The Integratron
In the Mojave Desert near Joshua Tree, a white wooden dome rises from the sand. This is the Integratron, built between 1954 and 1978 by George Van Tassel, an aircraft mechanic who claimed that aliens from Venus had given him the blueprints for a rejuvenation machine and time-travel device. Van Tassel followed the instructions precisely: the dome contains no metal fasteners (which would interfere with the electromagnetic field), sits on a powerful geomagnetic vortex (according to Van Tassel), and was designed to focus cosmic energy for cell regeneration. Van Tassel died in 1978 before completing the machine. The dome sat abandoned until new owners discovered its extraordinary acoustics. The Integratron is now a destination for 'sound baths' - visitors lie on the floor while facilitators play quartz crystal singing bowls, the dome's perfect acoustics amplifying every vibration. Whether the aliens intended this use is unclear.
The Builder
George Van Tassel was an aircraft mechanic who worked for Howard Hughes and Douglas Aircraft before moving to the Mojave Desert in 1947. He leased land from the government at Giant Rock, a seven-story boulder sacred to Native Americans, and opened a small airport and café. In 1953, Van Tassel claimed he was awakened by a humanoid from Venus named Solgonda, taken aboard a spacecraft, and given instructions for building a rejuvenation machine. Van Tassel spent the next 25 years constructing the Integratron, funding it through UFO conventions he hosted at Giant Rock that drew thousands annually. He died of a heart attack in 1978, the machine incomplete.
The Design
The Integratron is a 38-foot-tall, 55-foot-diameter wooden dome built without nails or metal fasteners - only wooden dowels and glue. Van Tassel believed metal would interfere with the electromagnetic energy the structure was designed to collect and focus. The dome sits on a foundation of concrete and granite, positioned over what Van Tassel identified as a powerful geomagnetic vortex. The design incorporates principles from Nikola Tesla, Moses's Tabernacle, and the Great Pyramid of Giza - at least according to Van Tassel. The construction is genuinely impressive: a 16-sided polygon dome built by one man with volunteer labor over 24 years.
The Purpose
Van Tassel claimed the Integratron would rejuvenate human cells, reversing aging, and eventually enable time travel. The dome was supposed to function as an electrostatic generator, collecting and amplifying energy from the Earth and cosmos. Visitors would sit in a chair at the center while the machine operated, their cells regenerating. Van Tassel believed the technology was ancient - used by Biblical patriarchs who lived hundreds of years - and that the Venusians were returning it to humanity. The machine was never completed; Van Tassel died before installing the electrical apparatus. Whether it would have worked is a question believers and skeptics answer differently.
The Sound Baths
In 2000, sisters Joanne, Nancy, and Patty Karl purchased the Integratron and discovered its remarkable acoustics. The dome's wooden construction and parabolic shape create near-perfect sound reflection - a whisper at one end is audible at the other. The Karls began offering 'sound baths': visitors lie on mats while facilitators play quartz crystal singing bowls. The bowls' vibrations fill the dome, enveloping listeners in waves of sound. The experience is meditative, sometimes intense. Whether the effects are the cosmic energy Van Tassel intended or simply good acoustics and relaxation is a matter of interpretation. Reservations fill weeks in advance.
Visiting the Integratron
The Integratron is located at 2477 Belfield Boulevard in Landers, California, about 20 miles north of Joshua Tree National Park. Sound baths are offered by reservation only; sessions fill quickly, especially on weekends. The experience lasts about an hour. Private sessions and overnight stays are available. The surrounding Mojave Desert landscape is stark and beautiful. Joshua Tree National Park is nearby and worth visiting. Palm Springs International Airport is 45 miles south; Los Angeles is 130 miles west. The area is hot in summer; spring and fall are more comfortable. Giant Rock, where Van Tassel hosted his UFO conventions, is a few miles away on Bureau of Land Management land.
From the Air
Located at 34.29°N, 116.40°W in the Mojave Desert near Landers, California. From altitude, the Integratron appears as a white dome in the brown desert, distinctive against the sparse vegetation. Joshua Tree National Park is to the south. The terrain is classic Mojave - creosote flats, Joshua trees, scattered rock formations. Giant Rock is visible a few miles northeast. Palm Springs is 45 miles south. The isolation is apparent from altitude - scattered structures in vast emptiness. Palm Springs International Airport is the nearest commercial service.