Where does Esalen® Massage come from?

Located in California on Big Sur's Pacific Ocean coastline, Esalen lnstitute is no doubt one of the most influencial personal development centers in the world. Founded by friends Dick Price and Michael Murphy in 1962, it was named after the Native American tribe “Esselen” that once lived there. Birthplace of the human potential movement in the 60's, the institute offers workshops geared toward spiritual, artistic and psychological development; among the most popular are those that focus on massage and body awareness. Many psychologists, thinkers, dancers, artists of the end of the 20th century , among which Joseph Campbell, Fritz Perls, Stanislas Grof, Gabrielle Roth, Mosche Feldenkrais and Ida Rolf have lived there and left their marks. But above all, it is massage which has been taught there since the 70's, one thinks of when the word “Esalen” is evoked. Esalen's natural environment is magical including mineral hot springs, called the baths, adjacent to a massage deck that sits 50 feet above the ocean. It was there, on the deck, that bodywork pioneers came to teach their techniques to others. Esalen® Massage is deeply influenced by the rhythms of the sea and Esalen massage practitioners acknowledge the intimate relationship of the body in its physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions, with the world around us. “Esalen has evolved into an institution. It is the Emerald City of massage and bodywork.” VOGUE Magazine