The Lodge is Esalen’s living room. Originally designed by architect Lennart Palme in 1939, the Lodge was built to feel at home within the Big Sur landscape.
This philosophy continues to shape Esalen today. During its 2016 renovation, the original Lodge dining hall was carefully preserved, honoring both its architecture and its role as the heart of campus. For generations, scientists have shared tables with artists, spiritual teachers with skeptics, and strangers with future friends. Some of Esalen’s most memorable conversations have unfolded not in workshops, but over breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
In the early 1960s, the Lodge operated as a candlelit restaurant, with waitstaff that included future Healing Arts pioneers Mary Ellen Klee, Brita Ostrom, Peggy Horan, and Deborah Anne Medow. By the late ’60s, the community embraced the buffet-style dining that continues today.
As Don Hanlon Johnson recalled, “These gurus of somatics, like Charlotte Selver, Ida Rolf, and Moshe Feldenkrais, would [aggressively] argue with one another, but would then sit in the Lodge joking and telling funny stories — having a nice meal together.”
Today, guests gather here three times a day for meals frequently prepared from scratch, with much of the produce arriving just steps from the kitchen via the Farm & Garden, complemented by ingredients from neighboring Big Sur producers. While some may be surprised to find sustainably sourced meat alongside abundant vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and other dietary options, the philosophy remains the same: nourish every guest well. And yes, the beloved bread bar is still here. Though longtime regulars will notice it has evolved over the years and even changed locations, it remains an Esalen tradition in its own right.
The Lodge is Esalen’s living room. Originally designed by architect Lennart Palme in 1939, the Lodge was built to feel at home within the Big Sur landscape.
This philosophy continues to shape Esalen today. During its 2016 renovation, the original Lodge dining hall was carefully preserved, honoring both its architecture and its role as the heart of campus. For generations, scientists have shared tables with artists, spiritual teachers with skeptics, and strangers with future friends. Some of Esalen’s most memorable conversations have unfolded not in workshops, but over breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
In the early 1960s, the Lodge operated as a candlelit restaurant, with waitstaff that included future Healing Arts pioneers Mary Ellen Klee, Brita Ostrom, Peggy Horan, and Deborah Anne Medow. By the late ’60s, the community embraced the buffet-style dining that continues today.
As Don Hanlon Johnson recalled, “These gurus of somatics, like Charlotte Selver, Ida Rolf, and Moshe Feldenkrais, would [aggressively] argue with one another, but would then sit in the Lodge joking and telling funny stories — having a nice meal together.”
Today, guests gather here three times a day for meals frequently prepared from scratch, with much of the produce arriving just steps from the kitchen via the Farm & Garden, complemented by ingredients from neighboring Big Sur producers.
While some may be surprised to find sustainably sourced meat alongside abundant vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and other dietary options, the philosophy remains the same: nourish every guest well. And yes, the beloved bread bar is still here. Though longtime regulars will notice it has evolved over the years and even changed locations, it remains an Esalen tradition in its own right.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org