Healing energy surrounds clients at Maui retreat

When Xorin Balbes first saw the century-old Fred C. Baldwin Memorial Home in 2010, it exuded the sadness and despair of a neglected elder. Termites and dry rot had badly damaged its five wooden buildings. Its plumbing and septic tanks were corroding, and there were only a few trees on its 6-acre Upcountry Maui site.

Built by the Baldwin family, who pioneered Maui’s sugar and pineapple industries, the property had been used several ways: as a rest home for retired sugar plantation workers, military barracks during World War II, a dormitory for students attending Mau­na­olu College in Paia in the 1950s and 1960s, and later as housing for Maui Land & Pineapple Co. workers who were planting and picking pineapple in nearby Halii­maile.

Balbes, an interior designer and architectural conservator, recognized the property’s value and stepped in to save it. He purchased it in late 2010 and spent the next year overseeing extensive restoration, landscaping and interior design work.

Lumeria Maui opened in January 2012 as a 24-room educational retreat offering yoga, meditation, organic horticulture and other health and wellness classes. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it received the Historic Hawai‘i Foundation’s Preservation Honor Award last year, the state’s most prestigious recognition "for projects that perpetuate, rehabilitate, restore or interpret Hawaii’s architectural, archaeological and/or cultural heritage."

The Latin word "lumen," meaning "light," inspired the name of the retreat, which Balbes envisioned as a beacon, drawing people to its healing energy.

"Here they can unplug from the stresses of everyday life and participate in programs that nourish the body, mind and soul," he said. "They can connect with nature; learn from our expert yoga and wellness practitioners; experience meditation classes and programs to support personal transformation; be uplifted by the beauty of our architecture, landscaping and décor; and enjoy healthy meals made from organic ingredients grown in our gardens and at Maui farms. Our slogan captures the essence of our experience: ‘Retreat, recalibrate, restore.’"

There are treatment rooms for facials, massage, acupuncture and Ayur­vedic therapies. A new saltwater pool features an eight-person Jacuzzi and spectacular views of sunset over the West Maui Mountains. Water yoga classes will begin in early May.

Themed wellness retreats are held at Lumeria Maui throughout the year. "Our setting, facilities and amenities lend themselves to nurturing and rejuvenation," Balbes said. "Retreat leaders create enriching, life-changing experiences for guests."

He is especially excited about the Sustainability and Hawaiian Culture program in late July, which will focus on the ancient Hawaiians’ prudent food production practices and use of natural resources.

Lumeria Maui itself is a notable example of sustainable living. "We’ve planted many herbs, fruits and vegetables that we use in our meals," Balbes said. "We’ll be installing a solar system soon; we compost our food waste for use in our gardens; and we recycle all paper, plastic, cardboard, glass, cans and metals. Our promise: You’ll leave us feeling enlightened, refreshed, balanced and inspired to live a life that celebrates nature and your unique and amazing self."

Cheryl Chee Tsutsumi is a Honolulu-based freelance writer whose travel features for the Star-Advertiser have won several Society of American Travel Writers awards.