Roots

Esalen Massage® was developed in the early 1960's at the Esalen Institute in California. From a composition of eastern and western philosophy, as well as from different approaches to psycho- and body-therapies a unique kind of massage came into being.

Very much linked with the Sensory Awareness work of Charlotte-Selver, with the deep connective tissue work of Ida Rolf and with the principles of Gestalt of Fritz Perls, a respectful and at the same time deeply moving form of bodywork developed.

Even Moshe Feldenkrais, with the method named after him, was also one of the many teachers in Esalen. The massage bases strongly on the individual experiences the clients have during the session. It encourages recipients to become aware of his or her own feelings without judging them prematurely. The client is invited to follow his or her own observations "here and now", whilst the practitioner is a kind of "guide". The background of an Esalen Massage bases on the "Human Potential Movement", an expression which has been marked by Aldous Huxley. In those times, at the beginning of the sixties of the 20th century, there was a great spirit of a new start: the landing on the moon, the first heart transplantations, everything seemed possible and further development seemed only to be a question of time. The idea to research the deeper human potential fascinated a number of people in the fields of therapy and philosophy. Mike Murphy and Dick Price, two young Americans, who had met at University, were inspired by this idea, and looked for a good place for such a project.

The beautiful plot of land in Big Sur, provided by Michael's grandmother right on the Pacific Coast in California, was the ideal place for it. Here is where the Esalen Institute came into being. The mergence of East and West, of body and soul, all that is, by many people, taken for granted today - at the beginning of the 21st century - had its roots in Esalen.