My name is: Amy Cherry-Abitbol.

My stomping ground is:

I feel most at home in the Hamptons, and particularly on the grounds of Shou Sugi Ban House, which envelop you in a unique tranquility. I love the uncrowded beaches here, as well as the farmland, and, most of all, the light that reflects across the ocean and land.

I’m known for being:

I’m the owner and founder of Shou Sugi Ban House, which was created by and is operated by women.

I’m talking about:

We offer comprehensive wellness retreats—-such as our Digital Detox, Culinary Immersions, Yoga for Transformation and Fitness Immersions—as well as customized stays which can include meditation, movement, nutrition, skin care, bodywork and healing arts treatments.

You can find it at:

Our retreat programs are described in detail on the website and change seasonally based on what our clients are looking to explore. These programs are currently offered solely on the grounds at Shou Sugi Ban House, but we’re hoping to expand into different markets. We’re also excited to expand our retreat offerings into the space of plant medicine and longevity science.

Before I started this retreat work, I was:

A corporate lawyer specializing in mergers & acquisitions.

My interest was sparked when:

When I experienced a few retreats myself, both in the U.S. and Europe.

The idea behind it is:

Our mission is to offer wellness programs that incorporate practices based on traditional healing arts as well as current science and technologies. This season, we will be introducing Shou Sugi Ban Lab, which will offer life-enhancing therapies for longevity, performance optimization and rejuvenation through the use of the latest technology and science. Examples of these would be cryotherapy, red light therapy, infrared sauna, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and pulsed electro-magnetic field (PEMF) therapy.

What makes it different is:

I have focused on integrating my own experiences and research into wellness, nutrition, longevity science and global healing modalities, as well as my appreciation for design and sustainability, bringing them all together in a unique way.

I’ve been intrigued by the research and discoveries surrounding telomeres and how external lifestyle factors can alter one’s DNA. Specifically, studies indicating that good nutrition, fitness and reduced stress can actually retard (and in fact, may lengthen) the fraying of your telomeres (the ends of one’s chromosome strands), resulting in increased health and longevity. These findings validate a wholesome approach to mind, body, and spirit and inspired our approach and programming.

My favorite lesser-known detail is: Everything that was pre-existing on the site, landscaping and structural, was repurposed to be used in the current retreat space.

I hope the guests walk away feeling:

Rejuvenated and cared for.

Each of our guest studios have organic mattresses, tea kettles and a selection of our signature herbal teas; ambient music that can be controlled; and a set of tuning forks with instructions on how to use them, which can be especially calming before bed. At the end of each day, our house-made herbal “seasonal soaks” are placed in each guest studio, to encourage a nightly bath to induce a restful sleep.

Retreating is so important because:

People have hectic daily lives and routines. This amount of pressure makes it valuable to step away to regain perspective and health.

My favorite retreat I ever went on was:

I periodically go on wellness retreats to feel rejuvenated and revitalized. My recent favorites are the “Alchemy of Clarity” retreat in the mountains of central Portugal, where one of my team members hosted a plant medicine program. I also experienced two retreats in Costa Rica: The Retreat, which specializes in Ayurvedic therapies, and a program for energy work at Hacienda AltaGracia, which also offers wonderful wilderness excursions.

Last fall, I attended “40 Years of Zen,” a program operated by David Asprey, for brain-mapping and neurofeedback.

The words I live by are:

Candor, kindness, and humor.

One truth that is so important, but people don’t always realize is:

“It’s never too late to become who you want to be. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of, and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald