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100 Hour Esalen® Massage Program

April 3-10 AND May 3-10, 2025

Available to licensed massage and bodywork practitioners only, this unique 100 hour professional training will provide a deep understanding of the approach and techniques of Esalen® massage.

Experiential learning classes will enable students to develop a balance between technique, intuition, and creativity. This course focuses on foundations of Esalen massage as an awareness practice. Through this course we will move through different areas of the body focusing on a variety of techniques to address muscle tension, body holding patterns, and injury, while applying the principles of mindfulness and flow.  Our study of massage technique is augmented through applied anatomy, methods of self-care, and enhanced communication skills.

This training is designed to be deeply transformational and will give you tools for awakening your senses and bringing more awareness to your massage practice and your life. It is for licensed massage & bodywork practitioners wanting to deepen their bodywork practice and add the Esalen massage approach to their work. 

Upon completion of all coursework you will be issued an Esalen massage certificate by the Esalen massage and Bodywork association, along with membership to the organization, a practitioner listing on the website, and numerous resources.

Tuition: $2195

Payment plans are available upon request

Cancellation Policy: Tuition is fully refundable minus a $35 admin fee if cancelled with more than two weeks notice. Tuition is 50% refundable if cancelled within two weeks of the course start date. Tuition is non-refundable if cancelled within 48 hrs of the course start date. 

  • The Esalen® Massage100-hour Professional Practitioner Training offers comprehensive bodywork education in the skills necessary to become a recognized Esalen Massage practitioner. This class is tailored for certified massage practitioners seeking to add the resources of Esalen Massage to their repertoire. It focuses on critical skills relevant for giving a full Esalen Massage, including centering and grounding, self-care and reflection, application of the long flowing strokes punctuated with detail specific to each segment, and an integrated experience of body-mind-spirit.

    Additional points of the curriculum include work in the side-lying posture, passive joint movement, gentle stretching, and ethics of massage. Students will learn and practice communication skills to enhance deep self-reflection and to address emotional release that may arise during a massage session. The instructors offer on-going support at the table as well as assessment through receiving.

    This course is designed to link body, mind and spirit in a professionally oriented, hands-on training. Successful completion includes full attendance (100 classroom hours), one 30-minute, and one 75-minute massage assessment session, fifteen documented off-site massage sessions, and payment of the certificate fee ( $150). Graduation grants the practitioner full Esalen® Massage privileges, including listing on the website and use of the brand to promote their work as Esalen® Massage as long as they remain in good standing.

    Students will receive a resource book that includes the class schedule and curriculum, forms, and assessment guidance plus multiple articles by leaders notable in the Esalen Massage legacy. Attendance is kept daily; If health reasons prevent a student from attending a class, a student may arrange with the instructors to make up the class time.

  • Week One The first sessions will include personal introduction, enhancing the learning environment by developing communication skills, and what it means to be intentional with touch. Initial coursework will build sensory awareness skills, how to become centered and grounded, physically and energetically, and the practice of presence for self and with others. They will be introduced to a variety of mindfulness practices, meditation, yoga, and Tai Chi, to enhance and develop these skills. We will cover the history of Esalen Massage and its key influences, along with the evolution of Esalen massage today. Through lectures, demo’s and practice, students will become familiar with the Esalen approach to contact, connection and applying the signature flow of Esalen massage at the table. During the next few days, the course will teach creating safety through draping and how to build specific massage methodology in the prone position. Midway through the first week, attention will move to the front of the body, and by the end of the week, students will be able to give and experience a basic Esalen massage. Good body mechanics , mindfulness and communication skills form the backdrop for each massage session. Midway through the first week we begin the clinic where students are asked to bring together all the skills they are learning into 75 minute massages performed on a client and are given written feedback.

    Week Two The instructors will add detail, moving through the layers of the body to address specific areas—limbs, torso, neck, head, hands and feet--with movement, stretches and 3-dimensional touch on front and back. Each session will be dedicated to focusing on techniques that address common issues and complaints, including stress, tension, pain or lack of awareness.

