Esalen Massage emerged during the early days of the Human Potential Movement as innovators started exploring the profound relationship between body, mind, and spirit. On the cliffs of Big Sur, pioneers including Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais, Don Hanlon Johnson, Charlotte Selver, Bernie Gunther, Molly Shackman, and Gia-fu Feng helped create an environment where new approaches to healing could take root.
Within this fertile landscape, Esalen Massage evolved into a distinct practice. Legendary practitioners and teachers Peggy Horan, Deborah Medow, Brita Ostrom, and Vicki Topp helped shape and teach its signature approach — blending long, flowing strokes with presence, breath, and deep listening. Together, they cultivated a form of touch that invites awareness, integration, and connection.
What began in Big Sur has since grown into a global community of thousands of practitioners, teachers, and students who carry this work into healing spaces across continents. Over the decades, Esalen Massage has become one of the world's most respected forms of bodywork. This practice of listening through the hands continues to evolve while remaining rooted in its founding principles of presence, compassion, and embodied awareness.
We invite you to experience this living tradition through our new Healing Arts video, which offers a glimpse into the practice and the dedicated practitioners who continue to nurture and expand its lineage. After viewing, make sure to check out our newly redesigned Healing Arts menu, updated to make it easier than ever to explore the bodywork sessions, treatments, and healing experiences available during your stay.
A tip from those who know Esalen well: Book your Healing Arts session before you arrive. Appointments often fill quickly, and many guests discover — once they've settled into the rhythms of Esalen — that they wish they had arranged more time for bodywork. Planning ahead helps ensure you can experience the offerings that call to you most.
Earlier this month, the Esalen Massage community gathered for another milestone. Teachers and practitioners from around the world came together at Kientalerhof in Switzerland's Kiental Valley for the inaugural Esalen® Massage Global Village. Through hands-on practice, dialogue, and shared inquiry, participants honored the roots of Esalen Massage while exploring its future. The gathering embodied a shared vision: strengthening the international Esalen Massage community through presence, touch, and embodied learning — and fostering a more connected and compassionate world through the healing power of touch.
The Healing Arts continue to grow as a living tradition, shaped by every practitioner who teaches it, every guest who experiences it, and every hand that carries it forward. Whether on the cliffs of Big Sur or in the Swiss Alps, the invitation remains the same: to return to the wisdom of the body and discover that healing is something we create together — one breath, one touch, one encounter at a time.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Esalen Massage emerged during the early days of the Human Potential Movement as innovators started exploring the profound relationship between body, mind, and spirit. On the cliffs of Big Sur, pioneers including Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais, Don Hanlon Johnson, Charlotte Selver, Bernie Gunther, Molly Shackman, and Gia-fu Feng helped create an environment where new approaches to healing could take root.
Within this fertile landscape, Esalen Massage evolved into a distinct practice. Legendary practitioners and teachers Peggy Horan, Deborah Medow, Brita Ostrom, and Vicki Topp helped shape and teach its signature approach — blending long, flowing strokes with presence, breath, and deep listening. Together, they cultivated a form of touch that invites awareness, integration, and connection.
What began in Big Sur has since grown into a global community of thousands of practitioners, teachers, and students who carry this work into healing spaces across continents. Over the decades, Esalen Massage has become one of the world's most respected forms of bodywork. This practice of listening through the hands continues to evolve while remaining rooted in its founding principles of presence, compassion, and embodied awareness.
We invite you to experience this living tradition through our new Healing Arts video, which offers a glimpse into the practice and the dedicated practitioners who continue to nurture and expand its lineage. After viewing, make sure to check out our newly redesigned Healing Arts menu, updated to make it easier than ever to explore the bodywork sessions, treatments, and healing experiences available during your stay.
A tip from those who know Esalen well: Book your Healing Arts session before you arrive. Appointments often fill quickly, and many guests discover — once they've settled into the rhythms of Esalen — that they wish they had arranged more time for bodywork. Planning ahead helps ensure you can experience the offerings that call to you most.
Earlier this month, the Esalen Massage community gathered for another milestone. Teachers and practitioners from around the world came together at Kientalerhof in Switzerland's Kiental Valley for the inaugural Esalen® Massage Global Village. Through hands-on practice, dialogue, and shared inquiry, participants honored the roots of Esalen Massage while exploring its future. The gathering embodied a shared vision: strengthening the international Esalen Massage community through presence, touch, and embodied learning — and fostering a more connected and compassionate world through the healing power of touch.
The Healing Arts continue to grow as a living tradition, shaped by every practitioner who teaches it, every guest who experiences it, and every hand that carries it forward. Whether on the cliffs of Big Sur or in the Swiss Alps, the invitation remains the same: to return to the wisdom of the body and discover that healing is something we create together — one breath, one touch, one encounter at a time.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Esalen Massage emerged during the early days of the Human Potential Movement as innovators started exploring the profound relationship between body, mind, and spirit. On the cliffs of Big Sur, pioneers including Ida Rolf, Moshe Feldenkrais, Don Hanlon Johnson, Charlotte Selver, Bernie Gunther, Molly Shackman, and Gia-fu Feng helped create an environment where new approaches to healing could take root.
Within this fertile landscape, Esalen Massage evolved into a distinct practice. Legendary practitioners and teachers Peggy Horan, Deborah Medow, Brita Ostrom, and Vicki Topp helped shape and teach its signature approach — blending long, flowing strokes with presence, breath, and deep listening. Together, they cultivated a form of touch that invites awareness, integration, and connection.
What began in Big Sur has since grown into a global community of thousands of practitioners, teachers, and students who carry this work into healing spaces across continents. Over the decades, Esalen Massage has become one of the world's most respected forms of bodywork. This practice of listening through the hands continues to evolve while remaining rooted in its founding principles of presence, compassion, and embodied awareness.
We invite you to experience this living tradition through our new Healing Arts video, which offers a glimpse into the practice and the dedicated practitioners who continue to nurture and expand its lineage. After viewing, make sure to check out our newly redesigned Healing Arts menu, updated to make it easier than ever to explore the bodywork sessions, treatments, and healing experiences available during your stay.
A tip from those who know Esalen well: Book your Healing Arts session before you arrive. Appointments often fill quickly, and many guests discover — once they've settled into the rhythms of Esalen — that they wish they had arranged more time for bodywork. Planning ahead helps ensure you can experience the offerings that call to you most.
Earlier this month, the Esalen Massage community gathered for another milestone. Teachers and practitioners from around the world came together at Kientalerhof in Switzerland's Kiental Valley for the inaugural Esalen® Massage Global Village. Through hands-on practice, dialogue, and shared inquiry, participants honored the roots of Esalen Massage while exploring its future. The gathering embodied a shared vision: strengthening the international Esalen Massage community through presence, touch, and embodied learning — and fostering a more connected and compassionate world through the healing power of touch.
The Healing Arts continue to grow as a living tradition, shaped by every practitioner who teaches it, every guest who experiences it, and every hand that carries it forward. Whether on the cliffs of Big Sur or in the Swiss Alps, the invitation remains the same: to return to the wisdom of the body and discover that healing is something we create together — one breath, one touch, one encounter at a time.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org