program that gives repeat guests discounts, perks, and ongoing engagement with Menla's retreats, spa, and online content.

Quantifiable outcome

• Named one of Audubon's Important Bird Areas and New York State's Most Important Bird Areas in 2006

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Aesclepius FoundationfoundationalOthersThe Aesclepius Foundation purchased the land and began renovations for a healing center modeled after ancient Greek healing traditions. Before renovations were complete, they donated the property to Tibet House US in 2002 with the understanding it would continue as a healing center grounded in Tibetan healing arts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Civana Wellness Resort and Spa: Direct peer: Carefree, Arizona wellness resort offering all-inclusive programs focused on yoga, meditation, hiking, and spa experiences. Comparable all-in-one destination-retreat model with structured programs plus optional spa and dining components.
• Esalen Institute: Direct peer: iconic Big Sur, California holistic retreat center offering residential workshops in meditation, yoga, somatic and humanistic psychology. Comparable non-profit-anchored retreat model focused on transformative, multi-day programs with bundled accommodations and meals.
• Shambhala Mountain Center: Direct peer: Colorado-based contemplative retreat center offering residential meditation, Buddhist, and nature-based programs. Highly comparable non-profit retreat model with Tibetan/Buddhist programming focus and a residential retreat experience.
• Omega Institute for Holistic Studies: Direct peer: Rhinebeck, NY-based nonprofit holistic retreat center in the Hudson Valley offering workshops on wellness, yoga, meditation, and sustainable living. Competes for the same NYC metro wellness-traveler drawing from the Catskill/Hudson corridor; explicitly cited by Menla guests as a comparison point.
• Cal-a-Vie Health Spa: Direct peer: small luxury Vista, California destination spa combining fitness, nutrition, and spa programming with overnight accommodations. Comparable scale and 'destination spa with structured program' positioning in the wellness retreat category.
• Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health: Direct peer: large yoga, meditation, and holistic-health retreat center in Stockbridge, MA, with overnight accommodations, residential programs, and an Ayurvedic spa. Competes for Northeast yoga/wellness retreat demand; named in Menla customer testimonials as a direct alternative.
• 1440 Multiversity: Direct peer: newer Scotts Valley, CA retreat center offering wellness, mindfulness, and creative programs with overnight accommodations, healthy dining, and spa offerings. Comparable hybrid model combining multi-day hosted retreats and self-directed personal getaways.

Broad incumbents

• Canyon Ranch: Broad incumbent: established luxury destination-spa operator with resorts in Lenox, MA and Tucson, AZ, offering comprehensive wellness programming, spas, and integrative health. Overlaps with Menla on wellness retreat and spa services but operates at much larger commercial scale and geographic footprint.
• Miraval Resorts: Broad incumbent: well-known destination spa resort operator (Tucson, Austin, and Berkshires) offering yoga, meditation, spa, and mindfulness programming in a luxury resort setting. Overlaps with Menla's spa/meditation offering but serves a more upscale commercial leisure-traveler segment.

Others

• Tibet House US: Adjacent entity: parent non-profit of Menla operating the NYC cultural center, bookshop, and membership program. Not a direct competitor but the brand, membership, donor, and teacher pipeline underlying Menla's go-to-market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/menla
• Facebookfacebook.com/menlaretreat

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Menla