Fundamentals of Esalen® Massage
With Nora Matten and Whitney Bell
November 28 - 30, 2025
This workshop is a perfect opportunity for you to enjoy the natural beauty of Esalen’s land while gaining a foundation in Esalen® Massage. Senior teachers and staff will guide you in this experience of connection and presence translated to the massage table.
Through lecture, demonstration and practice with your fellow students, you will be introduced to the essentials, including quality of touch, rapport, a respect for our natural impulse toward healing, and mindful body mechanics. You will listen to what is felt as well as what is said. You will learn how to comfortably drape and apply the foundational long, intentional strokes and gentle stretches. You will have plenty of time for guided practice and to effectively share your experience. At the end of the weekend, you will be able to give a simple massage to friends and family back home.
Esalen massage promotes feelings of wholeness and reconnects us with our natural state of being. Teaching tools include experiential exercises to awaken the senses, demonstrations, and tableside guidance appropriate for you. The class will enjoy an optional evening in the hot tubs, birthplace of Esalen® Massage. The class is appropriate for the new and curious as well as the professional who would like to rejuvenate their senses and the quality of their touch.
About the Leaders

Nora Matten
Nora Matten is a member of the Esalen massage crew and an Esalen Massage® teacher. As part of the Esalen movement staff, she teaches dance and yoga. Her work draws on Forrest yoga, Soul Motion, vipassana meditation, Gestalt Awareness Practice and the Diamond Approach, among others modalities. Email Me www.noramatten.com
Learn more about Nora MattenWhitney Bell
Whitney Bell, teaching assistant, brings a myriad of massage experience ranging from working with professional athletes at competitions to massage practice at Esalen Institute. She teaches in Los Angeles and brings her enthusiasm for Esalen® Massage to this course. Whitney is also a gestalt coaching practitioner integrating a holistic approach to healing and well-being.
Learn more about Whitney BellCategory : Massage & Healing Arts