Sensei Porcupine Creek in Rancho Mirage, California, is an exclusive wellness retreat. Owned by Larry Elliston, CTO and founder of Oracle, the retreat serves as a getaway and wellness center for celebrities and billionaires.
“Our mission is to guide the world to greater wellbeingwellbeing, which might sound ambitious. However, it comes into perspective when you know our founders: Larry Ellison, a technology pioneer, and Dr. David Agus, a world-renowned wellness expert,” Julie Oliff, general manager of Sensei Porcupine Creek, told David Hochman of Forbes.
Sensei Porcupine Creek has all the trappings of a luxury resort, including private hiking trails, lessons from a former top-ten-ranked tennis pro, a 6,665-yard golf course, and private villas for guests. The retreat is so exclusive that the villas only hold up to 68 guests. After purchasing the property for $42.9 million in 2011, Ellison overhauled the existing structures to build eight villas. Each villa has a full kitchen, Japanese-style soaking tubs, creekside patios, and outdoor rain showers.
“The villas are more than accommodations; they’re an extension of the privacy, luxury, and space we’ve created here, and they’re designed to feel like a home. Each one offers a sanctuary, a place to enjoy solitude or company with equal pleasure, complete with stunning views and luxurious amenities,” said Oliff.
The golf program is another major draw for the business and tech titans who frequent the retreat. The course is situated at the foot of the Santa Rose Mountains and features waterfalls, cacti, and artwork by Keith Harring and Robert Indiana. With one of the highest green fees in the country at $950 for 18 holes, the course offers an experience that cannot be had anywhere else. The program’s “peace of play” policy means you get the course all to yourself. Players are scheduled far enough apart to have complete solitude while playing their rounds. Golfers can also enjoy the Nobu omakase menu, a unique amenity.
While Sensei Porcupine Creek maintains the luxury of a high-end resort, the retreat primarily focuses on wellness. The Optimal WellbeingWellbeing Program begins a week before arrival with a Whoop 4.0 wearable device mailed to your home that records fitness and sleep data. A thorough fitness assessment is conducted on Day One of your stay, followed by your Sensei team’s determination of behavior changes that will help you meet your goals. Modern technology like thermal mapping and blood marker assessment play a significant role. Ellison helped develop many techniques showcased at Sensei Porcupine Creek with Dr. David Agus, co-founder of Sensei, who worked on Ellison’s first resort in Lanai, Hawaii.
“We’re living in a time when wellness is a buzzword, but Sensei strives to cut through the noise—and there’s so much noise right now—focusing on the guests, what they aim to achieve, and the science that backs it up,” Oliff commented. “If they leave with one meaningful change that integrates into their life, we’ve succeeded.”
