MEDITATION HUT

The back side of the Roundhouse circa 1960s.

The Meditation Hut, or the “Roundhouse,” was first built in the 1950s as a secluded writer’s studio for Dennis Murphy, brother of Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy. By 1961, a young Dick Price had moved in. It wasn’t until the ’90s that the space was officially transformed into the Meditation Hut.

The Roundhouse, as it was then known, was a gift from Michael and Dennis’ paternal grandmother, Vinny, after Dennis wrote his acclaimed first novel. The Sergeant, a daring bestseller, was written by Dennis when he was just 24 years old.

While residing in the Roundhouse, the charismatic, swashbuckling author wrote the screenplay adaptation of his book, which would later star Rod Steiger of The Twilight Zone.

The infamous wayfaring Hunter S. Thompson’s short-lived stint as a security guard for the baths (back when they were known as the Big Sur Hot Springs) came about in part because of Dennis: The teenaged Thompson, who would later become one of his generation’s most famous writers, was a big fan of Dennis’ work, and they became friends.

Dick Price took over the digs in 1961, as he and Michael began dreaming an early concept of what would become Esalen Institute together. Located at Hot Springs Creek, the Roundhouse was called home by many historical Esalen figures through the coming decades.

Writers Dennis Murphy and Henry Miller. The well-established Miller was something of a mentor to the budding Murphy.

Dick Price and friends on the back deck of the Roundhouse, where he lived in the early 1960s.

The secluded getaway became a place for some ’60s-era psychedelic experimentation, including a notable trip for Hannah Tillich, wife of Christian existentialist philosopher Paul Tillich. It was within the wooden walls of the Roundhouse that she took a well-documented psychedelic journey with existentialist psychologist Rollo May, who held space as her “sitter.”

It wasn’t until the 1990s that this space officially became known as the Meditation Hut. The writer’s desk, the bed, and the bathroom accouterments were all removed to create an empty space for those seeking to Be. The interior was completely reimagined to make it what it is now, what it feels like it has always been: our beloved Meditation Hut.

The Meditation Hut today. Photo by Tim Farrell.