250-hour Esalen Massage® Certification Program

This 250-hour massage certification course is designed for those who plan to professionally practice massage, or to combine Esalen Massage skills with another body-mind discipline. It will provide an in-depth experience of bodywork as an aspect of transpersonal growth, reflecting the rich history of the Esalen approach: an interweaving of disciplines focused on the integration of body, mind and spirit. As students develop competence during the course of this training in Esalen Massage methodology, they will also be exposed to approaches such as Sensory Awareness, Gestalt process, yoga and meditation — all practices focused on supporting the embodiment of presence and awareness as we touch. This six-week immersion is an in-depth experience of Esalen Massage theory and method, which teaches students how to move beyond technique and embrace this form as a true healing art.

Through lecture, demonstration, and visual aids, students will study massage as a holistic approach to optimal health and functioning. The course offers 250 hours of comprehensive core massage instruction, including the 100-hour core curriculum required by the CAMTC, with relevant anatomical and physiological exploration directly linked to the practice of massage. Students will have ample time for supervised practice with each other, emphasizing body mechanics, self-care and innovation. Course faculty will team-teach sequentially on a rotating basis.

The massage curriculum includes centering skills, Esalen methods effective in whole-body integration, draping, detailed structural work, passive joint movement and stretches, and techniques that energetically balance a massage. Students will also be taught communication skills for interacting with clients in a clear, compassionate manner, including education in difficult ethical situations that sometimes arise in massage practice.

This course is the cornerstone of the Esalen 500-hour certificate. For the CAMTC, CMT certificate, graduates can participate in additional catalog bodywork courses to total 500 hours, approximately ten five-day workshops, non-sequentially. It is also open to professionals seeking an immersion-style course in this effective healing art. Beginners are welcome, including those not necessarily interested in professional massage practice, but in a deeper experience of their own embodiment.

Upon satisfactory completion, and after documenting 30 additional massages at your home site, a Certificate of Completion for 250 hours will be issued. The certification fee is $115. Esalen is an approved school by the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (school code 2700571). This course is approved by the California Massage Therapy Council (School code SCH0010) as part of the 500-hour coursework.

This is a professional training with limited admission and is especially useful for those in the healing professions in working with their patients and clients. Tuition for this course of study is $11,100, all inclusive, with standard accommodations. Bunk bed accommodations (six to a room)  are considered scholarship, at the fee of $8,010. To request a scholarship application, contact Dean Marson at dmarson@hotmail.com.

For industry-related questions or more information about Esalen Massage, contact Massage School Director Brita Ostrom at massageschool@esalen.org or call (831) 667 3040.

(A $50 materials fee will be added to the workshop cost)

We require a $600 deposit to secure your space, of which $250 is non-refundable, and your final payment is required 30 days prior to the program start date.

CE credit for massage;