Alight at the Integratron, Virtually, for a Sound Bath

Landing in Landers? Lucky you.

You're calling upon a place that boasts a boulder-bewitching beauty, the overhead marvels of the Milky Way, and a kind of middle-of-the-night silence that can make a person feel as though they've somehow bunked down on the moon.

It's a special spot to many people, from those visiting nearby Joshua Tree National Park to the desert lovers who've made a long-term life in Landers, all so they can experience a daily story written in strong sunshine, cool critters, and vistas punctuated by cactuses, clouds, and the occasional Giant Rock.

There's plenty of UFO history swirling around the truly colossal hunk of granite, and the rest of the enchanting area, too, with the Integratron standing at the cosmic core of so much of the region's recent history.

Constructed by noted ufologist George Van Tassel in the 1950s, this "fusion of Art, Science, and Magic" has long drawn devotees of other worlds, inner worlds, and anyone looking to fly away, at least for an hour or so, on the undulating waves of a soundscape that seems to have originated from some corner of deep space.

That soundscape is created by the playing of exquisitely crafted bowls inside the overturned bowl that forms the top part of the UFO-esque building. And those rare buildings that include overturned bowl shapes in their designs quite often have amazing acoustics, which the Integratron famously does.

It's a place that's become beloved for sound baths created by an ethereal combination of a talented artist summoning a "multi-wave resonance" from 20 quartz crystal bowls, the building's acoustics, the structure's singular story, and the mysterious desert outside.

The Integratron is a favorite stop during the springtime music festivals in the Coachella Valley. And while those spectaculars aren't happening in April 2021, sound baths are, virtually, over a number of special dates still to come.

It's $20 to join, it'll all happen on Zoom, and the whole aural adventure takes an hour.

If you saw public television host Huell Howser call upon the landmark on his "California's Gold" series, and have been wanting to see it for yourself, this could be a great way to connect with one of the Integratron's best-known and certainly most enchanting activities.

But if you're eager for an in-person experience?

Feel the vibes: Outdoor Sunset Sound Bath Sessions are happening in April and May (a waitlist is available for the sold-out dates) and in-person sound baths resume in June.

For more information on the small desert building with the quirky character that's as big as a galaxy, ride a sonic wave to the Integratron's site now.