Madeleine In Provence ENG

Are you…

• a healthcare professional with some basic knowledge of aromatherapy, an aromatherapist, or a herbalist? passionate about herbs, essential oils, and natural forms of care?
• committed to the care of vulnerable clients?
• interested in learning more about the medicinal properties of water in all its facets, including its diverse applications and additives
• keen to learn more about holistic care using the purest essential oils, CO2 extracts, and hydrolats?
• someone who values ​​both quality care and self-care, and would like to dedicate some time and attention to yourself in an inspiring setting?
• drawn to the *joie de vivre* of the French Provence—with its villages and fields, café terraces and fountains, delicious food and drinks, sights and scents, lakes, and stunning natural beauty?
• looking to be inspired by skilled, passionate instructors who offer new tools to enrich your care practices with what nature has to offer?

Then join us and enjoy a brand-new, and globally unique program in the company of a wonderful group of like-minded people:

1. The AquaZorg Masterclass 2027 (April 11–18), and/or
2. The Provence Trip 2027 (June 10–20) themed “Beyond the Wound” – 10 nights (1 full day more that previous years).

You will enjoy teaching days by Madeleine Wellhuner (Kerkhof), Rhiannon Lewis and Inge Westerlinck. Classes will take place partly at our ‘home base’—a lovely aparthotel (Le Moulin du Verdon) in the charming town of Gréoux-les-Bains, and partly at the most inspiring of characteristic locations in Provence.

AquaZorg Masterclass 2027
(11-18 April, 7 nights)

The program will be announced as soon as it is finalized, but will evolve around the immense richness that water — and its countless healing properties — offers us on every level. We will delve into the physical characteristics of water and explore how factors such as temperature, additives, hydrosols, salts, and carbonation can help alleviate various ailments with lots of inspiration for the care of your clients and yourself.
We will also guide you through the flow of water and the energetic message it carries within us.
And, of course, we offer enjoyable activities as well as a spa experience at the thermal baths of Gréoux-les-Bains.
It promises to be a wonderful week to immerse yourself — both literally and figuratively — in restorative care and self-care.

Course fees incl. Aparthotel in Euro’s, AquaCare Masterclass 2027

A7-01 option per studio – based on 1 person:
7 nights incl. breakfast and the full course and extra’s program: 1795 euro.

A7-02 option per studio – based on 2 persons/studio:
7 nights incl. breakfast and the full course and extra’s program for both: 2795 euro.

A7-03 option per studio – based on 2 persons/studio:
7 nights incl. breakfast and extra’s for two, full course for one person: 2325 euro.

But…

… of course there are several other hotels and accommodations available, fitting your wishes and budget.

Course fees for those in you own choice of accommodation in Euro’s, AquaCare Masterclass 2027

A7-04 option for health care professionals in their own choice of accommodation with full course program and extra’s: 995 euro p/p.

A7-05 option for partners/companions in their own choice of accommodation (exclusively for those accompanying a healthcare professional in the full program): will follow soon.

 

 

Provence Trip 2027
(10-20 June, 10 nights)
“Beyond the Wound,
The Science and Humanity of Healing”

The full program will be announced as soon as details are available. Central theme is skin and wound care, oral care, and the wounds on our hearts and souls.
For those who attended in previous years, we are of course offering an inspiring, fresh program with new places to see!

Reissom incl. Aparthotel in Euro, Provence Trip 2027

P7-01 option per studio – based on 1 person:
10 nights incl. breakfast and the full course and excursion program: 2249 euro.

P7-02 option per studio – based on 2 persons/studio:
10 nights incl. breakfast and the full course and excursion program for both: 3499 euro.

P7-03 option per studio – based on 2 persons/studio:
7 nights incl. breakfast and excursion program for two, full course program for one person: 2895 euro.

But…

… of course there are several other hotels and accommodations available, fitting your wishes and budget.

Course fees for those in you own choice of accommodation in Euro’s, Provence Trip 2027

P7-04 option for health care professionals in their own choice of accommodation with full course program and excursions: 1225 euro p/p.

