THIS IS NOT JUST A VACATION.

It is an immersive experience.

Luang Prabang is one of the most sacred and unhurried cities in Southeast Asia. A UNESCO World Heritage town built at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers, surrounded by mountains, temples, and a living craft tradition that has existed for centuries. It is the kind of place that asks you to slow down, and rewards you when you do.

For five days, you will make things with your hands. You will sit with master artisans. You will cook, dye, pour, etch, and create. You will eat well, sleep well, and walk through a city that feels like it exists outside of time.

You do not need to be a jeweler. You do not need any prior craft experience. You need to want to make something real, and be willing to let a place like Luang Prabang do the rest.

WHY LUANG PRABANG. WHY NOW.

I found Luang Prabang by accident.

We were planning a Southeast Asian trip and I was searching for somewhere eclectic, unhurried, and full of art. The search kept returning to one city. It had never been on my radar, but the universe knew this was the moment, so we booked it anyway.

When we arrived, we explored, relaxed, and happened to end up in a fun expat bar that opened the door.. And then we met Steven. From there we saw the residency property, and learned about the artisans and experiences he had built relationships with over years, something clicked. This was not a place I had to build a retreat around. It was a place that already was one.

I have always wanted to teach. The opportunity had never presented itself in a way that felt right, and I told myself that when it did, I would take it. This was my moment.. letting go of fear, letting go of imposter syndrome and stepping into a moment i’ve been seeking for years.

I have been traveling my entire life. The experiences we collect through travel are what anchor us as humans. They reconnect us to ourselves, to other people, and to what actually matters. Part of what I believe deeply is that sharing those experiences, and making them accessible, is how we make the world more open and more alive for everyone.

This retreat is not specifically a jewelry retreat. It is for anyone who is open to being creative. Anyone willing to slow down, learn something new, and be in a place that feels like a genuine jumping-off point. You do not need to be a metalsmith. You do not need any prior craft experience. You need to want to make something real with your hands and be willing to let a place like Luang Prabang do the rest.

This retreat exists because of a chance discovery, a conversation with the right person, and a city that made it all feel inevitable.

Alex, Founder of Acid Queen Jewelry

WHY SALTWATER ETCHING

Saltwater etching was one of the first jewelry techniques I ever learned. It has always felt like magic to me.

You take your own art, your own symbols, your own drawings, and you transfer them onto metal. Then through water, salt, and a small electrical current, the metal receives your image. It is a chemical process, but it feels like something else entirely.

I chose it for this retreat because it requires no fire and no prior metalsmithing experience. Whether you have been working with metal for years or have never touched it, you can do this. What you bring to it is your creativity, your symbols, what you want to carry with you. The technique does the rest.

You will leave with a pendant, a bracelet, or another piece of your choosing. Something that began as an idea and became an object. That is the whole point.

If you have symbols or art you would like us to prepare prior to the retreat, send it our way.

WHAT IS INCLUDED

• Five nights accommodation at the Madilao Hotel
• Daily hotel breakfast
• Welcome tea and intention-setting ritual
• Talisman Workshop with Alex (saltwater brass etching, full day)
• Traditional Lao silversmithing seminar with master artisans
• Farm tour, hands-on cooking class, and lunch at The Teahouse
• Tea-making workshop (six varieties)
• Mulberry papermaking workshop
• Mae Onn Museum textile tour
• Traditional indigo dyeing workshop
• Village lunch hosted by a local family restaurant
• Welcome dinner (five-course traditional Lao meal)
• Closing ceremony and dinner (seven courses)
• Transport to The Teahouse on Day 4
• A half-day guided tour of the surrounding area
• Airport shuttle to and from Luang Prabang International Airport (LPQ)

Optional add-on: Daily morning yin yoga sessions (see Yoga section below)

Not included: Flights, travel insurance (required) , personal meals outside of retreat programming, optional guided temple tour, personal shopping

YOUR FIVE DAYS

DAY 1
FEBRUARY 15

Arrival. Settle In. Begin.

Check-in to the Madilao Hotel and let Luang Prabang find you.

We recommend arriving one to two days early if you can. If you want suggestions for how to spend those days before the retreat begins, we will include a curated list in your welcome packet.

Your first retreat afternoon is intentionally unstructured. Walk to the river. Sit with the sounds of the city. Let the pace of this place replace the pace you arrived with (our contact information will be provided in the welcome packet and we’re here to answer questions)

In the evening, we gather for the first time. We open with a welcome tea and intention-setting ritual, a moment to name what you are carrying in and what you are hoping to leave with. For those who have added yoga to their retreat, we move into our first session together, a gentle yin practice designed to ground you in your body after travel. Nothing strenuous. Just a beginning.

We close the night with a five-course traditional Lao welcome dinner. This is not a restaurant meal. It is a table set with intention, shared with the people who will become your people by the end of the week.

Included: Hotel breakfast, welcome tea, intention-setting ritual, welcome dinner. Optional add-on: Morning yoga. Airport shuttle available from Luang Prabang International Airport (LPQ).

DAY 2
FEBRUARY 16

The Talisman Workshop.

