Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA 93920
by Carl W. Nelson
Esalen Hot Springs Bathhouse
Esalen Institute
Big Sur, CA 93920
www.esalen.org
Esalen was started in 1961-62 by Michael Murphy and Richard Price, on a mile-length ocean-side property with hot springs at the coastal center of Big Sur, acquired in 1910 by Michael’s paternal grandparents. Esalen, where the revival of interest in massage all began, had an important role in popularizing massage for health maintenance and stress reduction. Massage instruction by Bernie Gunther began at Esalen in 1963.
Massage instructional books by Esalen staff members:
George Downing and Anne Kent Rush, The Massage Book, First printing, January 1972, and 25th Anniversary Edition, 1998, with an added introduction by Anne Kent Rush.
Peggy Morrison Horan, Connecting Through Touch: The Couples' Massage Book, 2007.
Books about massage by Esalen staff members:
Bernard Gunther, Sense Relaxation Below Your Mind, 1968.
Bernard Gunther, What to Do Till the Messiah Comes, 1971.
Gabrielle Roth, Maps to Ecstasy: A Healing Journey for the Untamed Spirit, 1998.
Deane Juhan, Job’s Body: A Handbook for Bodywork, 1987; Expanded Edition, 1998; Third Edition, 2003.
Deane Juhan, Touched by the Goddess: The Physical, Psychological, and Spiritual
Powers of Bodywork, 2002.
Massage DVD titles by Esalen staff members:
Esalen Institute Presents Esalen Massage, May 1997, DVD 40th Anniversary Edition 2003.
The Art of Essential Touch, Volume 1, with Ellen Watson, two-disc set, 2004.
Head, Neck, & Shoulder Massage, with Sherry Galloway, 2004.
Deep Bodywork I, II, III, and IV, with Perry and Johanna Holloman, four-disc set, 2006.
Esalen Massage DVD – Truly Magnificent
by Carl W. Nelson
The Esalen Massage Video DVD was filmed on location at the Esalen Institute. Esalen is located at the coastal center of the breathtakingly beautiful, rugged Big Sur region of California. Some indoor and several outdoor spots are shown with demonstrations on massage tables in the Huxley meeting room, at the cliff-side Hot Springs Bathhouse overlooking and forty feet above the Pacific Ocean on both the ground floor and the upper deck, on the cliff-edge swimming pool deck one hundred feet above the ocean surf, similarly on the nearby spacious luxuriant lawn, and within one of the lush gardens on this harmonious landscape rendering of the wild and the manicured. In this exquisite production, there are many spectacular scenes taken from a helicopter, as well as still pictures of Esalen’s founders: Michael Murphy and Richard Price, and noted early Esalen presenters: Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Ida Rolf, Joseph Campbell, Sam Keen, Christine Stewart Price, and others; a fleeting view of the rustic redwood Lodge, views of the cascading Hot Springs Creek with redwood trees on its banks, a favorite charming meditation spot: the landing on the stairway from the Big House to the beach, and of other awe-inspiring spots on this magical property.
In this 85-minute production, nearly all thirty-six members of the Esalen Massage Crew appear, if not as givers, then as receivers, with some as both. Twenty-two, as givers, appear with first names on the screen, with ten as commentators supplementing the mellifluous, informative voice-over that guides the viewer through the total body massage. The world-famous classic Esalen massage moves are demonstrated in stepwise fashion with amazing grace and beauty. The idea of producing an instructional massage video at Esalen dates to at least February 1977, but not until May 1997 was such a product released. The viewer is completely captivated by the presentation in the same way as actually being at Esalen, for both are works of art. Delightful to the eye and uplifting to the spirit, one never tires of repeated viewings.
Said of this award-winning best-selling video production – “gorgeous, wonderful, beautiful, enlightening, the next best thing to learning at Esalen, the best instructional video on the market, for beginners and professionals alike!”
