What are accommodations like at Esalen? Can I camp out?

There are four categories of accommodation at Esalen. Standard Accommodation is shared housing with two or three people per room. (In some cases, bathrooms are shared.) Couples and friends will always be housed together in a private room. The rates listed with the workshop descriptions throughout the website refer to these shared standard accommodations. Single Housing is available on a limited basis for an additional $100 per day.

Bunk Bed Rooms are available for seminar participants who are willing to share a room with three or more persons of the same sex. There are a limited number of these spaces, which are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.

Meeting rooms are sometimes used as shared sleeping bag space and may be available for workshop participants with limited financial means. Sleeping bag spaces are for sleeping only, as meeting rooms are frequently in use between 9am and 11pm and therefore inaccessible. There is a 7-day limit on sleeping bag stays. These accommodations are co-ed.

The prices for Esalen workshops are as follows:

You may apply for a work exchange scholarship when you make your workshop reservation. The usual amount is $50 toward the cost of a weekend workshop in exchange for four hours work, and $100 toward the cost of a week-long workshop in exchange for eight hours work, either in the kitchen or laundry. Your working hours will be arranged around your workshop hours.

Cancellations must be made by phone with one of our reservation staff. If you cancel or change any part of your reservation at least five full days before the start of your workshop(s), your nonrefundable deposit, less a $50-per-workshop processing fee, will be transferred to a credit account to be used within one year. ("Five full days" means by Tuesday before a Sunday workshop, and by Sunday before a Friday workshop.) If you cancel with less than five days’ notice, you forfeit your entire deposit. If you have prepaid your entire reservation fee, we will retain the deposit, as above, less the $50 processing fee, and return the balance to you. Donations to the Friends of Esalen are nonrefundable.

If you have applied for a scholarship and we are unable to give you any assistance, we will, at your request, refund your deposit in full if you cancel your reservation at least five full days prior to the start of your workshop.

How do I make a reservation?