We absolutely loved hearing about former supermodel Sophie Anderton’s healing journey and ongoing plans for her wellness sanctuary, Anam Kara Wellness, located at Glendalough House Estate. Read the full piece from our Spring 2026 issue below!
Welcome To Anam Kara
The home of luxurious healing.
by Persephone Kianka
When we sat down to chat with former supermodel Sophie Anderton, she took us along on a journey we couldn’t have predicted, leading to the creation of Anam Kara Wellness.
A Shaky Beginning
It all began when she was hit by a drunk driver at age eleven, an accident that almost caused her to lose her life. Twenty
seven operations later, she still had an open-to-the-bone wound on her ankle. After spending three years on painkillers, it was Chinese medicine in the form of iridology and reflexology that helped heal her leg in three months, establishing her belief in natural healing.
Though she still won all her modelling competitions on crutches as a young teen, by age fifteen, she had
outgrown her childhood surroundings, which carried her trauma, and headed to Tokyo, where she continued her modelling career. While travelling around Southeast Asia, she soon discovered the joys and benefits of yoga.
“It was like the world just opened up to me,” she recalled. Though yoga was the one thing that caused her thoughts to slow, it wasn’t enough to keep her away from the unhealthy indulgences of the ‘90s that coexisted with her gruelling international model of travelling three continents a week.
Reborn After Burnout
Burnt out on all levels by the age of thirty, this was when her real journey began, Sophie explained. She stopped modelling and began educating herself on nutrition and fitness to combat her unhealthy relationship with food, which her industry had fostered. Unfortunately, she then swung to the other extreme, intensely monitoring her health, which also didn’t lead to fulfilment.
“It’s been a journey to find balance and to find that inner peace,” she admitted.
The next stepping stone was a kundalini awakening, involving blue lotus, that powerfully triggered the trauma that had been lying dormant in her body.
“When I came out the other side, I had such clarity, and it was like the fog had lifted, and the sun had come out after a big storm, and I could just see where I needed to go,” she shared.
She had also had a surprising number of negative experiences with yoga establishments that didn’t uphold the values and quality she expected. Given her dedication to wellness at this stage, she wanted to embark on creating a safe space to help others looking to improve their lives through alternative practices such as yoga, which led to the birth of Anam Kara.
A True Sanctuary
The story behind the name is that she received the Anam Cara blessing on the day of her marriage, which she then kept by her bed; the idea had been there all along, and the only thing she had to do was look for an alternative spelling, which ended up being in Viking Gaelic.
Much more than a yoga studio, Anam Kara is a home away from home, “a sanctuary from all the noise from the moment you come through the gates. You drive up that three-quarter-mile drive, and everyone says that’s when their experience starts,” Sophie noted.
Located at Glendalough House Estate, which is also her family home, guests can enjoy an unmatched experience of peace and well-being, with everything catered for. While it already has some amazing rooms for different types of yoga, including a state-of-the-art Aerial Yoga studio, and other healing practices, Sophie has an even more impressive vision that she plans to implement in stages over the next five years.
Firstly, she is creating a healing centre, working with the wonderful Sue of Hummingbird Haven, who she describes as extremely sweet and “very ancestral”. The plans don’t stop there, however. Thanks to her relentless high standards, Sophie is constantly brainstorming how to expand the space without sacrificing quality.
Inclusive Luxury
“I also have a very firm belief that luxury should be inclusive of everybody,” she told us.
Coming from one of the “most elitist industries,” she’s determined for Anam Kara to never be that way. That’s why it offers retreats that everyone can afford, as well as more expensive ones. With so many different modalities and disciplines led by experienced healers and practitioners, “there is something for everybody,” she assured us. “It’s a very eclectic mix, a bit like my interiors, a fusion of ancestral ancient practices meets modern wellness technology.”
The next additions include a contrast therapy area situated in the idyllic meditation garden; a beautiful creation of hand-crafted saunas and medicinal bathing in stainless-steel wood-clad tubs, incorporating ingredients such as seaweed, Epsom salts, magnesium, and medicinal herbs alongside changing room facilities.
There will also be a four-person ice bath, beautiful outdoor rain showers, a twelve-person panoramic handcrafted
sauna, a thirty-person hot yoga wood temple and a reformer pilates studio, with glass walls giving guests a true nature immersive experience with views of the surrounding lake and wildlife. Just imagine a couple of deer coming up to the glass to see what you’re up to, mid-Pilates exercise!
In terms of accommodation, Sophie’s vision is to eventually offer three “levels” of lodging, including eco-luxury chalets with wood-burning stoves, tree-top accommodations in the beautiful redwoods, and eco-lodges.
As if that weren’t enough, she also plans to set up a two-floor Anam Kara boutique featuring high-level B Corp Irish designers, skincare and supplementation brands, and an organic farm in the late eighteenth-century greenhouses on the estate.
A Warm Welcome
Recognising that every single part of her journey, the light and the dark, has led her here, Sophie took a moment to reflect on her current focus.
Considering all that’s going on in the world, she said, “I’ve got no control of what is happening in the world, however,
through the creation of Anam Kara Wellness I believe, if just for that brief afternoon, myself and my team can create an experience that will give somebody a respite and a moment to take some time to feel safe and supported in their healing journey.”
Anam Kara truly is a world-class sanctuary for everyone who takes their healing and well-being seriously, and we are excited to see how it expands over the years.
As a final message to our audience, Sophie said, “If you are looking for somewhere where you just want to get away, then please, you’re all very welcome to my home.”
www.anamkarawellness.ie
info@anamkarawellness.ie
Instagram: @anamkarawellness
