It was a getaway that will haunt its survivors for years to come. Earlier this month three people died in a reconstructed Native American sweat lodge at Angel Valley Retreat Centre in Arizona, the US state renowned for its spa resorts and wellness centres.
The treatment was meant to be a sauna-like experience, with participants lying in a makeshift tarpaulin-and- blanket tent while the temperature was raised. Tribes originally used circular sweat lodges to cleanse the body in preparation for hunts or ceremonies, with about 12 people participating in each.
The Angel Valley sweat lodge, which stood about 135cm high at the centre and 75cm at the edges, contained 63 people in a floor space not much bigger than a box room. Though not forced to stay inside for the whole two-hour ceremony, most will likely have tried to do so to reap the full “benefit” of the exercise. Some are estimated to have paid up to $9,000 (€6,000) for what was billed as a “spiritual warrior” retreat that included a 36-hour fast.
Hot rocks were shovelled in every 15 minutes until someone called 911 to say two guests had no pulse and were no longer breathing. More than 20 people were taken to hospital for illnesses ranging from dehydration to kidney failure; a third person died some days later of organ failure.
Run by self-help “guru” James Arthur Ray, the retreat was marketed, with grim irony, as one that promised to “absolutely change your life”.