The Birth of Lumeah

We met as two women who, on paper, lived in quite different worlds. One of us (Carla) was immersed in clinical psychology, NHS services and private practice, thinking in formulations, nervous systems and evidence-based therapies. The other (Sacha) was running a busy, successful beauty and hair salon in Eastern Málaga, thinking in texture, light, atmosphere and how to help people feel comfortable in their own skin.

What we quickly realised, though, was that our values were strikingly similar.

We both cared, deeply, about the whole person in front of us. Not just how they presented that day, but what they were holding inside: their history, their self-belief, their exhaustion, the ways they had learned to cope. We both found ourselves drawn to conversations about why people feel the way they do, what helps them regulate, and how environments and relationships can either soothe or overwhelm a nervous system.

Over time, friendship and professional respect grew side by side.

We started going on retreats together, partly out of curiosity and partly in search of spaces where we could exhale. We loved many aspects of what we found: the views, the movement, the food, the massages, the time away from everyday pressures.

But after each retreat, we also had the same conversation.

There never seemed to be enough space for all of the person and what seemed to be missing from most retreats was the psychological piece. There might be moments of emotion, but no clear framework to understand what was coming up. People were talking about trauma, burnout, people-pleasing, anxiety and relationship patterns, but there was rarely a contained, clinical understanding of how to work with those things safely. The body was being pampered, the scenery was beautiful, but the deeper layers were often left untouched.

We would sit together and say some version of:

“This is lovely, but imagine what it could be if on top of what is here, the psychological work was held properly… and the whole experience was still beautiful, nurturing and human.”

That conversation is how Lumeah began.

Our shared vision

Lumeah is our answer to the question: what would it look like to create retreats and events that truly care for the whole person?

For us, that means bringing together:

The clarity and structure of clinical psychology and evidence based therapies
The gentleness and depth of trauma-informed, nervous-system-aware work
The power of touch, aesthetics and ritual to help people feel safe in their bodies
The grounding and soulful experience of our senses, combined in yoga and other holistic practices
Environments that feel both luxurious and grounded, where people can genuinely let their guard down and feel safe to let go of what holds them back

We want Lumeah to be a place where people can rest and also make sense of what they are carrying. A place where it is completely acceptable to arrive tired, anxious, tearful, sceptical or unsure, and to be met with professionalism and compassion rather than pressure to perform “wellness”.

Our roles within Lumeah

Within Lumeah, Carla is the logical, academic, clinical director. She leads on the psychological framework behind everything we offer: assessment, preparation, the way groups are structured, and the therapies and approaches we integrate. Her background as a UK Chartered Clinical Psychologist means that every retreat and event is underpinned by clear ethics, expertise, experience, evidence based therapy and a strong focus on safety.

Sacha is the holistic, beauty and therapeutic director. She shapes how Lumeah feels. She brings years of experience in running a busy salon where people come not only to look different, but to feel different. She understands how important it is for spaces to be sensory, welcoming and thoughtfully designed, and how powerful it can be to receive care through touch, nurturing treatments and small details that make people feel considered.

Together, we design experiences where inner work and outer care sit alongside each other. Where you might spend one hour understanding your nervous system patterns and the next hour in a setting that helps your body absorb that shift: by a pool, in a treatment room, in a calm, beautiful space with others who are on a similar journey.

How we choose the people we work with

From the beginning, we agreed that Lumeah would grow slowly and intentionally.

We only work with practitioners and partners who share our values. That means people who are grounded, kind, reliable and committed to psychological safety, not just their own modality. We look for practitioners who understand that they are working with whole human beings, not just “clients” or “guests”, and who are prepared to collaborate rather than operate in isolation.

We are equally selective about our caterers and on-the-ground helpers, choosing people who not only provide exceptional food and service, but who are warm, respectful and aligned with our values of care, professionalism and psychological safety.

Qualifications matter, of course, but so do attitude and integrity. We want everyone involved with Lumeah to be someone we would trust with our own friends and family.

What we are building

Lumeah will host week long retreats and smaller day, or weekend events that bring together clinical depth, holistic care and beautiful environments, starting in Eastern Spain.

Some people will come for intensive therapeutic work; others for nervous-system reset, burnout recovery, coaching to unlock their potential, or to reconnect with themselves at a deeper level. Whatever the specific focus, the core remains the same: to create spaces where minds and bodies can breathe, where stories are honoured, and where people leave with both a felt sense of restoration and practical understanding of what they need going forwards.

Lumeah is, at heart, the product of two different professional worlds meeting in the middle and finding a shared language. It is our joint commitment to creating something that is both clinically robust and warmly human.

This is how we met, how our shared vision formed, and how Lumeah began. Now we want you to come with us on it's shared journey. Welcome to Lumeah.