Atmosphere

Features

Escuela Floresiendo Ayahuasca Retreats: An In-Depth Review for Sessions in Spain

Escuela Floresiendo claims to be “the largest organization expanding psychotherapeutic and spiritual use of ayahuasca, bufo alvarius, and entheogens worldwide” with presence in over 20 countries and a team of over 40 people. The organization is led by Sergio Sanz (claiming a psychology degree) and Flor Soeiro, operating retreats in Spain and Uruguay. The center has been subject to significant legal scrutiny, including police raids in March 2023 that resulted in a 2-year-9-month legal process that was ultimately dismissed in December 2025.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: Primary center located in Sant Pol de Mar, Barcelona, featuring a three-floor house with 7 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, multipurpose rooms, garden with swimming pool, and mountain/forest views. Also operates in over 20 countries with retreats in Madrid, Valencia, Bilbao, Mallorca, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
• Approach: Uses ayahuasca, bufo alvarius, kambó, rapé, yopo and other entheogens and entactogens in group settings. Incorporates group dynamics and integration sessions, describing their approach as therapeutic without formal therapy and spiritual without masters or disciples. Takes an integrative approach that respects ayahuasca as medicine but doesn’t worship it or consider it a panacea.
• Suitable For: Welcomes all participants regardless of medical diagnosis. Designed for those seeking to address fears, traumas, conditioning, dependencies, anxieties, and depression while accessing celebration of life and love. Trains facilitators in a style “liberated from fanaticisms, dogmas and superstitions” and not bound to Amazonian traditions.
• Costs: Each retreat night includes ayahuasca session, breakfast, lunch, snack, accommodation, and preparation/integration workshops. Specific pricing not disclosed in available sources.
• Overall Assessment: Directory evaluation: C (notable for large scale operation and integration approach, flagged for legal controversies and police interventions).

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Retreat Guru shows 6+ reviews with a 4.00-star rating. French reviewers praised the team as professional, caring, welcoming, and passionate, noting participants felt good in community and left full of love, with deep respect for ayahuasca and other substances offered. Integration sessions were described as exceptional, taking time to listen to each participant’s expectations, traumas, and daily experiences, including constellation therapy work that was described as incredible and liberating. One participant reported expecting insight and introspection but receiving “complete rebirth of consciousness and vital injection of purpose, joy and love,” feeling changed for the better. Sergio was described as “a remarkable man with amazing insight and sensitive nature” able to see through facades, with staff described as “peerless and as professional as five-star hotel staff.”

We encourage sharing your perspective through our submission form to maintain current insights.

🚩 Incident Report

Following a thorough review of online sources including Reddit subreddits like r/Ayahuasca, r/Psychonaut, and r/WellnessHive, Quora threads, Facebook groups such as Psychedelic Healing and Ayahuasca Experiences, news outlets, retreat discussion boards, ICEERS safety reports, and public records, significant legal and regulatory incidents were found.

• Theft: No incidents of theft were found in the sources reviewed, including Reddit discussions, news reports, and public records.
• Sexual Misconduct: No incidents of sexual misconduct were found in the sources reviewed, including Reddit discussions, news reports, and public records.
• Crime: In March 2023, Spanish National Police conducted a raid with 40 heavily armed agents during an ayahuasca ceremony in Barcelona. Sergio Sanz and co-founder were detained for two days on charges including criminal organization, contraband, professional intrusion, drug trafficking, and attacks on labor structure. The operation began with customs seizure of an ayahuasca shipment to Sanz. Police seized €4,000, $2,000 cash, various quantities of ayahuasca, bufo, kambo, mescaline, consumption instruments, and scales. They intercepted a postal shipment with nearly one kilogram of mescaline.

This was part of a series of similar police interventions in Spain, including operations in Asturias (September 2022) and Barcelona (November 2022). After 2 years and 9 months, the prosecutor archived the case confirming that ayahuasca, bufo alvarius, and kambo are not illegal in Spain.

New update as of December 2025: Case officially dismissed by Spanish prosecutor, confirming legal status of substances used.

