My stay began, as everyone’s does, with a “My Intention” meeting in what could easily be the plushest physical therapy cum analyst’s office in Beverly Hills. But at Sensei, just outside the window, there is more of that 26-acre tropical garden and one of five massive Botero sculptures on site. Marcus Washington, my reassuring Sensei Guide, took my vitals and told me, “The point is to get people to acknowledge where they are on their wellness journey, and help shine a spotlight on what needs to change.”

As he gave me the news about my blood pressure (elevated) and gestured to hop on a somewhat intimidating Medical Body Composition Analyzer, I acknowledged the obvious: I’m out of shape and not sleeping well. Like many people, the pandemic kept me chained to a desk, and made me worry more and sleep less. The machine whirred, beeped, and confirmed this.

Marcus smiled kindly, talked about how I could address all my various wellness issues (lack of sleep, achy back) with Sensei’s three areas of focus: Nourish, Move and Rest. He wrapped up by saying, “It’s about awareness. The data helps crack the door open, so we can now really identify the areas of focus that can help you.”

A stay at Sensei is part luxury spa, part adventure camp, part medical checkup, and part immersive art walk. It turned out to be the perfect mix for both me and my husband. There are a variety of useful, occasionally difficult classes each day, many filled with handy take-home tips for a better life, like stretching the bottom of your feet barefoot with a lacrosse ball. We tried everything from resistance training and balance basics to deep relaxation and meditation to Tai Chi and yoga. Then, when we had our fill of classes, we swam in the lagoon-like pool (with another waterfall, one of dozens on property) and took a dip in several of the eight onsen (Japanese-style hot tubs) set within the green riverine setting. Our spa treatment took place in one of the individual hales, or houses, which have traditional massage tables, but also come with a private steam shower, sauna, and hot and cold plunge pools.

Who goes to this sort of place? Honestly, a surprisingly wide range of people. I met a young U.S. military couple based in Honolulu celebrating the husband’s 30th birthday, a single man from L.A. in his forties trying to get back into shape, a couple from Aspen celebrating their 30th anniversary, a group of women from Seattle on a girlfriends’ vacation. And on the two-hour Koloiki Ridge hike I met forensic psychiatrist Joyce Brown and her husband, Eric, from San Francisco. While walking the forested five-mile trail leading to a panoramic lookout with views of Maui and Molokai, Joyce told me they were on their second trip to Sensei, and already planning their next one. She said, “Sensei to us is like a Shangri-La—the most beautiful, serene architecture and layout of gardens and approach to wellness. You don’t have a central hub with everyone running in and out, but you have individual hales where you can have your treatments.”

Food is always a question when it comes to spas — often because it’s bad, or at least not fun to eat. But imagine you’re a billionaire and you want to create the ultimate spa menu. Whom would you get? That’s right: Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. And before you say, but that’s not especially healthy, Nobu made a special “Nourish” menu specifically for the spa’s restaurant — the only one on-site — Sensei by Nobu. Its clean food philosophy focuses not only on the enjoyment of the meal, but also on how someone feels after it. Karen and Soren West, visiting from Aspen, said, “We have been to his places in New York and Malibu, and this was a completely new Nobu experience. It was not the default omakase, which we really loved.”

On our last morning, packing up our fresh, all-white California beach house-looking room, I ran off for my last chat with Marcus. During our final consultation, after I told him about my restful, exhilarating, delicious few days, he said, “Sounds like the opportunity to change now exists. The hope is that you now have the right recipe to work with.” Sure, it sounds a little culty, but that’s exactly what I took away from the experience: A new recipe for making my life better.