Refuge Troy

31/10/2024

Photos from a recent themed birthday party we hosted. I loved the masquerade theme that our birthday girl chose! Our space is perfect for celebrating those special moments with friends and family. People love how unique and cozy our space is.

Link in bio for rental rates.

18/10/2024

Refuge Chatelaine and self-proclaimed O-whisperer .rainstrom is bringing her wildly popular and courageously outrageous Ta**ra and Somatics program back to Refuge in November.

Join Tara on a 3 month journey to joy as the days get darker, bring a little more light into your world. Can’t find your O or don’t know what it is? Don’t worry, Tara can help you with that.

Link in bio for details & registration

09/10/2024

Our enchanting courtyard is what makes Refuge feel like an urban oasis. The last two summers it has undergone a transformation inspired by courtyards in New Orleans.

An abundance of urns & ferns were added last year to give it that lush feeling. This summer we added not one but two gazebos for that outdoor living room feeling. This helps us extend the use of this beautiful outdoor space.

Did you know that courtyards are microclimates? That’s right - the temperature is typically warmer inside our little oasis in the spring & fall. That’s why our beautiful blooming trees pop earlier in the spring than in other places in the area. It’s pretty magical.

We are booking private events into 2025, book our urban oasis for your special event or wedding reception for a unique intimate experience. Link in bio.

06/10/2024

Have you seen our beautiful freshly restored facade?

A question I get asked often is “was it always like that?”. So many people never noticed the ornate metal work on the outside of our building. Rightfully so, the gray really washed out the details (scroll through the images as it progressed through the restoration process).

If you know me, you know that I lovingly tend to the property that I own and have done many projects to restore and revive the beautiful features of this building and property. I am so grateful for the economic recovery fund grant that I received from the Troy LDC for this project, I honestly could not have afforded to do it without those funds. It was worth the investment of hiring to painstakingly restore this beautiful facade that is over 100 years old.

A fun fact about the decorative metal facade - it was placed on the building in 1923 when a man named Albert K. Torossian bought the building so he could expand his oriental rug store. He had the facade designed to look like a Persian prayer rug and an exact replica of a storefront in Persia (modern day Iran). How cool is that???

Albert operated the store until he passed in 1930 and then his 2 nephews took over. Albert was a member of the Armenian community and from what I can gather from newspaper articles that I have read he was very involved in the community. I love that his legacy continues.

Stop by and see the building in person, the photos don’t do it justice of how unique and beautiful it is. I’m so grateful for Sarah & Chris for bringing this beauty back to life.

I am grateful to be the Chatelaine of this beauty during my lifetime. xo .rainstrom

14/08/2024

We are so honored to be hosting this event on Saturday 9/21

Shamanic Breathwork as taught by my teacher, Star Wolf, has been the catalyst for my deepest transformation and healing. It combines conscious connected breathing with body and energy work and powerful chakra attuned mus...

04/08/2024

We’re easing into August with classes and workshops on the books again. We have room in our calendar for more classes and workshops starting in mid-September. Reach out to inquire.

returns fresh from training newly minted AYAMA yoga teachers in Costa Rica. Her new series focuses on strengthening and aligning with the moon cycles.

is hosting a 420 friendly Lion’s Gate Portal sound bath - this event is SOLD OUT, but don’t worry, Julie will be back on 9/19 for a autumnal equinox sound healing event.
rainstrom will be running her Creative Expression for Kids program during the last week in August. This summers program is inspired by play, processes, trash art, and costumes. There are only 2 spots left.

The restoration of our facade by continues, painting begins this week. Reach out to book a tour of our space if you’re interested in renting Refuge for your next event.

We will be CLOSED the first two weeks of September to have our floors refinished. This will be the last step of our multi-phased renovations partially funded by a grant of ARPA funds administered by the City of Troy’s economic development department.

