Esalen® Massage is a healing art that has evolved over the last several decades at Esalen Institute. People the world over have come to Big Sur to learn this form of touch at Esalen’s mineral hot springs, surrounded by jasmine and passion flowers, suspended between mountains and ocean. Deeply influenced by the rhythms of the sea, Esalen® Massage supports exquisite awareness in both practitioner and client through the natural flow of breath, and the relaxed giving and receiving of energy and weight. This shared awareness is the essence of the practice.

Esalen® Massage is known for its long, integrating strokes, and for its ability to support deep physical and emotional release. The principles and movements of Esalen® Massage are derived from classic Swedish massage, but the practice has been influenced by Feldenkreis, Rolfing, Trager, Accupressure, and a variety of other disciplines. All of these approaches share a basic trust in the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

No specific sequence of moves or procedures is required in Esalen® Massage, and practitioners are generally free to add skills outside of basic Swedish technique in order to support the quality and flow of their work. For this reason, it can be difficult to say precisely what Esalen® Massage is. All members of the Esalen massage crew study various approaches to meditation and healing as part of daily life at Esalen, a fact that has been key in the evolution of this style of bodywork. One session might include reflexology and cranial-sacral work, while another may incorporate essential oils and the singing of sacred chants. There is a welcoming openness to various traditions and approaches.

Esalen® Massage is more about attitude than action. Each session is unique, experienced by both giver and receiver in response to whatever arises spontaneously. The experienced practitioner relies on intuition at all times, and the ability to “listen” through the hands. Long strokes, constant attention to breath, physical and spiritual awareness, a meditative approach to each session, and occasional pauses in the physical movements (helping the client fully integrate the physical, mental, and emotional experience) are about the only “musts.” The rest is left to the intuition and imagination of each giver.