How Does a Retreat Venue Know What You Need Before You Ask
When you lead a retreat, your attention belongs to your guests. But somewhere in the background, a second list keeps…
Putu Maryam Rachman is the founder of Floating Leaf and its sister property, Bodhi Leaf Wellness. For more than ten years, she’s worked directly with retreat leaders hosting their own groups in Bali, not as a hands-off owner, but as the person retreat leaders actually reach when they’re planning logistics, from first inquiry through the day their group arrives.
A descendant of the Balinese Royal Family of Karangasem, Putu built Floating Leaf on land she purchased in 2002 and donated, before any construction began, to the local village so it could keep growing rice there. Floating Leaf itself didn’t open until 2012, built according to Balinese tradition and blessed by the surrounding community, a relationship that continues today. That same philosophy, Tri Hita Karana, balance between people, each other, and nature, shapes how Floating Leaf runs for every retreat leader who books it.
Before Floating Leaf, Putu owned and managed a spa in central California, experience that shaped the operational and hospitality side of how the venue runs today. She leads a team of wellness and hospitality specialists on-site, from the Melati Spa’s therapists to the kitchen team known for rebuilding its menu entirely around a group’s dietary needs rather than working from a fixed one. She also stays personally involved in the program itself: a sound healing session can be built directly into a group’s retreat, led by Putu herself rather than handed off to a rotating staff member, a detail an independent 2024 feature in The Art of Healing magazine noted directly. That work is backed by real training, certifications in Yoga for Healing Therapy and Sound Healing from the Indonesian Life Skill Academy, a Sound Healing Therapy Course completed at Sound of Himalaya Retreat in Nepal (part of the global Project Sound for Peace), and the Polyvagal Certificate Course: Safety, Connection and the Human Experience, through the Polyvagal Institute.
Floating Leaf has held TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice award every year since 2014, alongside recognition from Forbes, Vogue, and Conde Nast Traveller, and carries more than 500 five-star reviews. Retreat leaders who book with Floating Leaf work directly with Putu as their point of contact throughout planning.
