A COFEPRIS-licensed, one-to-one healing center on the Tulum coast
Arrivals at Sanctuary Tulum are staggered, so nobody steps out of a car into a crowd. The oceanfront estate on Quintana Roo's Caribbean coast holds no more than five guests at a time, each in a private suite. There is no group room and no shared schedule. Johnny Tabaie founded the center in 2011. By its own account, it began with a failure: the conventional model of a circle of chairs, a shared curriculum and a discharge date set by an insurance cycle did not help someone the founders loved. They spent the next fifteen years building an alternative on their own funding. They refused groups, twelve-step formats, talk therapy as the spine of a program and replacement prescriptions. They also refused the three-, five- or seven-day ceremony weekend. What replaced those things is a licensed facility, regulated by COFEPRIS, Mexico's federal health regulator. Medical Director Dr. Jose A. Jimenez clears every guest before treatment begins and approves each protocol. Programs run four to twelve weeks. The days draw on yoga, meditation, breathwork, massage, energy healing, infrared sauna, cold plunge, IV therapies and an organic diet, arranged through the Pouyan Method, the founder's own protocol. The center describes the order plainly: the work is physical before it is mystical. Plant medicine comes after that groundwork, always privately. The center offers ibogaine, ayahuasca, 5-MeO-DMT and psilocybin. It presents ibogaine as a medical treatment given after cardiac clearance, with continuous EKG monitoring, and not as a ceremony. The center also funds an annual scholarship for students pursuing health-related degrees.
Traditions: Ayahuasca Ceremony, 5-MeO-DMT Ceremony, Psilocybin Ceremony, Yoga, Meditation, Breathwork
Programs: The Pouyan Method, Private Ibogaine Treatment, One-to-One Ayahuasca Ceremonies, Benzodiazepine Withdrawal Protocol, Chronic Disease Reversal Program
Amenities: Beachfront Location, Private Bungalows, Ocean View Rooms, Private Terraces, Private Pools, Beach Access, Holistic Chef Meals, Organic Menu, Vegan & Gluten-Free, Infrared Sauna
Shipibo and Amazonian Plant Medicine Traditions (Lineage): Ayahuasca ceremony at Sanctuary Tulum draws on Shipibo and other Amazonian healing lineages, with experienced shamans guiding each one-to-one session.
Bwiti Tradition (Lineage): The center's Ibogaine work stems from the African Bwiti tradition's sacred use of the Tabernanthe iboga plant, adapted here within a medicalized setting.
Mesoamerican Ceremonial Mushroom Use (Tradition): Psilocybin sessions are rooted in the ceremonial use of mushrooms in Mesoamerica, connecting the Tulum setting to its regional heritage.
Psychedelic Therapy (Movement): Clinical oversight and doctor-supervised protocols frame plant medicines as therapeutic tools for treatment-resistant addiction, trauma, PTSD, and depression.
Regenerative and Holistic Medicine (Philosophy): The Pouyan Method pairs ceremony with stem cell therapy, exosomes, NAD+ and Brain Repair IV drips, and gut-biome repair, aiming at root-cause healing rather than symptom management.
Radical Privacy and Personalized Care (Ethos): Every ceremony and therapy is one-to-one, with no group circles or shared accommodations, honoring discretion and individualized care for guests whose anonymity matters.
The main difference is structure: no more than five guests stay at a time, each in a private suite, and there is no group room or shared schedule. Most ceremony retreats sell a three-, five- or seven-day weekend, and the center explicitly refuses that format, running programs of four to twelve weeks instead. Johnny Tabaie founded it in 2011 after the conventional circle-of-chairs model failed someone he loved, and the center says it funded the alternative itself over the following fifteen years. Its stated order is 'physical before mystical,' so plant medicine comes only after weeks of groundwork. The tradeoff is that this is a long, expensive commitment, and it is not for anyone who wants a quick ceremony or a social experience.
Anyone who wants community should look elsewhere, because the model is one-on-one by design and there are no group sessions, twelve-step meetings or shared meals with other guests. It also doesn't suit people who can only spare a long weekend, since programs run four to twelve weeks. Budget-conscious travelers will struggle with the $$$$ price tier. People wanting ceremony as the first step will find the sequencing frustrating, because the center puts weeks of physical preparation ahead of any plant medicine. And anyone with serious cardiac or medical complications should expect that Dr. Jose A. Jimenez may decline to clear them for certain treatments, which is the point of the screening but is still a real possibility.