04/08/2024

The Lion’s Gate Portal sound healing is SOLD OUT! Catch the next one in September (9/19)

Update as of 8/4–the event is SOLD OUT! Thank you to all that reached out to reserve a spot!
9/19 is the next 420 friendly event.
Stay tuned for info about 9/19! 💨🕉️
__________________***_______________
Mark your calendars for this magical event
The Lion’s Gate energy will be amplified this year, 8/8/2024, 2+0+2+4 is 8! Manifestations, clearing out stagnant energy, setting intentions for your heart’s desire, healing and transformation are all highlighted during this potent energetic atmosphere 🕉️
Send a message or an email to reserve your spot [email protected]

06/07/2024

Stop by the Kid’s tent at on Sunday (July 7th) in Washington Park in Albany and say hi to our Chatelaine .rainstrom. She’ll be making Itty Bitty creatures and kindness rocks with the kiddos and talking about her Creative Expression for Kids program at Refuge the last two weeks of August.

A Big Gay Market is full of joyous creative cool folks and it’s always a good time.

01/07/2024

Some photos from a sweet graduation party for Miss Myah in our space this past weekend. One of the beautiful things about our space is that there’s both indoor and outdoor spaces for people to gather. And the cherry on top was a little sleepover in our carriage house apartment after the party. What a sweet treat from the mom to her recent grad.

We have a couple of weekend dates open on our calendar this summer & plenty of weekdays available. Click the link in our bio for details on renting our space.

28/06/2024

Our new gazebo is up in our New Orleans style courtyard just in time for a full swing of summer events.

Our space in the summertime is mostly booked for private events & celebrations. Classes and workshops will return later in the summer. We still have a few weekend dates available this summer, link in bio for details about renting our space.

05/06/2024

Join us for some joyful events in June!

continues her yoga classes Tuesday mornings & Thursday evenings.

We have 3 FREE community events this month - a family-friendly flag making workshop for .troyny on June 7th, our monthly ukulele jam on June 8th & a clothing swap on June 15th.

A couple of fun Canna events - Yoga & Greens on June 17th with and A Smokin’ Solstice with on June 20th.

Our busy summer months are upon where we will be hosting more private events, we still have some weekend dates available, link in bio for details about renting our space.

Registration is open for our summer Creative Expression for Kids program the last 2 weeks in August with .rainstrom

Link in bio for our event calendar

25/05/2024

Late morning light traverses across the property casting shadows of the lush plant life on its way to set over our enchanting courtyard. The light is so dreamy in May.

18/05/2024

Our next Refuge After Dark is less than 2 weeks away! Join us on Friday May 31st for an easy breezy summertime vibes dance party by the one and only ! If you’ve never experienced the magic of their curated beats let me tell you that their joyful energy fills the room and you can’t help but dance yourself into a frenzy.

Refuge After Dark is a series of zero proof parties for all ages to gather and get down without the booze. A curated herbaceous elixir bar will be available during the event to nourish your body & soul and enhance your experience.

Borrowed photos from the first Refuge After Dark from .lyf, & I was too busy dancing to get 📷

Link your event details & tickets in bio. $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

11/05/2024

Last night’s Fancy Feast Supper Club: Seek & You Shall Find foraged feast (.ny) was such a delightful sensory experience. is such a talented culinary artist and thoughtfully curated and prepared a delicious menu for this community dinner. (Official professional photos coming).

It was especially fun to see people bonding over foraging and building relationships with plants. Connections were made, collaborations discussed, and future trips to herb farms planned. Last night’s dinner was truly a dream come true.

This event came to be by me speaking a desire a long time ago about wanting to host a feast for the senses and the person I was talking to said, you should really meet .lolo (who is an integral part of Fancy Feast Supper Club). The rest is history. I love how a desire spoken can become a magical experience.

09/05/2024

On Monday we hosted a special edition of .party An Evening with Venus: the Empress. This beautiful experience dreamed up by and was a community ritual woven with astrology & tarot and a fun Easter egg hunt in our enchanting courtyard. It was a beautiful way to gather with intention.

This is the second Venus event we hosted, last year’s event was equally lovely. We love it when people rent our space for community events like this. It was so fun to design an elixir bar menu that added to the experience.

The magic of Refuge is the creative energy it inspires with all of the events we host here. As we continue to renovate and restore our space, the ideas for fun creative events has expanded. Themed birthday parties have been all the rage this year for us. So many fun celebrations happen at Refuge! Click the link in our bio for details about renting our space for your next event.