Esalen Institute is open! However, Highway 1 to the south is closed — please review the current travel advisory.
Learn More.

Learn more.

Due to road closures along Highway 1 to our north and south, Esalen is closed through April 11.
Esalen Institute is open! However, Highway 1 to the south is closed — please review the current travel advisory.

Esalen opens May 3, 2024

Visitors are now able to access Esalen as well as other businesses and trails in northern Big Sur via twice-daily convoys on Highway 1 operated by Caltrans.

Convoys run only at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day. These are the only opportunities to travel into and out of Big Sur, so visitors must plan accordingly.

Learn more.

Explore Your Potential.

Esalen is a holistic retreat and nonprofit educational institute. Established in 1962 and considered the epicenter of the human potential movement, we welcome visitors with advance reservations for workshops and massages to our campus in Big Sur, California.

Ways to Visit

Go Within: An Esalen Wintering Series

December 13–16, December 16–20
January 27–31
December 13–16 | December 16–20 | January 27–31

Join us this winter and experience the healing power of rhythm, reflection, and community — a timely medicine for a world that deeply needs reconnection and introspection.

Go Within

After a challenging year, give yourself the gift of true restoration this holiday season. Self-Guided Explorations offer a meaningful alternative to the usual holiday routine.

Book December 16–20

FEATURED WORKSHOPS

Explore All Workshops
Shannon Algeo
In Our Hands: Reclaiming the Lost Self from Technology, a Digital Liberation Workshop
December 2–6, 2024
Jovinna Chan with Guest Sound Healer Micha Merrick
Fully Alive: Seeing Through Your Soul’s Eyes
December 9–13, 2024
Dacher Keltner
Emotional Wisdom: Inside Out
December 9–13, 2024
Teachers in Residence with Special Guests Guillermo Martinez and Tabernis
Go Within: An Esalen Wintering Series
December 13–15, 2024*
Teachers in Residence with Special Guests Guillermo Martinez, Shahzad Ismaily, and Tabernis
Go Within: An Esalen Wintering Series
December 16–20, 2024
Deborah Anne Medow and Daniela Urbassek
Esalen® Massage: The Gift of Essential Touch
December 23–27, 2024
Steven Harper
Gestalt Practice and Principles: Cultivating Embodied Wholeness in Daily Life
January 6–10, 2025
Deva Munay
Tuning to the Frequency of Love and Renewal: Sound Journeys to Elevate Your Life
January 6–10, 2025
James Baraz
Being Present for Your Life: Introduction to Mindfulness Meditation
January 10–12, 2025
Stacia Butterfield
Holotropic Breathwork®: Expanded States of Consciousness
January 13–17, 2025
Heidi Rose Robbins
Planets and Poetry: Embodying Astrology Through the Expressive Arts
January 13–17, 2025
Dan Zigmond
Meditation and Modern Life: A Zen Meditation Retreat
January 17–20, 2025
Perry and Johanna Holloman
Integrative Gestalt Practice™: Unlock Your Authentic Life Through Self-Inquiry
December 2–6, 2024
Shannon Algeo
In Our Hands: Reclaiming the Lost Self from Technology, a Digital Liberation Workshop
December 2–6, 2024
Cassandra Vieten with Guest Faculty Fabrice Guerrier
Imagination: Exploring Your Inner World for an Extraordinary Life
December 6–8, 2024
Jovinna Chan with Guest Sound Healer Micha Merrick
Fully Alive: Seeing Through Your Soul’s Eyes
December 9–13, 2024
Dacher Keltner
Emotional Wisdom: Inside Out
December 9–13, 2024
Teachers in Residence with Special Guests Guillermo Martinez and Tabernis
Go Within: An Esalen Wintering Series
December 13–15, 2024*
Teachers in Residence with Special Guests Guillermo Martinez, Shahzad Ismaily, and Tabernis
Go Within: An Esalen Wintering Series
December 16–20, 2024
Deborah Anne Medow and Daniela Urbassek
Esalen® Massage: The Gift of Essential Touch
December 23–27, 2024
Explore All Workshops

Embark on a Personal Journey

Unlike traditional retreats that follow a predetermined schedule, Self-Guided Explorations empowers you to craft a personalized, self-paced journey of self discovery.

Explore, Play, Heal

Human Potential & Self Actualization for All

Money should never stand in the way of human potential. Donor-funded financial scholarships help make Esalen, a 501c3 nonprofit, accessible to a wider community of brains, hearts, and souls.

Apply Now

CAMPUS-WIDE FESTIVALS

Unite for festivals that enhance your “me” time with “we” time through transformational revelry that builds community and supports healing.

Summer GrooveDig It
Scholarships
Apply Now

Inspired by what was good and magical about the late 1960s, our first-ever summer series will feature festive programming in an open, a-la-carte format similar to our Self Guided Explorations workshops. Esalen’s own faculty-in-residence will be joined by very special guests to add amazing and delightful programming to each uniquely different week and weekend!

Providing access to the growth and healing opportunities through our programs and faculty is a priority for Esalen. We offer a number of partial scholarships per workshop and programming opportunities with up to 90% coverage based on need. We encourage you to make use of this potential support and apply now.

Altered States: Pathways to Expansion, September 9–13, 2024Learn More
Go Within: An Esalen Institute Winter Series, December 13–16 & December 16–20, 2024Learn More
Learn More

Through the embrace of the arts and our own creativity, we unite during this communal, campus-wide gathering  to unleash the pulsating, reverberating inner curiosity that fuels imagination, sparks innovation, and nourishes the soul.

Human Potential & Self Actualization for All

Money should never stand in the way of human potential. Donor-funded financial scholarships help make Esalen accessible to a wider community of brains, hearts, and souls.

Apply Now

Your Support Matters

As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, Esalen relies on tax-deductible donations to help support leading-edge programming, fund scholarships, sustainably maintain our campus, and more.

Give Today

Accommodations & Tuition

Whether you prefer rustic, deluxe, or something in-between, check out the homey spots you can lay your head during your stay at the edge of the world.

Preview Options

Celebrating Human Potential Since 1962

Watch short films, listen to our podcast, and read colorful articles linking our past to the present day.

Immerse in Story
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STAY CONNECTED ON SOCIAL

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Copyright © 2024 Esalen Institute and Esalen Center for Theory & Research. All rights reserved. Esalen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. View our Tax ID#, 990, and additional information.

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