Seattle’s First Canna-Friendly Airbnb
Nestled in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle, the city’s very own bud and breakfast, Winston House, offers much more than imagined. I expected a chic, three story cabin on a quiet street… what I got was more than I envisioned.
In my head the house was simple, yet comfortable, with tie dye or Bob Marley tapestries adorning the walls under blacklights and glow in the dark pot leaves. The cookies in the cookie jar were carefully concocted edibles or even perfectly trimmed nugs. There would be a peace/love vibe, comparable to the flower power days of the early 60s. Actually, that last thing was pretty head on. Aside from the “it’s all love” vibe, my other assumptions were way off. Way, way off.
Recall, if you will, the 1971 fantasy musical, “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Willy leads the group of unsuspecting candy fiends to a small door, no bigger than an Oompa Loompa. On the other side of the itty bitty door, is a grand room with a river made entirely out of chocolate. There was no chocolate river inside the Winston House, but appearances from the outside were certainly and marvelously deceiving. You enter from the second floor and find yourself in a grand, open space that felt and smelled like I imagined the Shire might.
The space encourages comfort and conversation. With high ceilings and beautiful hard wood, the joint is posh. To the right of the kitchen, located just off the the main gathering room, a ladder leads up to the perfect little nook of an attic that I fantasized about taking over to write my great novel. To the left of the kitchen is a spiral staircase that leads to the living area. There are three bedrooms, two baths, a hot tub and a garden that I later learned is far more than grass and trees. My humble guide explained he likes to encourage guests to smoke a joint and sit back against a tree in the wild back yard. It is the sort of place that might inspire an “Alice in Wonderland” reboot.
The owner and proprietor of the Winston House is a human I have come to cherish, Mr. Sebastian DeRosia. He’s immediately a gracious, welcoming host. None of this “Hi, good to know ya” hand shaking nonsense. You get a hug. A good hug, with genuine warmth that manages to be the opposite of awkward.
After a quick tour of the Winston, it was quite obvious that this dwelling was more than just a modernized bed and breakfast. I asked DeRosia if he offered cannabis or cannabis products to his guests. He explained that occasionally patrons will leave something green behind to be found by another lucky guest, but that cannabis wasn’t entirely the focal point of the Winston experience. Rather, it’s a judgment free environment for smokers to smoke, not a dispensary. The castle and its king, I discovered, offer a great many holistic healing experiences that range from addiction management and trauma recovery, to toxin relief therapy.
DeRosia offers infused massages and cannabis counseling in addition to detox therapies. This leads us to the topic of the Kambo Detox Treatment. According to the Winston House website, ““Kambo” refers to the ancient, traditional Shamanic process of using frog venom to detoxify and strengthen the body and mind.” The venom, the site states, is derived from the Giant Monkey Frog, a native of the Northwest Amazon rainforest. “For centuries, the tribes living in the area have held this frog in high regard, using its secretions in rituals and ceremonies to boost agility and strength as an integral part of their hunting magic.”
DeRosia isn’t one to mince words or tiptoe around specifics . Concerning the Kambo; “It sucks for about twenty minutes. It sucks a lot. You will definitely vomit, urinate and probably defecate. Not to worry, I will be by your side the whole way through and that stuff doesn’t bother me.” Of course, I appreciate how comfortable he would try to make me, but at the time our relationship hadn’t evolved to that special place.
This small side effect shouldn’t deter anyone from experiencing the Kambo therapy. Ninety-eight percent of people make it to the bathroom. There is also a 98 percent chance I would be the one percent that didn’t, but I’ll leave clean up to Alchemist DeRosia.
After the hard part is over, there’s a considerable sense of relief. Not only have you purged so many nasty, stored toxins but to be free of the considerable discomfort is liberating. Sort of like when you catch a gnarly flu and immediately kick yourself for not appreciating your good health.
DeRosia, a Seattle native, has a longstanding interest in all matters to do with consciousness, cannabis, and plant-based medicines.
It was after studying Kambo in the Amazon that DeRosia began counselling people in the West, helping them to discover alternative and holistic solutions to free them from dependency on pharmaceuticals.
With more than 15 years in the health and wellness industry, he sought to bring his knowledge and services to the general public with a one-on-one consultation service. With this, he combines traditional, indigenous technologies with the most innovative methodologies available. His consulting services pay particular attention to habits and addiction, self-optimization, biohacking and consciousness development.
DeRosia recognized another opportunity; he saw a gap in the market, one which provides accommodation to travelers visiting Washington State while allowing access to cannabis for medicinal purposes. In 2016, he opened the Winston House.
In the future, he hopes to attract many more visitors with his passion and dedication for promoting the intentional use of plant medicines such as cannabis. With a vast network of professionals dedicated to educating people on the numerous benefits this approach to healthcare can bring, DeRosia is dedicated to helping start a revolution in the way that we look at medicine.
To learn more, visit TheWinstonHouse.com or contact Sebastian directly at Sebastian@thewinstonhouse.com
or call (206) 660-6251
Comments