You don’t need to leave the Gulf Coast to experience the energy of pyramids.
Tucked away in San Carlos Park is a unique retreat where one woman from Germany has brought decades of European natural healing practices to Southwest Florida.
Gerti Hontzsch, who has worked with energy-based healing for years, had long envisioned a place where shape and energy would play a role in wellness. That vision is now a reality, with 26 pyramid-like buildings on a property known as Pyramids in Florida.
“Thirty years ago, 40 years ago, I had this vision to build a pyramid and stay in it,” Hontzsch said. “I worked with pyramid energy in my profession long before, especially for cancer people, just for treatment.”
Visitors who arrive at the property are often surprised by what they find. Hontzsch said guests frequently mistake the large tents and buildings for churches before realizing their true purpose.
Guests come from across the world to visit the healing village, where natural therapies are combined with Austrian techniques. The grounds feature barefoot stone walking paths, yoga classes, and water from a deep well that Hontzsch believes contains minerals that benefit health.
“It’s soft, and it works against allergies, cancer and arthritis,” she said. “That’s the best we can have during vacation.”
Dawn Weinkrantz, a returning guest, said her first visit to the pyramids left a lasting impression.
“We just went on kind of a whim, and it became our favorite vacation spot,” Weinkrantz said. “Now we’ve been back three or four times, and we have another trip planned.”
At the center of the property is a lake fed by natural spring water. Weinkrantz said swimming in it makes her feel renewed.
“When you get out of that water, you feel like a new person,” she said.
The pyramid village also offers barefoot stone baths, a technique used in Austrian hospitals to help stimulate organs. Hontzsch said walking on the stones can provide feedback on internal health.
“You can diagnose your own organs if you walk over certain stones,” she said.
Yoga sessions are offered regularly and can attract more than 30 participants. Guests also learn about European natural remedies designed to strengthen healthy cells.
“If you are sick, your good cells need to get stronger,” Hontzsch said.
She believes combining energy, water and movement helps the body heal itself. She said the shape of the pyramids plays a key role in the experience.
“If you are inside the pyramid and your knees are hurting, you will see the water and the pyramid energy working together for healing,” she said.
Weinkrantz said the experience is more than a getaway.
“It’s just a complete relaxation weekend,” she said. “I think it would be great for a corporate retreat or team-building.”
Hontzsch also teaches guests about the surrounding environment, encouraging them to learn about the local plants and flowers on the property.
After years of work to bring her dream to life, Hontzsch said the most meaningful part is seeing the effect the space has on others.
“If I see their happy faces and they tell me, ‘I’m coming again,’ that’s the biggest success,” she said.