Following Paris Fashion Week in October 2025, Casa Mente welcomed a small group to a private château in South-West France. Mornings began with birdsong and time outside over tea. Fresh juices and hydration rituals preceded movement. At the beginning of the retreat, our Wellness Expert Ashlea McKee took time to understand the group, asking about their experience, their needs and what they hoped to gain from the practice. This informed the Pilates sessions that followed. After the first classes, several guests spoke about becoming aware of their bodies in ways they had not experienced through Pilates before. Over successive mornings, there was time to explore those discoveries with the same teacher. Beyond the sessions, guests had room to decide how to spend their time. A massage could occupy part of an afternoon, or a book, or a walk with the horses. Wine from the estate’s own vineyards was served during the stay. With meals and the practical details of the stay taken care of, there was little to arrange. Guests could spend time alone and come back to the group when they wished.

​

Lunches by the pool kept everyone outside in the October sunshine. Sharing meals over several days gave conversations time to develop and continue over the next meal. The excursion to Biarritz opened the day to the Atlantic and the life of a coastal town. Lunch in a historic palace brought French gastronomy into a different setting, followed by time to walk along the waterfront and explore local shops and brands. After days in the countryside, there was pleasure in being out in town together, with the château waiting at the end of the journey back. For the gala evening, guests dressed for dinner, and the olive-green Morgan took them through the village at sunset. By then, the group had spent several days together. Conversations continued long into the night, beyond the meal around which the evening had been planned. Rest and celebration both had a place in those October days. There was time to practise, to go out, to dress for dinner, and to begin a morning with nothing more pressing than a cup of tea.