Sisters Inna Vityuk and Oksana Vizuete, owners of Magnolia Streamside Resort and Magnolia Inn & Wellness Center, had both led vibrant, successful lives in New York City. When Oksana, a real estate professional, learned that a resort property in the Pocono Mountains was on the market, she persuaded Inna to purchase the land and start a business together. 

“There was some hesitation on my end, but we both realized it was an opportunity that we could not pass up,” Inna reflects. In 2017, the sisters purchased the property, quit their jobs in New York City, and packed their bags to move to the mountains. They haven’t looked back.

Operating a resort and wellness center aligns with Inna and Oksana’s passion for health, wellness and hospitality. Cooking meals, hosting and celebrating is part of their Ukrainian culture. “We are both very passionate about health and wellness, and keeping ourselves and our families healthy,” Inna shares. “We’re fortunate to be able to build a natural retreat and a state-of-the-art facility that offers cutting edge holistic modalities to our community.”

Taking a ‘Nature Pill’ at Magnolia Streamside Resort

Sources ranging from Frontiers in Psychology to the American Heart Association affirm that taking a “nature pill”—spending as little as 20 minutes a day outdoors, can lower stress hormone levels and can reduce anxiety. Magnolia Streamside Resort is on 118 acres of pristine forest land, most of which is undeveloped. 

Six cottages and three suites, all available for rent, are built along the Goose Pond Run stream. Guests can hike throughout the property, which is also in close proximity to the Appalachian Trail, Promise Land State Park and Camelback Mountain. Magnolia Streamside Resort also features a serene pond with a canoe for guests to use, along with fishing opportunities, an outdoor pool, a gift shop featuring items made by local artisans, and a kids playground. 

The cottages include all the amenities and comforts of modern life—except for television sets. “We intentionally didn’t put any television sets in our units because we know how important it is for people to unplug and reconnect with themselves, nature and each other,” Inna emphasizes. “It was a risky decision when we were designing the resort, because one of the first things people expect when they stay in a hotel room is a television set. We stuck by the decision, and we truly saw the benefits of it. People tell us, ‘we haven’t even played a board game as a family in years, but we did last night.’”

Guests can rest in the cottages and immerse themselves in the calming sound of rustling water from the mountain stream. There are essential oils diffusers in each unit. Guests can choose from scents such as lavender for relaxation, or orange for energy.

Unique off-grid lodging experiences including an airstream and a nomadic tipi are coming soon, along with treehouse-style lodging.

Magnolia Streamside Resort is also a gorgeous outdoor wedding destination venue. “Our couples get married in an Enchanted Forest Chapel and celebrate their night away along a mountain stream. It truly is a magical experience” Inna remarks. The venue is also available for private events. 

Magnolia Wellness Center Offers an Array of Modalities 

Inna and Oksana understand the importance of maintaining mind, body and spiritual wellness, which was reinforced during the COVID-19 pandemic. With a desire to promote healthy families and communities, last October the sisters opened Magnolia Wellness Center in Mount Pocono, a 12-minute drive from the resort.

The wellness center is state of the art facility that offers a full menu of alternative wellness services like floating therapy (a sensory deprivation suite for deep relaxation and stress reduction), cryotherapy (exposure to very cold temperatures for a very short time to help reduce inflammation, increase metabolism and provide pain relief), colon hydrotherapy, intravenous IV infusions and booster shots; biocharger (a device that uses energy, frequency and light therapy to promote healing in a body on a cellular level), a halo salt room, an infrared sauna, steam room and leg compression, as well as relaxation and therapeutic massages. 

“We were so touched by how well these modalities were received and utilized by our community that we decided to expand our wellness center and add a whole other floor of services. Dr. Jaime Bastidas, a licensed plastic surgeon and Magnolia Wellness Center medical director, will be offering hair transplant/restoration, skin rejuvenation with the newest technology on the market, and other services that we look forward to announcing soon,” Oksana explains. “We are proud to say that Magnolia Wellness Center became a hub for wellness, learning and community where clients as well as local medical professionals come together to find solutions and provide support to so many of us who are on a healing journey.”

All wellness services are available to the public and to Magnolia Streamside resort guests. Oksana notes they also have a membership program with discounts to make services more accessible to the community. The wellness center hosts holistic health nights where people can learn health tips from practitioners.

Giving back is part of Magnolia’s operations and culture. Inna’s and Oksana’s families, along with the Magnolia staff, hosts an annual Thanksgiving dinner for people in need. “All of our staff members come together and cook incredible meals, and we open our doors to anyone who needs a warm meal or just conversation,” Inna says. “We live in a time where there is so much need,  and we can come together as a team to make a difference.”

They also host an annual dinner for local volunteer firefighters of the Barret Township Fire Department to thank them for their dedication and service. In addition, the Magnolia team supports local charities including Operation Underground Railroad, an organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking, and the Make-a-Wish Foundation, for which Inna had worked while living in New York City.

In addition, Oksana is involved in efforts to build Skylight Learning Centre, a school in Masaka, Uganda. Oksana had first traveled to Uganda five years ago to volunteer. At that time, the school was a temporary structure, Oksana says, and the Ugandan government was close to shutting it down because they could not operate it anymore. “We take life for granted so much, but over there, a monthly donation of $50 per child will help keep them fed, dressed and educated.”

At Magnolia Resort and at the Wellness Center, Inna and Oksana are dedicated to preserving as much serene, natural setting as possible. They plan to add a farm-to-table restaurant, and they’re working to set up a regenerative farm to grow vegetables for the restaurant. 

“At the wellness center, we will add more services and build a closer community of holistic medical professionals so we all can come together and resolve so many of the health issues that our community has,” Oksana says. “Those solutions are available, and if we work toward those solutions as a community, we have a much better chance of making a bigger impact.”

Inna adds that having the two properties together offers people guests an enhanced experience to disconnect in nature and also partake in services available at the wellness center. “This has been the most incredible journey. Any of life’s journeys has ups and downs and challenges, but overall, we feel we’ve finally found a path where work is not work—work is love. To see the response from our guests, or from the couples that get married here, or our clients’ health improve through wellness center services, reinforces our view that this is the only thing we want to do. It brings so much value to our community and to our lives.”

Magnolia Streamside Resort is located at 2518 Route 390, in Canadensis, phone 570-595-2489, website MagnoliaSTreamside.com. Magnolia Inn & Wellness Center is located at 11 Knob Rd., in Mount Pocono, phone 570-671-2121, website MagnoliaPoconos.com.