🔍 Critical Notes

Escuela Floresiendo operates on an ambitious scale, claiming to be the world’s largest organization expanding entheogenic use with presence in over 20 countries. They offer facilitator training programs that go beyond traditional psychotherapy, positioning themselves as a school where love is the teacher. However, the organization has faced significant scrutiny. Critics have described it as operating like a franchise model, training facilitators who can work for the organization or start their own retreats. The founder has criticized what he calls the “sectarian anti-sect command” of police and media attacks, though notes that police raids on ayahuasca groups have ceased since summer 2024. The legal status of ayahuasca in Spain remains complex, with ongoing regulatory uncertainty despite recent case dismissals.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

All persons are welcomed regardless of medical diagnosis, with participants asked to contact the center if they have medical or psychiatric conditions or take medications. Their medical advisor, Mauricio Albanés Molina, provides assessment on compatibility and dosing, though exceptions for those who cannot take even microdoses are described as “very rare.” They conduct prior telephone meetings to explain details, answer questions, and get to know participants before welcoming them. As with all entheogenic experiences, individuals should consult qualified healthcare providers before participating, especially those with mental health conditions or taking medications.

🧪 Brew Substance

They use traditional ayahuasca described as “a decoction of two Amazonian plants that results in a bitter and sweet brown liquid,” along with bufo alvarius, kambó, rapé, yopo and other entheogens. The organization emphasizes using “totally pure medicines of excellent quality.” They distinguish their substances as “entheogens” that connect with divine origin rather than “hallucinogens,” and refer to them as “natural medicines.” The use of multiple substances including mescaline (found during police raids) indicates they work with a broader range of psychoactive compounds beyond traditional ayahuasca.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Spain: Spain offers a relatively tolerant legal environment for ayahuasca use, though regulatory uncertainty persists. The coastal region of Barcelona provides natural settings conducive to retreat work.
• Setting: The Barcelona center is located in the coastal village of Sant Pol de Mar, featuring a three-floor house with 7 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, multipurpose rooms, beautiful garden with swimming pool, living room with fireplace, and large kitchen, situated in countryside with forest views.
• Style: Retreats include night ayahuasca sessions with optional daytime bufo alvarius and kambó sessions, accompanied by preparation and integration sessions plus meals. Described as gatherings for sharing and receiving love with focus on connection that includes but transcends the mind.

Practical guidance: The center can be reached from Barcelona by train, with airport access via Girona or Barcelona airports, then public transport to the site. Multiple retreat locations available across Spain and internationally.

Should You Book?

This center may appeal to those seeking a large-scale, professionally organized retreat experience with comprehensive integration support and facilitator training opportunities. However, potential participants should carefully consider the organization’s recent legal controversies and ambitious expansion model. The multi-substance approach and franchise-like training system may not suit those seeking traditional, culturally-grounded ayahuasca work. Those preferring smaller, more intimate settings or concerned about regulatory uncertainty should explore alternatives.

The Team & Story

Founded by Sergio Sanz Navarro (claiming a psychology degree) and Flor Soeiro, operating retreat centers in Spain and Uruguay. The organization describes itself as a multidisciplinary team of facilitators, psychologists, and medical advisors with over a decade of experience, growing to dozens of people worldwide. They claim a team of over 40 people including facilitators, psychologists, doctors, coaches, and therapeutic companions, with 80% being women. The founder participated in the expansion of ayahuasca internationally, referencing involvement with Alberto Varela’s “Ayahuasca International” project.

Prep & Integration Tips

They state that dieting before ayahuasca is not mandatory and doesn’t guarantee deeper experience. Before and after entheogenic sessions, they open spaces for understanding and liberation through group dynamics. Integration is described as relatively recent development, emerging about 20 years ago when facilitators recognized the need for spaces to externalize and process experiences. They view integration as an inherent capacity of each human being that is awakening and expanding.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

Booking involves a prior telephone meeting to explain details, answer questions, and establish connection before welcoming participants. Each retreat night includes ayahuasca session, meals, accommodation, and preparation/integration workshops.