Oshun Mountain Sanctuary, Inc. (OM Sanctuary), the new owner of the iconic former Richmond Hill Inn, is a non-profit dedicated to creating a center for rejuvenation that provides wellness programs and experiences to renew the body, mind and spirit, reconnecting individuals with themselves, their community, and nature. As people look for ways to de-stress and re-educate themselves on wellness, locations offering a beautiful setting coupled with life enhancement programs, contemplative space, mindful living, healthy food, body/mind centered classes (such as yoga), and spa services all in a unified complex are gaining in worldwide popularity. OM Sanctuary, when completed, will be one of these beautiful destination places to rest and renew.
Funds to help purchase the property were donated by Shelli and Brad Stanback’s philanthropic fund and other generous donors.According to the previous owners of Richmond Hill Inn, the Michel Family, “OM Sanctuary is a project that we as a family believe in. Richmond Hill Inn was a labor of love for our family – our gift to the community of serenity and beauty coupled with wonderful food and preservation of the 1889 Victorian Mansion built by Richmond Pearson that we rehabilitated to honor and preserve a piece of the rich history of WNC. OM Sanctuary, we believe, represents the next generation of what Asheville is and has been noted for – health, wellness and rejuvenation.”
OM Sanctuary is the brainchild of Shelli Lodge Stanback, OM Sanctuary Board Chair and a long time advocate for the “Whole Person and Whole Planet” concept. For over 25 years she has been an event coordinator and practitioner bringing transformation and wellness arts to the Asheville area. Shelli and her husband Brad have a long history of dedicated efforts toward land preservation and restoration projects including their long time support of RiverLink.
“I always knew Asheville, with its nurturing mountains, streams, and outstanding talent sprinkled throughout the region, would be an amazing location for a wellness-oriented retreat center,” offers Shelli Stanback.
“The inspiration to pursue this project came while standing quietly near the Richmond Hill Inn gardens. Maybe it was all the love the Michels poured into the property but in that moment, I could see the Sanctuary with all its potential.”
To jump-start OM Sanctuary’s operations, the non-profit hired Zimmer Associates International to conduct a weeklong charette in June to outline the variety of functions that OM Sanctuary will embrace and offer to the public. Zimmer Associates International is a design and real estate consultation company specializing in hotels, resorts, wellness spas, private residences and commercial buildings. They utilize natural design principles to create living environments that align earth, mind and spirit and enhance their natural and cultural settings.
