My First Yoga Retreat to El Salvador

After sticking with yoga for a year I treated myself to a yoga retreat in El Salvador, and I can’t wait to do it again! The entire experience was amazing, refreshing and inspiring. If you are curious about trying a yoga retreat, read on to see what my experience was like. I tried to include a little bit about everything-the location, food, activities and one very unique massage experience.

*A special thank you to the Magical Yoga Retreat WhatsApp group for sharing such pretty pictures during our trip. Some of the photos in this post were taken by other people attending the retreat.

Magical Yoga Retreat in El Salvador Experience

I first saw this yoga retreat advertised on the bathroom door of a yoga studio I frequent. It looked pretty amazing, but I was hesitant to go by myself. When I found out a friend was also signing up, I jumped on board.

I’m turning 50 this year, and I’ve always wanted to take some kind of “retreat” type vacation. I also stuck with yoga before and after a major surgery last year (having my implants removed) and I wanted to celebrate my recovery. Yoga was a big part of getting my mobility back in my arms and chest.

The retreat I went on was organized by Zuzia from Live Love Travel Green. She regularly sets up yoga retreats in beautiful locations, and the whole thing was very well done, so I totally recommend her retreats.

Welcome to El Salvador

After arriving in El Salvador, we were on the hunt for fresh coconuts. The streets right outside the airport are lined with vendors selling coconuts, bananas and various items. We made a quick stop, where I was presented with a baggie of coconut and a straw. This was a first for me, as I was expecting it to still be in the coconut. Once we got to the resort, we got coconut in the more conventional style.

The ride to the resort was a pretty bumpy 3-hour ordeal. It was supposed to be a 2-hour ride, but I quickly learned to add about an hour to any travel estimation.

Once we arrived at the Las Flores resort, it was an easy check-in, and we were able to go to our rooms and settle in. Time for the yoga retreat to officially begin!

Las Flores Resort

The Las Flores Resort is located right on the beach, with a beautiful view. The rooms were nice and spacious, and kept clean and tidy. Our coffee was restocked every morning, and water stations were available throughout the resort so you could refill your own water bottles. (I wish more places did that!)

Our room had a nice balcony where we could sit and enjoy the view of the ocean. There was also a beautiful and refreshing pool that had two levels. The top level had a swim-up bar and an infinity edge that emptied into the larger pool down below.

Yoga Retreat Schedule

The schedule was easy to follow with plenty of time for yoga, relaxing, spa time, dining and exploring. There were three yoga options every day, plus an evening meditation.

The yoga was a mixed flow, led by Katie and Angela (@angelashealingfrequencies), so that people of any level could follow the class. There were people on the trip from beginners to advanced, and I think there were even some people who didn’t do yoga at all! You were welcome to do as little or as much yoga as you wanted.

The location for the yoga was so amazing, I want to do yoga there all the time. It was high up on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The view was amazing! And the coverings and breeze made it comfortable and not too hot.

Delicious El Salvadorian Food

One thing I didn’t expect is to eat so much on a yoga retreat! The food was AMAZING. Fresh juices every day, fresh food, and at no time did I go hungry. And it was all included in the price of the retreat. Three delicious meals and more food than I could even eat.

My favorite thing was the traditional El Salvadorian breakfast every morning. I really miss that breakfast! I’d start my day with snack, then do yoga at 9AM, then breakfast, then spend some time at the pool or the beach, and then it would be time for lunch and more yoga and more food.

Day Trip to the Coffee Plantation

A day trip to a local coffee plantation was included. We got a short tour, lunch, a coffee making demonstration and of course, some coffee! The coffee in our room at the resort was so good that I looked forward to having a cup every morning. I bought some beans at the coffee plantation so I could have some at home.

The whole area was very pretty, with lush greenery, pretty flowers, an amazing view and fun photo-ops. We had lunch there and delicious desserts.

After the plantation tour, we stopped at a market and did a little souvenir shopping.

Let’s Talk About the Signature Massage

If any of my yoga retreat buddies read this, they’ll probably be looking for my story about my massage. A free massage was included with our stay, and I was one of the first to jump on scheduling mine the first day because I love massages.

I chose the “signature massage” which was described as a relaxing massage that you could customize to your comfort level. What I got was anything but relaxing. I’m not even sure how to accurately describe it.

In the US, it’s pretty normal to leave your underwear on for a massage. But anytime I’ve gotten a massage elsewhere, they always ask you to remove everything. From experience, I know I’m more comfortable leaving my undies on, so I don’t wonder if my lady bits are on display. So, I left them on.

My massage lady didn’t seem to like this, and the first thing she did was yank my underwear down under my butt.

I should also mention that the massage was in a little open-air area under the yoga deck, and that people walking down to that area could easily see anyone getting a massage. So much for modesty.

I was covered with a small towel that never quite felt like it covered everything and tended to flop around quite a bit with the ocean breeze blowing through.

I figured what the heck, just go with it and enjoy the massage.

The massage started with a very vigorous rubbing of my shoulders and then down my back. I thought maybe it was the warm-up and kept waiting for the slower, more focused type of massage I’m used to. But the frantic pace continued down my back, to down past my butt crack and back again.

There was more rubbing than pressure, and lots and lots of oil, and it just kept going with seemingly no pattern. I was pretty sure she was making it up as she went along, and I think it was probably the first massage where I actually wondered when it would end.

And just when I thought it was over, she asked me flip over! I was a bit apprehensive of what that was going to be like, and she did not disappoint.

The little towel kept flapping down, and I just accepted that the boobs would be out. Especially after she started the frenzied strokes again, this time all the way down to my belly button. I am not kidding. The chest massage was a first.

Then she did my face, which was actually my favorite thing so far, until she kept doing my eye sockets, which felt weird.

And then for the grand finale of awkwardness, she butterflied out one leg for an inner thigh massage. When she moved the other leg, silly me thought I should put my one leg down, but no, she had them both spread and bent like frog legs, with just a loin cloth of a towel between my legs. (very glad I left on the undies at this point)

While in the reverse frog position, I was treated to a double inner thigh massage that went on a bit too long, as the position was just uncomfortable.

And then it was back to my face and eye sockets again.

When it was all done, I think I was in a bit of shock trying to figure out what the heck kind of massage that was. I believe I mumbled thank you and then tried to get dressed before the next people walked down where I was mostly naked and in full view.

Afterwards, I took some time to relax in a hammock and recover from the weirdest massage of my life.

I talked to several other people, and it seems some got a great massage, and some got an experience similar to mine.

I think my favorite quote was from one of the men on the trip who experienced the same frog-leg massage maneuver and afterwards commented, “I wasn’t sure if I should call the cops, or ask her to marry me.” LOL

It was quite an experience, but I refrained from booking anymore massages during our stay.

Relaxed and Refreshed

The whole thing, even the crazy massage, was a great experience. We had a really nice group of people with a wide range of ages. The schedule was relaxed, and there was always something to do, but no pressure to do anything if you didn’t want to.

I am looking forward to doing another yoga retreat in the future. This one set the bar pretty high, so hopefully the next one will be just as good. The only way to beat it is if I find one with a good masseuse!

Walk with Me to the Yoga Deck

There was a lot more to the trip, but the post is getting long and pic heavy, so I’m just going to leave you with the beautiful walk to the yoga deck.

Since the yoga deck was on top of the cliffs, we walked a winding cobblestone path to get to the top. It was a really pretty walk and a great way to start the day.

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