Photograph by Quenest Harrington
Atlanta is the kind of city where you never know what gem might be hiding inside an industrial building, down a narrow street, across from a body shop. So perhaps you would not be surprised to learn that inside one such building, down one such street, and across from one such body shop exists a Honduran paradise.
When you walk through the door at Sebi’s Daughters at the MET Atlanta in Adair Park, you are immediately transported to a tropical forest, complete with mangroves climbing the walls, soothing music in the air, and the sounds of a gentle, burbling waterfall.
This spa and event space comes to us from Kellie Bowman, an entrepreneur and the daughter of the late Alfredo Darrington Bowman, a famed and sometimes controversial herbalist healer from Honduras who was known as Dr. Sebi. He was well known for creating the Dr. Sebi Diet, also called the Dr. Sebi Alkaline Diet, a plant-based eating regimen that focuses, she explains, on “the importance of whole foods, intracellular cleansing, along with learning how to eat and build more nutritious meals.”
Bowman, a nurse for more than 20 years, carries forward her father’s philosophies and approach with her company, which creates and sells all-natural body butters, gummies, soaps, and supplements. Sebi’s Daughters also offers by-appointment Pilates classes, spa treatments, and wellness consulting.
During my visit, I was given a tour of the two-story space, which features lush greenery, wood accents, and a room that honors Dr. Sebi with photos, mementos, and documents from his legal battles. He died in 2016 in Honduras while awaiting trial for money laundering but was seen as a healthcare hero to many, including celebrities like Michael Jackson and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. “We’re honoring him here,” Bowman says.
After looking at photos from Honduras and a map of Dr. Sebi’s journey to the United States, I walked through an open, 2,500-square-foot area called the Honduran Experience (which can be rented through peerspace.com) with exposed pipes, columns, brick, and concrete. Then I went up the stairs to meet with my massage therapist, who wore a jaunty metal crown and dug into my tight muscles with just the right amount of pressure. Note for the shy: There’s not much privacy—just a few curtains—but it is not a busy place. I was there alone with the therapist and Bowman, and I felt completely at peace.
The treatment included stretching, which helped open up my tight hips, and energy work, during which the therapist spoke lovely affirmations that replayed in my head after I left. And though I hit traffic on the way home, I still held on to the Honduran Experience feeling of tropical nirvana.
This article appears in our May 2023 issue.
