We went to Erykah Badu and Desa Potato Head's Wellness Festival

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“My name is Erykah Badu and I are a chill mom.”

It's 6:30 am. on his roof Desa Potato Head and a host of yogis, writers, singers, dancers, reiki healers, crystal experts and at least two corporate lawyers sit cross-legged on plush yoga mats. Locals and tourists have gathered here for Merasa, a 7-day wellness festival co-edited by Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and doula Erykah Badu.

“I'm amazing today. We're going out and it's going to be great.”

Badu leads the group through a sunrise meditation. Aura readings, intuitive movement classes, Balinese astrology sessions and nipple molding (yes) are a sampling of the other activations on Merasa's playbill. The festival kicks off with a much-anticipated performance by Badu herself.

“I invite everyone to stand up and do your own two minute silent meditation. To set your daily schedule, schedule your mood, recruit nutrients,” Badu says slowly. A quartet plays a medley of Indonesian bonangs while waves crash on Bali's Seminyak coastline. “I know it's going to be a great day. I know that is.”

And with that final phrase, Badu sums up Merasa's mission statement: an invitation to harness your own silence.

EVEIA festival AT A GLANCE

TODAY: 7 DAYS OF RESPONSE

Merasa, an Indonesian word that translates to touch, is a week-long program that invites participants to name their anxieties instead of dragging them away. The itinerary has been built under Potato Head's director of wellness Kim Herben in collaboration with Badu. Additional partners like it note, Fa' Pawakaand KT The Arch Degree they are respected professionals in their field. Guests receive itineraries tailored to them, but are welcome to attend as many sessions as they like.

Here is my lesson. Daily sunrise rituals, an ecosomatic poetry workshop led by Shannon Mae Powellyoga guided by Zenea Latifah to live electronic sounds, a meditation with music Bruno Seatonand a panel on Balinese cosmology and the healing elements of water with tour-leader/tjok-gde-kerthyasa” target=”_blank”>Tjok Gde Kerthyasa. Badu, a certified life and death doula, engages in a dialogue about Eastern and Western death rites that I can't follow, but sadly miss.

Led Light Vibration Therapy note stands out. You lie on a waterbed equipped with vibrating speakers while a light show overhead stimulates your third eye. I end the hour with an eloquent “what the hell?” because I'm pretty sure I just spent 60 minutes hallucinating.

I even meet with Medina Laxmy of Gems of a Moonchild. Yes, I am given a crash course on crystals and yes, I am skeptical, but this is more like therapy than talking about rocks and I really enjoy the session. They give me a pouch full of lapis, citrine and rose quartz. I'm shocked to realize that I might actually use them.

The thread that weaves each practice together is an emphasis on breath. Deep breaths — hold 1, 2, 3 — deep breaths — release 1, 2, 3. It may all be placebo, but I have to say it works. It's the calmest I've felt in a long time.

CLIMAX, A NIGHT CLUB YOU ARE PREPARING

The duality of light and dark is a cornerstone of Balinese culture, and Potato Head appeals to creatives who crave tranquility and vibrant nightlife — both integral to the essence of Merasa. Light, meet darkness.

Klymax, a purpose-driven nightclub, exemplifies purposeful design. The venue was designed from the ground up in collaboration with DJ Harvey and features state-of-the-art acoustically processed sound to manage false frequencies. Music is loud, but conversations are still loud. The floors are designed with bounce to keep your feet comfortable after hours of dancing. Tables and bottle service are notably absent. they all share the same open track.

After Badu's concert on opening night, DJ Harvey hosts an after party at Klymax. Merasa attendees are encouraged to join in, and it's a subtle reminder that wellness isn't the absence of a night out.

DEFINING WELLNESS WITH ERYKAH BADU

As my time at Merasa draws to a close, I begin to panic that the inner peace I felt will disappear the moment I step off the tarmac and speed walk through JFK's Terminal 4. It's easy to feel good on vacation, and I worry that my time in Bali is a placebo.

“Shelter is not wellness,” Badu reassures me over a cup of hot tea. Her signature top hat grazes the tops of her eyelashes. “It could be the distinction between the words you decide to let come into your mind. It's making sure you keep your boundaries when you say you're going to do something. You tell someone how you really feel. This is wellness.” Morning rituals and consistency, according to Badu, are† key.

I tell her that this ritualistic approach is more feasible in an environment like Potato Head, where bills and emails and rush hour seem far away, but how can that feeling go beyond the shores of Seminyak and into the medium's life human? She definitely has bad days and I want to know how she navigates them.

“Difficulty breathing,” Badu says without hesitation. “If I'm not in a good mood, nine times out of 10, it means my heart rate is fast and my breathing is shallow. I think about something I should do or something I didn't do. When I can recognize my breath, I can sit and regulate it. It's really the only thing I have.”

I unwrap my crystals and slide them under my pillow. Quartz for energy, citrine for clarity and lapis for communication. The jury is still out on whether it is a placebo. I can confirm though that breathing works wonders.

“Yoga is not wellness. Meditation is not wellness,” Badu tells a crowd of spectators on opening night. “It's the wish be well.”

OUR REVIEW OF THE DESA POTATO HEAD BALI

The five-star Desa Potato Head sits comfortably The 50 best hotels in the world lists and entices yogis, clubs and culture seekers. Visitors who missed Merasa but are looking for a wellness retreat need not worry. A handful of Merasa's rejuvenating sessions, including light vibration therapy, Balinese therapy and sunrise meditation, are available year-round.

This property doesn't earn its stripes for that is — hotel, art exhibit, beach club, sustainability center — but rather to embrace what is not. Desa Potato Head it is not a classic luxury resort like the others found on the coast of Bali. This is not an exclusive club for the elite. That's what makes it fun.

There are 225 rooms and six restaurants on site. The Dome stands out, serving as a library and co-working space by day and an inventive foodie paradise by night. (It's called the Dome because of its shape; it looks like a restaurant frequented by aliens, and we mean that with respect). Desa is also a reflection of Seminyak's creative spirit. Art exhibits such as a bamboo sculpture titled 'The Womb' by Indonesian artist Nano Uhero are scattered around the village.

A wall of jewel-toned flip-flops washed up on the shores of Seminyak is a nod to Potato Head's carbon-neutral 'Good Times, Do Good' ethos, embodied by a sustainability center called The Sweet Potato Lab. Amenities and furniture are made from recycled materials on site, and visitors can explore the workshop to see sustainability efforts in action.

Final thoughts? We believe everyone should spend time at the Potato Factory for food, fun and reflection. Rates start at $261 per nightmaking it more affordable than most of its company List of the 50 best hotels in the world.