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Atmosphere and feature ratings above are based on Best Retreats research (November 2026). They will be updated if Sanctuary Tulum submits its own information.

Sanctuary Tulum: An In-Depth Review for Ayahuasca Retreats in Tulum, Mexico

Sanctuary Tulum is an ultra-luxury residential center on the coast at Tulum, Mexico, founded by Johnny Tabaie as the sister of his earlier center, The Holistic Sanctuary in Rosarito, Baja California, offering one-on-one programs of four to 16 weeks that combine ayahuasca, ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT, changa and psilocybin with IV, hyperbaric and stem-cell therapies, priced from $300,000 to over $1 million, per its packages page. It publishes contraindications and claims on-site physicians. Against that, its medical, licensing and safety claims are unverified, it bundles ibogaine with several other psychedelics, it dates the Tulum center to 2011 when that date belongs to Rosarito, and it publishes no refund terms.

🎯 At a Glance

• Locations: “Tulum Beach”, Quintana Roo, Mexico, an oceanfront estate with no published street address, per its about page; Recovery.com describes 16 private bungalows.
• Approach: One-on-one residential stays built on Tabaie’s “Pouyan Method”, with ayahuasca, ibogaine, 5-MeO-DMT, changa and psilocybin alongside NAD+ and other IV drips, hyperbaric oxygen, stem-cell and exosome therapy, plasmapheresis, coffee enemas, sauna, cold plunge, massage and yoga.
• Suitable For: Very wealthy adults seeking a private, medicalized luxury stay who verify the medical team independently. Not suitable for people taking antidepressants or with heart or psychiatric conditions.
• Costs: Gold $300,000, Platinum $500,000 and Elite VIP Executive $1 million or more, per its packages page; Recovery.com estimates about $100,000 a month. No deposit or refund terms are published.
• Overall Assessment: Private, physician-claimed care with published contraindications, offset by unverified medical and licensing claims, ibogaine combined with several other psychedelics and unproven therapies, borrowed history and heavy reputation management. Directory evaluation: C-.

💬 What Guests Are Saying

Sanctuary Tulum has almost no independent reviews: its Recovery.com listing shows none, and the site claims a 4.9 Yelp rating from “53+” reviews with no link (unverified). The Rosarito sister center shows 5.0 from 5 on Recovery.com and 3.7 on PissedConsumer, where 1-star posts from 2014 and 2015 allege a scam and malpractice (unverified); the site shows removal requests against them and Tabaie’s own 2013 post alleging that critics demanded $10,000. The center’s own complaints page says complaints concern cost, denied admissions and its strict format. If you have attended, we encourage you to share your experience through our submission form.

🚩 Incident Report

We searched review platforms and English and Spanish-language news for reports involving Sanctuary Tulum, The Holistic Sanctuary, Johnny Tabaie and its named medical director.

• Deaths and serious injuries: None found.
• Sexual misconduct: No allegations found.
• Theft and fraud: Anonymous 2014 and 2015 PissedConsumer posts allege a scam at the Rosarito center (unverified); no news, court or regulator record was found.
• Legal action: None found.

The Holistic Sanctuary has published rebuttals of online allegations of “patient neglect and drug use”; the original source of those allegations was not found.

If you have experienced or witnessed an incident with this center, please report it confidentially.

🔍 Critical Notes

Who runs it. Johnny Tabaie is founder and CEO, and his own bio states he has “no medical degree, nursing license, or clinical certification”, per Holistic Sanctuary. The site names Dr. Jose A. Jimenez, MD, as medical director with more than 30 years of experience; no independent professional record was found for him (unverified). Rotating emergency doctors, nurses and Shipibo-trained facilitators are mentioned but not named. No Mexican company or tax number is published.

Licensing and safety claims. The center calls itself “fully licensed” and cites a COFEPRIS hospital and clinic license number; we found no public confirmation, and a clinic license would not by itself cover ayahuasca or 5-MeO-DMT. Its safety page claims more than 5,000 ceremonies and zero serious incidents while noting the figures are “not independently audited”, per its safety page. Staffing claims conflict, with “24 nurses” on one page and at least four per 24 hours on another.

Screening and medical support. The center describes a full intake, medication review, EKG and echocardiogram before ibogaine, in-house SSRI tapering, a crash cart and physicians present at ceremonies, and lists cardiac conditions, active psychosis and SSRIs, MAOIs and some blood-pressure drugs as contraindications, per its ayahuasca page (all unverified). It does not state the distance to a hospital.

History and marketing. The site says it has operated since 2011, which is the founding year of the Rosarito center, per Recovery.com; Tabaie announced the Tulum location in July 2023. Paid wire releases call it the “world’s first ultra-luxury, fully licensed Ayahuasca healing center” with a “flawless safety record”, per AB Newswire, and an “As Featured In” bar shows major outlet logos without links. The site says it does not run group ceremonies but elsewhere mentions very small private groups. Most images on its website appear to be AI-generated rather than photos of the center.

Status. Operating, per its own site, with pages updated in 2026 and press releases in late 2025. No independent dated guest accounts from 2026 were found. The Rosarito center is still marketed.

Legal context. Ayahuasca is not explicitly addressed by Mexican law, DMT is controlled and people have been prosecuted for carrying ayahuasca, per ICEERS; Peruvian healer José Campos was arrested in 2022 at Mexico City airport and acquitted in 2023, per ICEERS.

🆘 Screening & Mental Health Risks

Ibogaine carries a known risk of dangerous heart-rhythm changes, and combining it with 5-MeO-DMT, changa, ayahuasca and psilocybin in one program needs strong, verifiable medical oversight. ICEERS notes that ayahuasca’s MAOI component makes it dangerous with SSRIs and other serotonergic drugs and that it is contraindicated for people prone to psychosis. Never stop a psychiatric medication to qualify for a ceremony without your prescriber’s guidance.

🧪 Brew Substance

Ayahuasca of unpublished origin, given in one-on-one sessions alongside other psychedelics. Ayahuasca combines the Banisteriopsis caapi vine with a DMT-containing leaf such as chacruna, as Erowid explains.

📍 Location, Setting & Style

• Setting: An oceanfront estate on the Caribbean coast at Tulum, with jungle and beachfront mansions.
• Rooms: Private oceanfront suites and mansions, with a private chef on the top package, per its packages page.
• Style: A clinical luxury rehab format that mixes psychedelics with IV, hyperbaric and regenerative therapies.

Practical guidance: Fly to Tulum or Cancún; private airport transfers are mentioned in a 2025 press release.

Should You Book?

Only with independent checks. Before paying, ask in writing for the company name, the COFEPRIS license and what it covers, the medical director’s professional registration, the refund terms and the nearest hospital, and get your own cardiologist’s view on ibogaine. Read our guide to verifying retreat facilitators.

The Team & Story

Tabaie founded The Holistic Sanctuary in Rosarito in 2011 and opened Sanctuary Tulum about 2023, marketing it to clients in US cities through location-targeted pages. We did not independently verify anyone’s training.

Prep & Integration Tips

Before you go: Disclose every medication and condition in writing and plan any change with your own doctor. After you return: Arrange support from a qualified therapist at home. Our guide on how to research ayahuasca incidents can help you check any center.

Pros & Cons

Book Your Ceremony

Programs are described on its website. Best Retreats does not take bookings; learn more about our mission.

Last reviewed November 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult a qualified medical professional.