For those who have added yoga, we begin with morning yin from 8 to 9am. Then we move into the studio.

From 9:30 am to noon, Alex guides you through the full saltwater brass etching process. You will design your talisman, transfer your symbols onto metal, and watch the etching process reveal your work. This is not a kit. There is no template. Every piece begins with what you bring to it.You will have the option to create a pendant, a bracelet, or another piece of your choosing. The workshop is open for creativity and fun. Come with ideas or come with nothing and let the process lead you.

After lunch at the residency café, we return to the studio from 1 to 5pm for finishing and assembly. Filing, sanding, polishing, adding findings. You will leave holding something you made with your hands, start to finish, in a single day.

The evening is yours. The Night Market is a 15 to 20 minute walk through a safe and beautiful city, or take the hotel shuttle or a tuktuk for a few dollars. Stay out late or come back early. There is no agenda after 5pm.

Included: Hotel breakfast, talisman workshop with Alex, lunch. Optional add-on: Morning yoga.

DAY 3
FEBRUARY 17

The Silversmiths. The City.

After optional morning yoga, we visit a traditional Lao silversmithing studio for a seminar and history presentation with master artisans. You will be in the room with craftspeople whose families have practiced this work for generations. You will learn the techniques, the history, and the cultural significance of Lao silverwork. There is also an opportunity to purchase directly from the artisans.

From there, we move into the city together for lunch on your own, a chance to wander and discover at your own pace.

The afternoon includes a half-day guided tour of the surrounding area, including temples and sites you would not find on your own. This tour is optional, but we highly recommend it. Luang Prabang reveals itself differently when you have someone who knows it walking beside you.

The hotel shuttle runs on a set schedule so you can stay in town as long as you like, or hire a tuktuk for a quick and easy return.

Included: Hotel breakfast, silversmithing seminar, half-day tour. Lunch is at your own expense. Optional add-on: Morning yoga.

DAY 4
FEBRUARY 18

The Farm. The Tea. The Slow Morning.

We travel to The Teahouse, a garden café and creative hub in Xangkhong Village, just minutes from the UNESCO World Heritage town center. Transport is provided by truck. No walking required, though the route is beautiful if you prefer to make your own way.

The morning is a full farm immersion. We tour the organic gardens, participate in the harvest, and cook a traditional Lao meal together in a hands-on cooking class. Lunch is included as part of the experience. Vegetarian, vegan, and allergy-friendly options are available. Just let us know your needs when you register.

In the afternoon, we move into a tea-making workshop. Six varieties of tea, each with its own history and preparation. You will blend, taste, and leave with tea you made yourself.

This is the quietest day of the retreat. No metal. No tools. Just your hands in soil, your nose in herbs, and a table full of food you helped prepare.

Included: Hotel breakfast, transport to The Teahouse, farm tour, cooking class with lunch, tea workshop. Optional add-on: Morning yoga.

DAY 5
FEBRUARY 19

Paper. Textiles. The Closing.

The final day is built around two of Luang Prabang's oldest living crafts.

We begin with optional morning yoga, then move into a mulberry papermaking workshop. You will learn to transform mulberry bark into handmade paper from start to finish, designing, creating, and laying your sheets to dry.

From there, we visit the Mae Onn Museum, home to an extraordinary collection of antique and contemporary Lao textiles handcrafted from silk and cotton. A curator walks us through how these pieces are used in sacred ceremonies and everyday life. You will meet artists working on hand-operated looms in the adjoining studio.

Lunch is hosted by a local family restaurant in town, serving traditional Lao food. Vegetarian, vegan, and allergy-friendly options are available.

The afternoon is spent in the Mae Onn textile studio for a traditional indigo dyeing workshop. Natural dyes, ancient technique, a scarf that is entirely yours.

We close at 6pm with a ceremony and a seven-course dinner. This is the moment to reflect on what you made, what you learned, and what you are taking home.

Included: Hotel breakfast, papermaking workshop, museum visit, family restuarant lunch, indigo dying workshop, closing ceremony and dinner. Optional add-on: Morning yoga.

ADD YOGA TO YOUR RETREAT

Each morning begins with an optional yin yoga session from 8 to 9am, led by a local instructor in a dedicated studio space. Yin is a slow, grounding practice focused on deep stretching and stillness. It is appropriate for all levels, including complete beginners.

Yoga is not included in the base retreat price. It is an optional add-on for those who want a daily practice woven into their week.

Early registration pricing (before August 1, 2026): $68 for the full retreat series. After August 1, 2026: $99.

If you have never done yoga before, this is a gentle and welcoming place to start. If you have a regular practice, this will feel like a natural extension of your week.

WHERE YOU WILL STAY

Madilao Hotel, Luang Prabang

The Madilao is where your mornings begin and your evenings end, and it earns both.

Breakfast is a full daily spread of warm dishes, fresh juice, and fruit, the kind of breakfast that makes you slow down before the day starts. Rooms have air conditioning, private bathrooms, and balconies with garden or mountain views. The outdoor swimming pool is open year-round. There is a sun terrace, a bar, an outdoor fireplace, and massage services on site.

