Urban areas for psychedelic therapy can be a problem for two reasons. First, properties are expensive with dense commercial locations meaning you often can't get the beautiful expensive property as a tenant since it is mortgaged by the bank that cannot do Schedule I controlled substance business. Oregon is just a typical property-owning framework where real property is often leveraged. This means you have to own the property free of bank financing or lease the property from someone in that situation.
The second issue with urban areas is that the best practice for psychedelic therapy is set (mind set) and setting (location). Silo Wellness believes that the main differentiators for psychedelic retreats are price, experience, and location (setting). "Our market research from speaking to actual clients leads us to conclude that there's not a lot of people who can afford to travel to Oregon for therapy that are going to be staying at a Motel 6 and commuting to three sessions in a white walled doctor's office to take mushrooms," explained Arnold. "You couldn't pay me to do that. That sounds horrible. These are fully immersive experiences that are life changing and deserve to be done in the beauty of nature.
"Have you ever been on a vacation locked in a hotel room in downtown Random City that was life changing, where you were considering buying a vacation spot? Most people's experience in lifechanging trips involve beautiful locations close to nature (beaches, mountains, rivers, lakes, etc.). They sell timeshares to those folks because their mindset has changed due to their setting. This is even more so for psychedelics where the connection to nature is an essential part of the experience."
In order to make retreats affordable, the Silo hopes to leverage the ranch's campground as well as sponsor sliding scale rates with the margins subsidizing those in need or a scholarship model.