P7-05 option for partners/companions in their own choice of accommodation (exclusively for those accompanying a healthcare professional in the full program): 625 euro p/p.

Your trip – general:

In principle, this is a ‘self-drive’ trip.

Madeleine can help coordinate transport if needed, as traveling together is sociable and often more cost-effective.

The nearest airport is Marseille, where you can also rent a car.

Nice is another option, though it is somewhat further away. However, if you would like to travel via the Grasse and Castellane region on your way there or back, Nice is a good choice.

Upon request, we can connect you with a fellow traveler who has a car (either private or rented) so you can participate in the (excursion) program—subject to availability and the individual guest’s consent.

Included are:
Welcome drink & snacks on arrival day.
Tour guidance by Madeleine, assisted by Inge.
All aromatic and other materials (but bring a few towels of your own).
Brunch on departure day.
Certificate.

Optional:
Group dinner in a Provencale restaurant (can be discussed on day 1)
Extending your stay with a few days prior or afterwards to travel around the country some more at your own pace.

Excluded are:
Travel (and travel expenses) from where you live to Kicozo in Greoux-les-Bains, Provence, France
Travel expenses during excursions
However we will advise, and/or arrange to pick you up (for a small fee)
Other accommodation than Le Moulin du Verdon – we can advise
Lunches on course days (at lovely local restaurants)
Other meals and drinks
Travel and cancellation insurance (don’t forget!)
Personal shopping
Registration fee, non refundable at 129,00 Euro p/p

Other details:

• Language: English, but with support in Dutch, German, French.
• Maximum number of participants for the full program: 10 (plus any accompanying travelers).
• You will receive a registration form upon signing up.
• Payment must be made in full in advance via Mollie Payments (including Wero and credit cards).
• Cancellation fees: Upon registration, you will receive a payment request for the (non-refundable) registration fee of €129 per person. A non-refundable deposit of 30% of the total trip cost is required within 14 days of registration.
  The full fees must be paid by March 31, 2027. This amount is non-refundable for all non-Dutch residents. For Dutch participants, the Kicozo General Terms and Conditions apply. Cancellation and travel insurance are strongly recommended.

Madeleine and Team are looking forward to seeing you in Provence!

Retreats in Provence

• Masterclass AquaZorg
  April 2027

• Provence Trip June 2027
  

Madeleine personally

I don’t recall the exact date, but back in 19-something, I lost my heart to essential oils. With my background in healthcare, I knew that the standard medicine and nursing fell far short of the well-being I had envisioned as a young nurse. After training as an herbalist and visiting various countries to explore their flora, I delved ever deeper into aromatherapy. I traveled from the Rose Valley in Bulgaria to the spruce-covered mountains of Austria; I witnessed CO2 extraction of sea buckthorn in Germany, followed the trail of sandalwood and rose attar in India, and walked through vast chamomile fields in England and peppermint plantations in the US. And naturally, I traveled to France to experience lavender in its many varieties and other plants, eventually settling in one of the most characteristic — yet still relatively unknown to tourists — towns: Gréoux-les-Bains in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.

Distillation hands-on

Although I had witnessed the distillation of essential oils before, in 2010 — together with my beloved Steve, who sadly passed away suddenly in 2011 — I attended my first “distillation workshop” with Michel Vanhove, where we were able to harvest and distill the plants with our own hands. We were in one of France’s most beautiful natural areas: the Cévennes. I truly cherished those days spent artisanally distilling 450 kg of organically grown lavender tops into 750 ml of pure lavender oil. The entire process —from manual harvesting to the true art of achieving superior-quality distillation, along with everything else involved — instilled in me a new respect for every single drop of essential oil; until then, I had somewhat taken their presence in my practice and teaching for granted.

After our stay in the Cévennes, Steve and I traveled on to Provence to visit the vast fields of thyme, clary sage, fennel, and of course: lavender and lavandin.