The location is one of the best things about it. The hotel sits just 0.6 miles from Luang Prabang International Airport, which makes arrival and departure simple. The hotel shuttle runs regularly into town. The Night Market is a 15 to 20 minute walk through a safe and lively city, or take the shuttle or a tuktuk for just a few dollars.

Free WiFi is available throughout the property. Airport shuttle is included.

This is a hotel that feels like a home base for the week.

THE NIGHT MARKET

No visit to Luang Prabang is complete without an evening at the Night Market, and you will have several opportunities to go.

The market runs nightly along the main street and past the National Museum, with around 250 vendors selling handmade goods produced by local ethnic groups. Textiles, ceramics, antiques, paintings, silver, bags, tea, coffee, and items made from recycled materials you will not find anywhere else. This is the most extensive collection of handicrafts in the country, and every visit turns up something new.

When you shop here, you are directly supporting the families who made what you are holding. That matters in Luang Prabang.

When you are done browsing, the street opens into restaurants and local food stalls. Sticky rice, grilled chicken, papaya salad, steamed fish in banana leaf, iced coffee, and baguettes that carry the trace of the French colonial era filtered through a Lao sensibility. Eat well. Walk slowly. Stay as long as you want.

The market is a 15 to 20 minute walk from the Madilao through a safe and well-lit city center. The hotel shuttle and inexpensive tuktuks are always available for the return trip.

The Night Market is not an excursion. It is just what evenings look like here.

FEBRUARY IN LUANG PRABANG

February is one of the best months to visit.

The city sits in its cool dry season, with daytime temperatures ranging from the low 70s to the low 80s Fahrenheit (22 to 28 Celsius). Mornings and evenings are cooler, around 60 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 18 Celsius), which makes the yoga sessions and outdoor activities genuinely comfortable. Humidity is low. Rain is rare.

The light in February is clear and golden. The air smells like incense and river water. The streets are calm without being empty.

Pack light layers for mornings and evenings. Breathable clothing for the days. Comfortable walking shoes. A light jacket for after dark.

This is Luang Prabang at its best.

AN INVESTMENT IN MORE THAN YOURSELF

This retreat was designed to create something that expands in both directions.

Inward, for you. Five days of making, learning, slowing down, and coming home to yourself in a place that invites exactly that.

Outward, for Luang Prabang. Every element of this experience is sourced locally and intentionally. The artisans, the restaurants, the guides, the farm, the museum. Your participation directly supports the people and places that make this city worth traveling to, and helps build toward future artist residencies at The Teahouse.

We wanted this retreat to be something you could say yes to without hesitation. That was a design decision, not an accident.

THE PERFECT JUMPING-OFF POINT

Many guests will be combining this retreat with a broader Southeast Asian trip, and Luang Prabang is ideally positioned for exactly that.

From here, you are close to some of the most compelling destinations in the region. Vietnam offers Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), and Da Nang. Thailand offers Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and the southern islands. Cambodia offers Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. All are accessible and all are worth the extension.

If you want suggestions on how to build a trip around the retreat, we are happy to help. It is highly suggested to plan to fly from a major SE Asian hub such as Bangkok to break up your trip and acclimate to the new time 1-2 days before. We are working on the official welcome packet and will include suggested itineraries. 

INVESTMENT

PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Your $500 deposit secures your spot. The remaining balance is split into two equal payments on fixed dates, so you always know exactly what is coming and when.

DEPOSIT

$500 due at registration

SECOND PAYMENT

$475 due October 30, 2026

FINAL PAYMENT

$475 due December 1, 2026

Prefer to pay in full? You can pay the complete $1,450 at registration just contact us.

REGISTRATION WINDOWS

Early Registration — Now through August 1 Reserve your spot and add Morning Yoga at the discounted rate.

Open Registration — August 2 through September 30 Spots are still available. Morning Yoga add-on at standard rate.

All first deposits must be received by September 30. After that, registration closes.

Please review the cancellation policy below carefully before registering. We recommend travel insurance to protect your investment.

CANCELLATION POLICY

Please read this carefully before registering. By completing your registration and submitting your deposit, you agree to the following terms.

Before September 30, 2026 You may cancel and receive a full refund of all payments made, minus your $500 deposit. Your deposit is non-refundable.

October 1 - November 30, 2026 You may cancel and receive a 50% refund of the total amount paid at the time of cancellation. The remaining 50% is non-refundable.

December 1, 2026 - January 14, 2027 No refunds will be issued. You may apply the full amount paid as a credit toward a future Acid Queen retreat, subject to availability.

January 15, 2027 and beyond All payments are non-refundable. No credits or transfers will be issued.

Transfers You may transfer your spot to another eligible guest at no charge before October 30, 2026. Transfers requested after October 30 are subject to a $100 transfer fee. All transfers must be approved in advance.

If the Retreat is Cancelled by Acid Queen Jewelry In the unlikely event that we must cancel the retreat, all participants will receive a full refund of all payments made, including the deposit. We are not responsible for airfare or other personal travel costs. This is another reason we strongly recommend travel insurance.