Question 1

What is Atlas Cove?

Accepted Answer

Atlas Cove is a longevity retreat grounded in the science of how the body builds capacity, as much by what is removed as by what is added. We take away the noise, then add the right stressors at the right hours: movement and light in the morning, heat and cold in the late afternoon, sleep treated as serious medicine. The goal is more capacity and better years, not the absence of disease.

Question 2

What is the Atlas Capacity Protocol?

Accepted Answer

The Atlas Capacity Protocol is our methodology, drawn from current research across sleep, nutrition, strength, recovery, mitochondrial biology, and mental health. It gives every hour of the day a reason to exist and a measurable result to show for it. It is the framework that runs every retreat.

Question 3

Is Atlas Cove a clinic or a spa?

Accepted Answer

Neither. Atlas Cove is a longevity retreat and residency. We are not a regulated medical provider, we do not diagnose or treat disease, and we do not seek to optimise a single metric. We run structured protocols across movement, nutrition, recovery, sleep, and mental health.

Question 4

Who founded Atlas Cove?

Accepted Answer

Lisa Wuerden (CEO, mental health and philosophy) and Tom Wuerden (CFO/COO, strength training and nutrition). Both are on property the entire retreat. The operating company is Atlas Cove, Lda., registered in Portugal.

Question 5

When is the retreat?

Accepted Answer

Arrive Tuesday 1 September 2026 from 15:00. Depart Sunday 6 September 2026 by 11:00. Five nights, six days.

Question 6

Where does it take place?

Accepted Answer

Casas na Ferraria — a private Portuguese quinta in Sesimbra, forty minutes south of Lisbon, framed by the cliffs of Serra da Arrábida natural park. We take over the entire estate for the week. Not a hotel block inside a larger operation.

Question 7

How small is the group?

Accepted Answer

Ten to twenty guests, maximum ten rooms. Faculty-to-guest ratio between 1:5 and 1:7 across the retreat. Genuinely small for this price tier.

Question 8

What does a day look like?

Accepted Answer

06:30 wake, terrace light, morning sit. Yoga at 08:00, strength at 09:00, cold plunge, breakfast at 10:15. Mental-health deep work from 11:30. Lunch and true rest after 13:00. Sauna at 17:00 (timed to peak kidney qi in the TCM clock). Dinner at 18:30. Evening practice and journaling. Lights out at 21:00, 9.5-hour protected sleep window.

Question 9

What's the methodology?

Accepted Answer

The Atlas Capacity Protocol. Three structured mental-health touchpoints every full day (twelve hours across the week). Sun-aligned spatial choreography — east-active mornings, south-passive midday, west-nourishing evenings, north-protected sleep. Grip-strength baseline on Day 2 and closing measurement on Day 5. A take-home protocol of three practices (daily, weekly, monthly) you design on Day 5.

Question 10

Who are the partners?

Accepted Answer

Three named operators, each best-in-category. Sunna Saunas supply the wood-fired sauna and cold plunge for the week. Nourish & Nosh prepare every meal. Drip IV Portugal provide clinical IV therapy (opt-in, out of pocket, by appointment).

Question 11

Are the founders present the whole time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Lisa and Tom are on property from Day 1 through Day 6. Vera Rodrigues joins as visiting yoga teacher on Days 2–5 mornings. Massage therapist available Days 3–5 afternoons by booking.

Question 12

Do I really give up my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Phones go to reception from the welcome dinner onwards and stay there for the week. We hold the line, no exceptions. The protected sleep window and the depth of the mental-health work depend on this.

Question 13

Is there alcohol?

Accepted Answer

No alcohol on the menu. Eating window closes at 19:15 each evening, protecting a 14-hour overnight fast. Welcome and closing dinners run as six-course candle-lit events without alcohol.

Question 14

What's the food like?

Accepted Answer

All meals prepared on-site by Nourish & Nosh — protein-forward, anti-inflammatory, low-glycemic, locally sourced where possible. Six daily long-table meals: pre-yoga snack (07:40), breakfast (10:15), lunch (13:00), dinner (18:30), plus welcome and closing dinners. Dietary accommodations handled via pre-arrival questionnaire (vegetarian, pescatarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-FODMAP, most allergens).

Question 15

How do I get there?

Accepted Answer

Closest airport: Lisbon Portela (LIS), 50 minutes by road. We recommend arriving by 14:00 Tuesday 1 September and departing after 13:00 Sunday 6 September. Group airport transfer is included on the recommended windows. Private transfer outside the window is bookable at cost.

Question 16

How much does the retreat cost?

Accepted Answer

Per person, for the full Atlas Cove Protocol: private room €3,950, shared room for two guests €2,800, single willing to share €3,200.

Question 17

What's included in the price?