The Pouyan Method is the founder's own protocol, and it is the framework that arranges everything else: yoga, meditation, breathwork, massage, energy healing, infrared sauna, cold plunge, IV therapies and an organic diet. The center describes the work as physical before mystical, so expect the early weeks to feel more like a medically guided reset than a spiritual retreat. One reviewer described the multi-modality program as personalized and intentional, and another credited the method and its ongoing research. The method is proprietary, so outside detail is thin, and anyone wanting to understand it before committing should ask the center directly for a written outline of what a given week involves.
There is no published hour-by-hour schedule, and the center says there is no shared schedule at all, so each day is built around the individual guest and their protocol. The ingredients are yoga, meditation, breathwork, massage, infrared sauna, cold plunge and IV therapies, with hyperbaric oxygen and red light mentioned by one reviewer. Since only five guests are on site at most, nothing is run like a class timetable. That suits people who dislike regimented retreats, but it also means the day depends on medical decisions and on how your body responds. Ask the team how a sample week is typically paced before booking.
The menu is organic and plant-based, with vegan and gluten-free options, and meals are prepared by what the center calls a holistic chef. That fits the physical-first philosophy, since diet is treated as part of the protocol rather than an amenity. Reviews say almost nothing about the food, so there are no signature dishes to cite honestly. People who like a plant-forward diet will be comfortable, while those who rely on coffee, alcohol or heavy comfort food should expect a real adjustment over four to twelve weeks. For specific allergies or medical diets, confirm details with the staff in advance.
The estate sits on the Caribbean coast of Quintana Roo, and every guest gets a private suite. Listed features include private bungalows, ocean view rooms, private terraces and private pools, plus beach access. No separate room tiers are published, so don't assume a budget option exists. The upside is real privacy, since you never share a bathroom or walk into a crowd, and arrivals are even staggered. The downside is that a long stay in a private suite can be isolating, which is worth weighing if you do best around other people.
The biggest surprise is how medical it is. This is a licensed facility regulated by COFEPRIS, Mexico's federal health regulator, and Dr. Jose A. Jimenez clears every guest before treatment and approves each protocol. Ibogaine is presented as a medical treatment given after cardiac clearance with continuous EKG monitoring, not as a ceremony. Many people arrive expecting a jungle-style retreat and find something closer to a clinic with a beach view. The pleasant surprise is the staffing level, with reviewers consistently describing the team as warm, professional and attentive.
The directory places it at $$$$, and no price list is published, so request a written quote. Given the program lengths of four to twelve weeks and the one-on-one, physician-supervised model, expect a substantial total. Meals, treatments within the protocol and the private suite appear to be the core of the offering, but the data doesn't confirm every line item. Ask specifically about flights and transfers, lab work and cardiac testing, extra IV or hyperbaric sessions, and any medical costs outside the program. The center does fund an annual scholarship, but it is for students pursuing health-related degrees, not a discount for guests.
Nothing in the data suggests a silence requirement or a religious framing, and the center's rejection of twelve-step formats and group work points away from a doctrinal feel. The language is medical and physical first, with energy healing and plant medicine layered in afterward. Fitness shouldn't be a barrier either, since the work is individualized and starts with medical clearance. The more realistic fear is the length and intensity of a multi-week program, particularly for anyone coming off benzodiazepines, where the center offers a dedicated withdrawal protocol. Tell the medical team everything about your health history, because the protocol depends on it.
It is an oceanfront estate on Quintana Roo's Caribbean coast near Tulum, and with five guests at most it feels like a private residence rather than a resort. Reviewers describe the location as peaceful and removed from outside distractions, and amenities include beach access, private terraces and private pools. Note that the center's address isn't published here, so ask where exactly it sits relative to Tulum's busier beach strip and town. The seclusion is the draw, but it also means you are not wandering into cafes or shops between sessions.
No formal rules on phones, talking or leaving programs are published, so ask for written guidelines before arrival, especially around phone use during treatment and what happens if you want to stop a program early. For weather, Tulum is hot and humid for much of the year and hurricane season runs roughly June through November, so check travel insurance and flexibility on dates. Pack light breathable clothing for yoga and sauna, reef-safe sunscreen, a swimsuit for the cold plunge and beach, and any medical records or recent cardiac tests the team requests. Bring something to occupy quiet hours too, since a private, individually scheduled program leaves more unstructured time than a group retreat.
No accessibility features are listed, so anyone with mobility needs should ask directly about steps, bungalow layout, terrace and pool access, and beach paths. Languages spoken are English and Spanish. On reviews, the center has only three on Google, all five stars, and they are brief testimonials with no detail on food, rooms, pricing or policies and no reported drawbacks. They're encouraging about the staff but can't be independently verified. A sensible approach is to ask for a call with the medical team, request references, and verify the facility's COFEPRIS licensing before committing.