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Esalen Frequently Asked Questions

Page 3: Other Ways to Be at Esalen

The Workstudy Program

What is the Workstudy Program?

The Work Study Program is a 28-day program for those interested in an intense involvement with the Esalen environment. A work and service-oriented program, it is emotionally and physically challenging, and only rarely is it restful. Participants work 32 hours per week in one of Esalen's departments and participate in that department's program. For more information, please see the Workstudy Program page.

Ongoing Residence Program

Is it possible to take more than one workshop in a row?

Offered beginning mid-September and ending mid-June, the Ongoing Residence Program is designed for those who would like to have time and space in the Esalen environment for an intensive workshop program over a long term. A Residence Program stay is 26 days (four weeks and three weekends).

Participants may select any of the five-day workshops offered during their stay with weekends free to enjoy Personal Retreat. Occasionally workshops are canceled, so second choices are advised.

The specially discounted cost is $4,880 per 26-day period for standard accommodations. No other discounts apply.

If you cancel or change any part of your Residence Program at least seven full days before its start, there will be a $150 cancellation fee. If you cancel with less than a seven-day notice, the cancellation fee is $330. It is only possible to book this program via phone (831-667-3005) and not via online reservations.

Personal Retreats

May I stay at Esalen without doing a workshop?

Yes by enrolling in an Esalen Personal Retreat (PR), a self-structured experiential program based on reflection, integration, and choice. In an over structured, over stimulated world, our PR students have an opportunity to experience and learn more using tools of contemplation, journaling, and refocusing.

Following program orientation and teaching input on how to use self-structured education, program participants may continue to build their own curriculum, choosing from over 25 different class offerings in a typical week, plus other learning, study, and contemplative opportunities. Classes each day are drawn from yoga, meditation and contemplative practices, movement and dance, Gestalt "open seat" sessions, martial arts, and other subjects, with added enrichment from Visiting Scholar programs, Wednesday evening presentations, Open Deck sessions, and other lecture and discussion venues. Learning activities are also available through Sustainability Tours, in the Esalen Kitchen and Farm and Garden internship programs, and in our structured Garden Retreat. Most days feature three to six or more such offerings, plus unlimited access to Esalen's meditation center, baths and contemplative bath/music offerings, garden walks, bodywork and other booked sessions, and other opportunities for deepening learning, reflection, and integration.

Study materials and diverse readings for maximizing your Esalen Personal Retreat are available to participants.

The Esalen Personal Retreat is open only to Members of the Friends of Esalen (FOE) program, supporting Esalen's transformational mission and our many subsidized mission programs. Additional benefits of membership, or to join Friends of Esalen. Personal retreats are available on a limited basis.

To make a reservation call 831-667-3005. Personal retreat reservations must be made by phone with a reservation specialist, not by fax. Cancellations must also be made by phone with one of our reservation staff. You must be a current Friend of Esalen to book a personal retreat. Please read more about Esalen personal retreats on the reservations page.

Personal Retreat Cancellation Policy: If you cancel a Personal Retreat at least seven full days in advance, your nonrefundable deposit, less a $75 processing fee, will be transferred to an Esalen nonrefundable credit account to be used within one year. If you cancel a Personal Retreat with less than seven days' notice, you forfeit one full night's fees. If you have prepaid your entire reservation fee, we will retain the fees as stated above and return the balance to you. Cancellations must be made by phone with one of our reservation staff. Donations to the Friends of Esalen are nonrefundable.

Employment Opportunities

How might I apply for a job at Esalen?

If you would like to pursue employment at Esalen, please read about our current Employment Opportunities, or send an e-mail to jobs@esalen.org. Many employees at Esalen begin as work scholars in our Work Study Program, then become yearlong Extended Students before applying for staff positions. Esalen continues to encourage this process, although it is not a prerequisite for employment.

Leading Workshops

How might I become a workshop leader?

In order to be considered by our Programs Department, please e-mail your workshop proposal to programs@esalen.org or mail to: "Programs Department: Proposals," Esalen Institute, 55000 Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920. We ask that the proposal include a workshop title, a workshop description (or descriptions) of no more than 225 words, a biography of 35 words or less, and your most complete c.v. or resume. Please indicate whether your proposal is for a five-day or a weekend workshop, or suitable for either.

We currently pay leaders $80 per participant for a weekend workshop and $208 per participant for a five-day workshop. A weekend workshop consists of approximately ten hours of class time; a five-day workshop consists of approximately twenty-six hours. We ask that all leaders be willing to teach the workshop for a minimum of eight participants. Of course, we provide room and board for our leaders and regret that we are unable to cover any transportation costs.

Our workshops are scheduled more than a year in advance and we receive many more proposals than we have space for. Regrettably, due to the number of programs already approved for scheduling, we cannot guarantee that your workshop proposal, if approved, will actually be scheduled.

Holding an Event

May I hold my conference at Esalen?

Esalen is dedicated to exploring and creating space for work in the humanities and sciences that furthers the full realization of the human potential. Part of this dedication includes offering our facilities to mission-aligned organizations for events such as conferences, meetings, courses, and trainings. To apply to hold an event at Esalen email programs@esalen.org. More information about holding an event at Esalen.

Other Questions

May I visit the Esalen Baths for the day?

Our hot springs are open to the public for late night bathing from 1am to 3am. The cost is $20, payable by credit card only. The number to phone for a reservation is 831-667-3047. Reservations must be made before arriving. The reservation line is open between 8 am – 8 pm (except Friday and Sunday: lines close at noon).

May I come to Esalen for a massage?

Massage appointments are available for outside visitors on a limited basis. Reservations can be made one month in advance at the earliest. Monday through Thursday and Saturday, massages are available at 9:30am, 11:00am, and 4:00pm. Friday and Sunday, massages are available at 9:30am, and 11:00am. You must pay in full for your massage with a credit card when you make the reservation. The cost is $165 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Massage reservations are non-cancelable, non-transferable and non-refundable.

You may come to soak in the Hot Springs Baths an hour before your massage and stay to use the Baths for an hour after. There are no private rooms for massages; there may be up to five practitioners working in the same area. The Baths are supplied by a natural hot mineral spring; the minerals in the water tarnish silver so it is best not to wear silver jewelry while in the hot tubs. The Baths are a clothing-optional area where most people will be nude. There are both one-person tubs and group tubs. There is a section of the Baths where people are asked to maintain silence, and another section where quiet conversation can take place.

Call us at 831-667-3002 to make a reservation. Please be prepared to tell us the names, mailing addresses, and telephone numbers of all the people for whom you are booking massages. (Only individuals with a booked massage may come on property.) We accept Visa, Mastercard, and American Express. Please note, it can be difficult to get a massage reservation Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Our practitioners now offer massage in Esalen's Carmel Center as well. Please join us at our new, convenient location and at lower rates than our Big Sur campus. Click here to learn more.