Accepted Answer

Accommodation, all meals across the week, daily yoga and strength, daily sauna and cold plunge, mental-health and knowledge sessions, the dawn beach excursion, welcome and closing dinners, take-home protocol design, a welcome kit, and a group airport transfer on the recommended windows. Founders Lisa and Tom on property the entire retreat.

Question 18

What's NOT included?

Accepted Answer

Flights. Travel insurance. Optional add-ons booked on-site (massage, private yoga or movement assessments, IV therapy and bloodwork, red light therapy). Add-ons are paid separately through the host.

Question 19

What do the add-ons cost?

Accepted Answer

Massage €110 (60 min) or €150 (90 min). Private yoga class €130, private nutrition consult €125, movement assessment or personal coaching €110. Full-body red light therapy €65 for one session, €160 for three. IV drip and bloodwork are via Drip IV Portugal: a €15 coordination fee at booking, treatment paid on-site. All opt-in, all out of pocket.

Question 20

What is the cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

25% deposit at booking, balance due 30 days before arrival. Free cancellation within 72 hours of booking. Deposit refund: 100% at 60+ days before the start, 50% at 30 to 59 days, none inside 30 days. Any balance paid is refundable up to 30 days before, non-refundable inside 30 days. Travel insurance covering retreat cancellation is recommended.

Question 21

How do I book?

Accepted Answer

Directly on atlascove.health. Apply through the 'Book your stay' button on the retreat page, hold your room with a 25% deposit, and we confirm your place personally. We respond within 48 hours.

Question 22

Is there a referral programme?

Accepted Answer

Yes. €150 cash credit to the referrer and €150 off the friend's first retreat. Paid after the friend's deposit clears and the non-refundable date passes. Maximum five successful referrals per person per retreat. Doesn't combine with other discounts.

Question 23

Who is this retreat designed for?

Accepted Answer

Professionally engaged adults, 30 to 60, who want longevity and functional-medicine rigour rather than spa hospitality, prefer structure over buffet-style optionality, want founders accessible, are willing to give up the phone for the week, and value mental and emotional work alongside physical health.

Question 24

Who is it NOT for?

Accepted Answer

People who want resort activities and unstructured days, need a phone available throughout, want alcohol with dinner, prefer a high-intensity fitness boot camp, are seeking diagnosis or treatment of a specific medical condition, or are travelling with children. Adults only, 18+.

Question 25

I'm not an athlete. Is this for me?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The strength sessions are progressive and individually scaled. The grip-strength baseline gives you a starting line; the closing measurement shows the trajectory. The retreat is not a bootcamp.

Question 26

Can I come with a partner?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The 'Shared room for two guests' category is the lowest per-person price. Couples often choose to do the work side by side. The protocol still runs as a group; private rooms ensure your own recovery space.

Question 27

Can I come alone?

Accepted Answer

Yes — most guests come solo. Choose 'Private room' for your own room, or 'Single willing to share' for a lower price with a shared room (we match same-sex pairs by default).

Question 28

What is Atlas Capacity?

Accepted Answer

Atlas Capacity is your living health profile, designed to compound across visits. Across our retreats and the Atlas Cove app, we track strength, endurance, sleep, recovery, metabolic markers, and stress resilience over time. At the Founding Circle Retreat the headline measurement is grip strength (baseline + closing). The full digital Atlas Capacity score arrives with the app.

Question 29

Why grip strength?

Accepted Answer

Grip strength is one of the strongest predictors of all-cause mortality and a fast, repeatable proxy for whole-body capacity. One concrete number you take home alongside your qualitative protocol.

Question 30

Where is my health data stored?

Accepted Answer

On infrastructure we own, hosted in Germany with Hetzner (ISO 27001 certified data centres in Falkenstein and Nuremberg). Health data never leaves our infrastructure. We do not send raw health data to any third-party AI provider, analytics tool, or marketing platform.

Question 31

Is the Atlas Cove app available now?

Accepted Answer

The app is in development. Members on the waitlist will receive access before public availability.

Question 32

What is the difference between an event and a retreat?

Accepted Answer

Events are short, low-commitment formats — coffee mornings, conference gatherings, day-long immersives — designed to introduce you to the team and the Atlas approach. Retreats are multi-night residencies running the full Atlas Capacity Protocol.

Question 33

Is there a membership?

Accepted Answer

A year-round membership is in design as the connective tissue between stays — remote coaching, accountability, app access, member community. Pricing and launch date announced when we open public bookings.

Question 34

Can I get on the waitlist?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every page on this site has a Join the Waitlist button. We confirm by email and keep you in the loop as cohorts open.

questions people ask us.

About Atlas Cove

The September 2026 Retreat

Pricing and booking

Is this for me?

Measurement and data

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