Room at Historic Zen Center
Room in Hamtramck, Michigan
- 1 double bed
- Shared bathroom
Rated 4.95 out of 5 stars.19 reviews
Stay with Emju Bess
- 5 years hosting
Listing highlights
In Hamtramck, Detroit's walkable enclave
In walkable Hamtramck, with restaurants, cafes, and galleries all around and Pope Park about a 5-min walk away
A working Zen center with meditation
Morning and evening meditation sessions offered next door in the Zen Center's hall
Emju is a standout host
Guests describe the host as responsive, friendly, and welcoming throughout their stay
Monthly Rate $750. Checkin ends at 6pm. On the 2nd floor of the historic residency adjacent to Detroit Zen Center is a bright private bedroom, w/full bed, memory foam mattress, desk, a window and a closet. The 4 bedroom residency offers 2 shared, clean bathrooms for 4 bedrooms, vegetarian-only kitchen & common areas. A Studio loft available to book separately. Long term stays of a month or more require an application.
The space
Shared, clean spaces include a living room with a woodstove, full dining room, 2 tiled bathrooms, full vegan only kitchen, gardens & a private residency entrance. Founded in 1990 by Abbot Hwalson Sunim, the Detroit Zen Center is a home for zen monks & students, a public meditation center, & a non-profit organization. The Center has a hand-built, rustic feeling, while well-cared for.
The residency is a 4 bedroom home, connected via a green roofed corridor to the Zen Center Meditation Hall & Monastery (separate building). Guests can rent either the private loft apartment or spacious guest room (or both). The loft has a balcony that sits right above our 2,200 square foot Green Roof on top of the meditation hall, with incredible views of the roof & the City. There are 2 guest rooms: a spacious, ensuite guest bedroom with a view of the green roof through its sliding windows, and this more modest yet cozy bedroom with a view of the garden. We have radiant heat, high end kitchen appliances, washer/drier, 2 cats, high speed wifi, and a warm environment.
Guest access
In addition to your private guest room, you will have access to a full vegetarian only kitchen & common areas on the main floor, a green roof garden with seating, front garden and porch, shared by 2-3 other residents. Meditations are offered next door inside the Zen Center both morning & evening.
We also have a library. We are a friendly, welcoming community to all people, with 2 cats who meander freely. The Center has 2 green roofs, public gardens. We are in a very urban setting. Stairs are a must (the loft apartment is on the 3rd floor; guest rooms are on the 2nd floor).
Our spaces are clean and well-organized; guests can use the kitchen & common areas. guests must follow a leave no trace protocol in all common bath and kitchen and public areas, and not leave things around or dirty dishes in the sink.
Other things to note
Guests are welcome to have privacy in their rented space; however the Zen Center is a shared setting.
In addition to meditation, we follow a plant based lifestyle, support local farmers, and try our best to reclaim, re-use, and incorporate sustainable practices. The kitchen use is vegetarian only.
Our green roofs, lower rain garden, and peace garden across the street are a strong & long-developed part of our mission, called 'Green Corner Initiative: aiming to create and build awareness around the need for public green space, green stormwater management practice (green roofs), and urban habitat for birds, bees & butterflies, & humans!
Your stay with us helps us continue our work, 30 years and counting. Thank you for reading!
Please review the basic rules before booking since our space is very unique. The guest rooms and loft apartment are only accessible by stairs; pets are not allowed (we already have 2 temple cats); some guidelines around substance use, coming & going, etc., are unique from other listings.
The space
Shared, clean spaces include a living room with a woodstove, full dining room, 2 tiled bathrooms, full vegan only kitchen, gardens & a private residency entrance. Founded in 1990 by Abbot Hwalson Sunim, the Detroit Zen Center is a home for zen monks & students, a public meditation center, & a non-profit organization. The Center has a hand-built, rustic feeling, while well-cared for.