I was already convinced of the power of aromatherapy, but with this renewed respect for nature and the people who harvest, gather, tend, and distill, I delved even deeper into the subject and was able to share that knowledge and experience in my teachings. My strength lay primarily in teaching healthcare professionals about complementary care in oncology and palliative settings. I had also been running a practice — De Levensboom (Life Tree) — since 1998. One of my most vivid, symbolic memories involves the aromatic massages I gave to Rosemarie Lugthart; she passed away four years later, in 2008, from breast cancer.

The year 2010 marked a turning point in my work. I separated the educational activities from the practice and product line. The school continued under the name Kicozo (Knowledge Institute for Integrative & Complementary Nursing Care). And I wanted to write a book for the healthcare sector because I felt there were no books on aromatherapy or complementary care that addressed the limitations and possibilities involved in caring for vulnerable patients in health care settings.

Book

The book I had started working focused on “Aroma Care in Healthcare,” as that was where my passion lay. Steve wholeheartedly supported me in this endeavor. He traveled the world himself and understood better than anyone the demands a beloved profession places on you. Alongside running my practice and teaching, I poured myself passionately into the writing process. However, somewhere halfway through the drafts and bits of text I wanted to include, the unthinkable happened: Steve passed away completely unexpectedly — during one of those trips — from cardiac arrest. I hardly need to explain the impact that immeasurable loss had (and sometimes still has) on me. I was deep in mourning; I had his mother to care for, and losing him plunged me into a dark period, both emotionally and financially.
My school had to keep running, as did my product sales. There was barely a moment to catch my breath. Many months later, I realized I had to make a choice: either let this destroy me, or channel my energy in a new direction that honored both my passion for my profession and Steve’s emotional legacy. My book became “Complementary Nursing in End of Life Care” (*Complementaire Zorg in de Palliatieve Zorgverlening*). I used cherished photos we had taken together and shot new ones in the garden at my house: “Heerlijkheid de Levensboom”. After saving up every eurocent for a year and a half, I self-published the book and dedicated it to him. I first published it in Dutch and two years later in English (2015, and still available)
Oh, and that book “Clinical Aroma Care: Aromatherapy in Healthcare and Practice”? That did eventually come to fruition a few years later, in 2023 (and still available).

Context?

You might think, “Geez, such a long story,” but without that context, I wouldn’t be who I am today, nor would I have ever considered starting “Madeleine In Provence”. Of course, many other factors in my life have shaped the Madeleine I am at this present time, but the experiences Steve and I shared — particularly in Provence — molded and lovingly shaped me into the person I am today, ready to share that journey with my guests, course participants, and students.

Part of this background is the fact that I had already graduated as a hydrotherapist in 2008 from the Kneipp School in Bad Wörishofen, Germany. There, I not only learned everything about working with water— a practice I later named “AquaCare” to highlight its connection to healthcare — but also about additives such as herbs, oils, clay, and salts. The thermal baths in Gréoux-les-Bains fit perfectly into this picture.

Fast forward to the present

By 2023, after many visits to Provence — both as a teacher and a student — I wanted to introduce my students and colleagues-turned-friends to everything the region has to offer, but centered around a special theme. I sought out the perfect accommodation where I could host them, offering a pleasant space for our teaching sessions while also allowing a degree of freedom for my guests, many of whom were accompanied by their partners. Guillaume Van Daele’s “Le Moulin du Verdon” ticks all the right boxes — and still does, even though Kicozo guests are free to choose alternative accommodation. We have now been working closely together for several years to welcome and pamper our guests in Provence; in 2027, we will even be hosting two separate events featuring unique programs.

Team Kicozo in Provence

I am deeply grateful to be surrounded by expert colleagues with whom I have built profound friendships and a strong sense of camaraderie. Inge Westerlinck and Rhiannon Lewis bring their own unique perspectives to working with aromatherapy, hydrosols, and water. It is both an honor and a pleasure to collaborate on building the knowledge, expertise, skills, and passion that our guests take home with them after every stay in Provence. I so love what I do!