Field Trip's New Clinic Offers (Legal) Psychedelics-Powered Healthcare in Santa Monica

Los Angeles has long been a haven for health-minded movements, experimental treatments, and Silicon Valley expats, so it makes sense that the City of Angels would be the newest home for a startup known for bringing a spa-like spin to a revolutionary hallucinogen therapy that's known for its ability to address depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. (Nope, we're not talking magic mushrooms — sadly, psilocybin isn't yet legal in L.A.)

Angelenos looking for psychedelics-powered healthcare can now check into Field Trip Health's first California location in Santa Monica. The Canada-based startup's 4,800-square-foot clinic offers ketamine-enhanced psychotherapy — and though the method isn't new to L.A., the company is approaching it in a decidedly millennial-friendly (read: 'grammable) way.

And yes, we're talking the same drug that earned the nickname "Special K" among ravers, and often confused with horse tranquilizers. No, you won't be getting the equine treatment — rather, Field Trip administers the World Health Organization-approved medicine safely in a supervised environment, and qualified patients must undergo an initial psychiatric consultation before taking the next step in the therapy process.

Ketamine blocks the NMDA receptor, which affects synaptic plasticity (in short, learning and memory function). This results in a mild hypnotic state, an altered sense of sight and sound, and pain relief — in other words, it can be a trip, but Field Trip's clinic offers a safe and guided setting.

As far as the treatments, prices range from $2,500 to $5,700 and include a psychiatry consultation; ketamine sessions; and preparation, exploration, and integration psychotherapy sessions; as well as unlimited access to Field Trip's digital therapy platform.

The space itself was designed to feel "safe, peaceful, calming and grounding," Field Trip Health's head of design, Skylar Rote, tells UncoverLA. "The intentions are always for everyone who enters the centers to feel at home and inspired, to feel a deep sense of hope and transformation. These spaces are intended to hold a powerful container for people's lives to change."

The Westside health center features a wall of honeycomb shelves filled with moss and "intentionally-placed crystals, each holding a different and unique energy to add to the overall intentions," says Rote. The treatment rooms feature her handmade murals, and the space also houses a post-treatment lounge and a meditation and group therapy space. Natural light and soft hues bring a coastal atmosphere to the space, which Rote says is inspired by "the ocean and the open vast feeling it can create."

The company has four other North America locations in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and Toronto, and overseas in Amsterdam.

Intrigued? See more inside the relaxation-inducing space and scroll through the gallery above, learn more about Field Trip Health and see if you qualify for treatment here, and see below for the location.

Field Trip Health, 1538 20th St., Santa Monica, 90404; (888) 519-6016