The residency is a 4 bedroom home, connected via a green roofed corridor to the Zen Center Meditation Hall & Monastery (separate building). Guests can rent either the private loft apartment or spacious guest room (or both). The loft has a balcony that sits right above our 2,200 square foot Green Roof on top of the meditation hall, with incredible views of the roof & the City. There are 2 guest rooms: a spacious, ensuite guest bedroom with a view of the green roof through its sliding windows, and this more modest yet cozy bedroom with a view of the garden. We have radiant heat, high end kitchen appliances, washer/drier, 2 cats, high speed wifi, and a warm environment.
Guest access
In addition to your private guest room, you will have access to a full vegetarian only kitchen & common areas on the main floor, a green roof garden with seating, front garden and porch, shared by 2-3 other residents. Meditations are offered next door inside the Zen Center both morning & evening.
We also have a library. We are a friendly, welcoming community to all people, with 2 cats who meander freely. The Center has 2 green roofs, public gardens. We are in a very urban setting. Stairs are a must (the loft apartment is on the 3rd floor; guest rooms are on the 2nd floor).
Our spaces are clean and well-organized; guests can use the kitchen & common areas. guests must follow a leave no trace protocol in all common bath and kitchen and public areas, and not leave things around or dirty dishes in the sink.
Other things to note
Guests are welcome to have privacy in their rented space; however the Zen Center is a shared setting.
In addition to meditation, we follow a plant based lifestyle, support local farmers, and try our best to reclaim, re-use, and incorporate sustainable practices. The kitchen use is vegetarian only.
Our green roofs, lower rain garden, and peace garden across the street are a strong & long-developed part of our mission, called 'Green Corner Initiative: aiming to create and build awareness around the need for public green space, green stormwater management practice (green roofs), and urban habitat for birds, bees & butterflies, & humans!
Your stay with us helps us continue our work, 30 years and counting. Thank you for reading!
Please review the basic rules before booking since our space is very unique. The guest rooms and loft apartment are only accessible by stairs; pets are not allowed (we already have 2 temple cats); some guidelines around substance use, coming & going, etc., are unique from other listings.
Where you’ll sleep
What this place offers
Lock on bedroom door
City skyline view
Garden view
Kitchen
Wifi
Select check-in date
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4.95 out of 5 stars from 19 reviews
Overall rating
- 5 stars, 95% of reviews
- 4 stars, 5% of reviews
- 3 stars, 0% of reviews
- 2 stars, 0% of reviews
- 1 stars, 0% of reviews
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for cleanliness
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for accuracy
Rated 5.0 out of 5 stars for check-in
Rated 4.9 out of 5 stars for communication
Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for location
Rated 4.8 out of 5 stars for value
Guest reviews mention
Where you’ll be
Hamtramck, Michigan, United States
This listing's location is verified.
Neighborhood highlights
Our neighborhood is in the middle of bustling Hamtramck -- a 2.5 square mile city district in the epicenter of Detroit. Hamtramck is an enclaved city, home to 32 ethnic groups -- and a large population of artists, students, and first generation folks to the United States. The most walkable area of metro-Detroit, Hamtramck is very urban -- a dense & eclectic community with grocery stores, restaurants, cafes, bars, music, and galleries all around. No need for a car if you are going to stay in Hamtramck -- but if you plan to visit other parts of Detroit, a car is useful. Downtown Detroit is 5 miles away. We are next door to the North End, New Center & the historic Boston Edison District.
Meet your host
My work: Director, Nonprofit
Speaks English, French, and Korean
Lives in Hamtramck, Michigan
What makes my home unique: it's a zen meditation center
I live half the year at the Detroit Zen Center in Hamtramck (Detroit), the other half in the wilderness of the Upper Peninsula on Lake Superior. I cherish time, wilderness, meditation, friends, teachers & communing with the wonder of life.
I have been a Zen Buddhist monk for 20 years. I trained and was ordained at my home temple Sudeoksa, in South Korea, and teach meditation.
Host details
Response rate: 80%
Responds within a day
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