Guests are welcome to stay as a personal retreat without booking a workshop. The hot springs have been an attraction since the s, and enjoyed by the native Esselen for many millennia before that.
But pulling a partial all-nighter is worth it. Coming down the hill, you will see an outdoor massage deck and living roof planted in native coastal grasses. There are several indoor and outdoor baths, plus private clawfoot tubs, all set to a soundscape of crashing waves. Esalen sits on a remote stretch of land about 12 miles south of Big Sur, and driving the gorgeous Highway 1 to get there is an added bonus of the whole experience. Perhaps the institute's most memorable feature, however, is its extraordinary hot springs bath house and massage center, precariously positioned on a cliff overlooking the Pacific.
To visit Esalen, reservations are required, either for a workshop or for a stay without attending a workshop. All stays include use of the bath house, access to the grounds, and meals that utilize fresh ingredients from the center's huge gardens.
Scholarships and work-stays are offered for those who cannot afford the regular prices. More Recommendations Serena Renner. Hot Springs on the Edge Before the Esalen Institute became a hub for workshops and retreats centered on topics from yoga and meditation to gestalt theory and psychotherapy, it was renowned for its natural hot springs.
The springs' use predates the area's Esselen Indians, but the modern bath house was built in the s by an arthritic man named Thomas Slate. Over the years, Esalen has grown into an education center that has attracted such famous visitors and residents as Henry Miller, Joan Baez, Hunter S. Best nearby. We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location. Bixby Bridge. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
McWay Falls. Partington Cove. Hiking Trails. Big Creek Cove Vista Point. Willow Creek Beach. Gamboa Point Baech. Lopez Point. See all. Write a review Upload a photo. Most Recent. Very good. Canadians 5 contributions.
My first trip to California we spent two weeks, and week around Big Sur. We saw the sign and stopped in at Esalen, I had been looking into taking a two week module at Esalen. The woman at the gate said do you have a reservation, I said no, she replied this gate is as far as you go, you can turnaround and leave.
She did not smile and was very cold. I explained I was from Canada and it was my first trip to California and had been looking at taking a 2 week module at Esalen, asked if I could take a couple minutes and just see the place.
She stated coldly again, this gate is as far as you get you can turn around and leave. We have a website if you want to see the place. I felt like I had been assaulted. My whole trip in California and the only place I was treated rudely, and ignorantly was at a place that was supposed to be about kindness, love, peace and respect to one another. I felt really hurt. I understand if it is private but she could have been kind and explained this but she was rude.
She made a mumbled comment to the person standing beside her at the gate and snickered. Maybe they only treat you well after they have your credit card payment. Extremely hurt and disappointed. Read more. Katie L Monterey, CA 21 contributions. I am very ambivalent about writing this review.
I've been going to Esalen regularly for over 20 years and this place has been a sanctuary to me and I've had life changing experiences there. I last went in March. The workshop leader was great Dorthy Charles as were the other participants, and that is why I went, but I feel compelled to write about the change in the "vibe" at Esalen; especially of late.
It was always supposed to be a equitable community where pretenses were left outside. When I worked in the kitchen in as a monthly work scholar there used to be sign over the door that says "everyone's job is as important as everyone else's" - or something to that affect. That sign is no longer there. Over the years they started making "premium rooms" and courting a more affluent bunch of people.
It has never been cheap to go there, but it was a lottery of sorts before. You paid for a standard room and if you were lucky you got the Big House; if not Motel Row. First they took away staff housing and made expensive Pointe Houses. Now even the group space that was initially built for Fritz Perlz when he was a resident is part of a "premium room" set-up. So sad. She no longer affiliates with Esalen and I suspect I am pointing out the reason why.
So the last time I was there I paid for a five-day workshop over nine hundred dollars and was in one of the bunk rooms.
I've done this many times. While it was always very simple, it was at least clean. Not so this time. The carpet probably hasn't been replaced since the 70's. The furniture is worn and filthy. The door was literally falling apart. It was also the first week of the new construction and overnight a wall of straw bales went up making my roommates and I have to walk a huge detour to get to the lodge. No apologies. No compensation. Now on the emails I get from Esalen PR they brag how the construction has not been any disruption at all.
I know they know that's not so. I wrote on the feedback form how unfair I felt the experience was and left it in the office. My name and number was on it. No response. I posted my thoughts on their Facebook page. It got deleted. Not so any more. I think they are cutting corners.
More than once they ran out of things mid-meal time. Not near the variety or quality as in years past. NO reason for that. Case in point - one morning I got up early and went to the lodge for coffee and toast before the 7am yoga. I was rudely told to get out of the lodge because they were locking it for the morning mopping. So much for hour service of coffee and fresh breads. But as I was leaving some guy in a bathrobe wandered in and the same person who told me to leave said to him; "Good morning!
We have fresh coffee in the kitchen! I'm pretty sure he's not in one of the bunkhouses. Esalen, I am very sad. I see what you have done to yourself be a microcosm of the culture at large. Brian M 7 contributions. I visited Esalen in June of this year - on the strength of its reputation and the experiences of colleagues who had visited there over the years.
I am a trainer, coach and author based in Ireland and working mainly in Europe. While the setting is stunning, the baths met expectations, and the workshop was satisfactory the rest of my Esalen experience left much to be desired. I found the accomdation adequate and clean but not worth the price charged. The food was poor - I am familiar with good vegetarian cooking in other similar establishments in Europe.
I had difficulties getting out of the place because nobody responed to my requests for transport and I had to resort to the direct approach to get off the campus.
On making enquiries at the front desk about future workshops I was dealt with in a very dismissive way. When I went on-line to complain I was dealt with equally dismissively and after a protracted correspondence I am still no nearer getting resolution of my issues.
They could not find my orginal complaint when I raised queries. A snail mail letter to the Chief Executive was not even acknowledged. My message is to any potential visitor is: think carefully about going there.
At one time Esalen was the gold standard, the one to aspire to but regrettably the rest of the world has caught up with it.
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