There may be no better place in the country to raise your vibration than the Jenesis House wellness estate. That may sound really hyperbolic. But after several days of spa treatments, gourmet-level dinners, yoga, hiking, sound bath meditation and more, I promise that there’s really no other conclusion. Opened on Valentine’s Day 2026 in spiritually serene Sedona, Arizona, the four-acre property boasts beautiful red rock views, a hiking trail on the premises, a shimmering saltwater pool, 10 private guest suites, an on-site spa, bathtubs in an outdoor greenhouse and a meditative treehouse. For an ultimate mental health reset, the Jenesis House lives up to all its flexing FOMO photos on socials.
Arriving on a sunny Sunday with self-help author Brianna Wiest’s The Pivot Year tucked under my arm, a seamless check-in (complete with the first of many mocktails) led me to the spacious Suna Suite. Oscillating tower fans kept the room cool in 90-degree summertime heat as I riffled through a white welcome bag marked “CHÈQUE IN”: a slim journal, slippers, black soap and other goodies. I was all prepared to relax, relate and release after a hectic year buried underneath work-related things in Manhattan’s concrete jungle. Riding in from nearby Flagstaff Pulliam Airport, the swirling mystical vortexes of Sedona were already doing magic. (Google it: many believe these Arizona energy centers promote emotional healing, reflection and inner peace.)
Home to one of the city’s largest, human-size quartz singing bowls, Jenesis House offers morning sunrise sound meditation after a session of 6:00 am yoga. Sitting barefoot inside a crystal bowl—taking in the beauty of Sedona’s rusty colored mountains while a healer strikes the rim for a deeply resonating, vibroacoustic experience—feels like setting the inner counter of your spirit back to zero. Ending the night soaking inside a dimly lit, all-glass greenhouse’s herbal bath gives the sensation of cleansing in nature while music of your choice (mine: Robert Glasper’s Let Go) plays serenely from a discreetly placed speaker. These two moments made the whole trip for me, but there were many more: facial treatments, massages, sound bath meditation, incredible breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Jenesis House experiences like these feel specially designed for coming out the other side of them as your wholly renewed best self.
Without founder Jenesis LaForcarde, none of this would have manifested. EBONY spoke with Arizona’s first Black woman-owned resort owner about the genesis (sorry) of her idea for a wellness estate, future plans for the Jenesis House brand and more.
EBONY: What first inspired you to open a wellness retreat?
Jenesis LaForcarde: It was around 2020 when I had my own styling company [Jenesis Styles]. Through COVID, there was a lot of Black Lives Matter movement happening. I started to realize that a lot of these brands, they never really cared about it before and then all of a sudden, they did. I felt like I was helping them put up this façade that’s just not true. So I took a break; I just wanted to get away. I was feeling really overwhelmed and I went on a lot of different wellness trips.
I’ve always been a fan of yoga and meditation. I did all these wellness trips in the span of two months, back to back. And I realized I was the only woman of color there. Sometimes I didn’t feel like I belonged, or I just didn’t feel like this was for us, almost. I kind of leaped into: I think I want to create my own brand but make it for everyone. Not make it just about one demographic, but for everyone. And create a brand that really surrounds wellness.
I hired 25 contractors and closed on the property in January of this year. We actually ended up opening within 45 days. I’m just so proud of this project really coming to life. A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into it, and I’m just so happy and proud of the outcome.
What are your hopes for the space in the next five to 10 years?
We’re at about 85 percent occupancy for the rest of this year. We have people coming and leaving every single day. So, this tells me that this is much needed. The space is very special, and it’s creating so many possibilities for people, creating a sanctuary for a lot of people. Especially for people of color, because they felt what I felt when I was going to wellness estates. I wanna open three in my lifetime. There’s greatness in not having so many. I think having three different locations around the world would be absolutely amazing. My second location will be in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I would love the third one to be in Japan.
Share a little bit about your upbringing. I understand you’re biracial and part of your heritage is Asian?
My grandmother is actually full Chinese. And my grandfather’s from Trinidad. But my parents, they were really heavy into the military. So, I actually grew up in Okinawa, Japan. And I had the most amazing upbringing, being a part of that culture. When I knew I wanted to create a wellness estate, I knew I wanted to have some of the things that I was taught. A lot of the artwork you see in the lobby was actually in my childhood living room. The miso soup every day. I didn’t want to smash it in everyone’s face, but I wanted to show an homage to Japanese culture, because their well-being is so significant. And they do live the longest in the world.
Say a few words about the delicious menu. It’s not completely vegan, but the breakfasts are. Why that choice?
It was really important that we had a plant-forward menu. I think for a lot of people, when you hear “plant forward,” you’re like, what does that even mean? If I were going to have a wellness estate, the two things I had to get right were the culinary side and the wellness side. I wanted to make sure what we were feeding our guests really had a lasting impact and made them think, “I could make this at home.”
We’re currently working on recipe cards. That way, when guests are enjoying a meal, it’s easy to make, and you can take this home. I’m hoping that this is becoming a lifestyle brand, where people can take what they learned and execute it. We have a vegan chef; her name is Chef Moon. She is absolutely amazing. And she’s actually been teaching our entire culinary team different ways to make healthy desserts, good for you and nurturing. And that’s all a part of it: Try something you’ve never tried before.
What are some of the challenges you didn’t see coming that you dealt with?
I would say the biggest challenge was building a team. I didn’t think I was going to be as booked as we currently are. It took me some time to build the team. I opened with only five staff members! And now we’re at 37. Directors, executive chef, federal health director, guest services director, a wellness director. We finally have departments, and it’s such a cool, solid team. So, it’s cool to have almost like a corporation here. But it’s a lot. It definitely takes a village to build something like this. I wanted to keep it as diverse as possible, because not a lot of people of color live in Sedona. So, I went the length of having a staff condo where I can have some of our players from Phoenix come up. Just making sure that the staff was also diversified as well.