    Break-out sessions will experientially explore healthy boundaries, empathy, and how to professionally differentiate between the two. A facilitated circle will promote self-reflection, acceptance, listening skills, and illustrate the body-mind-spirit relationship, The instructors will offer massage strategies for clients that need alternate positions, such as side work, and addressing the back body from the front, and working partially clothed. Final assessment is by means of a practical session on an instructor, with verbal and written feedback. In closing, instructors will highlight the business practices relevant to Esalen massage, including promotional materials, professional ethics and boundaries, and the reach of the Esalen community.

    Final Requirements: To complete the graduate students must successfully give the instructor an Esalen massage, documents fifteen practice Esalen massage sessions off site and submit them electronically to the instructor, along with the certificate application and fee. Graduates gain the privileges of the Esalen Brand and its website as long as they remain in good standing.

  • Skills for developing presence and mindfulness through movement and meditation

    Understanding the History, development, and influences on Esalen massage: How it began, who developed Esalen massage. How the Esalen Institute and the era of the 1960’s was important. How the work of Charlotte Selver, Swedish massage, and others played a key role in its evolution. How Esalen massage continues to evolve today

    Understanding the principles of Esalen Massage: presence, listening skills, flow, responsiveness.

    Using the Esalen principles when addressing specific areas of concern. Review of anatomical terms, muscles, origins and insertions, working with injuries, working with resistance, understanding the contraindications of massage, communication during a session, working at a variety of depths,

    Deepening the art of sensing and listening while giving and receiving a massage: how to interpret what you are feeling, engaging the client in the process of receiving, how deep to go.

    Learning to build repertoire with your client through professional communication and relational assessment: building safety and trust, how to ask for feedback, relational approach: understanding the relationship between mind and body, and working with both, working with the mind/body connection and staying in scope of practice, understanding the psychology of relaxation, what to do when emotions arise.

    Learning specific massage techniques and Esalen principles for each segment of the body: limbs (arms and legs), torso (back, chest, abdomen), hands, feet, neck, head (face and scalp)

    Understanding the role of the nervous system in massage and learning techniques that impact the nervous system: the anatomy of the nervous system, pacing, rocking and holds

    Learning how to apply passive joint movement: safely moving arms and legs, assessing for limitations and restrictions in movement

    Learning stretches to lengthen and release muscles with the legs, arms and neck

    Learning to work with the antagonistic muscle and primary muscles together

    Learn self-care exercises for practitioners to work with ease, maintain strength, and cultivate calm and focus: best practices for good body mechanics and self-care

    Understanding energetics of massage and working with chakras, meridians, and holds

    Understanding and addressing Ethical concerns in massage: focus on boundaries, professionalism, power differential, communication skills, and dual relationships

    Understanding best business practices in massage: navigating financials, policy, and social media/advertising

    Additional accommodations for clients with special needs: working in the side-lying position, what does it mean to be “trauma-informed”

  • Students will be able to be more aware of their clients through observations, listening, and palpation skills

    Assessment: practical assessment and peer feedback

    Students will learn to use good body mechanics, maintain boundaries, physically and emotionally, and communicate with their clients.

    Visual assessment by the instructor, self-reported, peer feedback

    Students will be able to give each client a massage that is customized based on the client’s needs and requests.

    Practical assessment on instructor, peer feedback

    Students will apply the principles of Esalen Massage to give a 75 min. Full body Esalen Massage.

    Assessment by observation and peer feedback.

    Students will be able to incorporate verbal clues and guidance into the session.

    Assessment: congruence of client and practitioner feedback.

    Students will be able to safely and effectively incorporate stretches and movement of limbs in a session.

    Assessment by observation, peer feedback, instructor assessment session.

    Students will apply holistic principles and energetic concepts to each massage.

    Assessment: Instructor observation and practical assessment on instructor.

  • Instructional methods include observation, lecture, demonstration, use of skeleton and charts, followed by supervised practice. Instructors work with all students one on one at the table. All sessions will include one or more of the following: shared exercises on massage tables, paired exercises of hands-on practice, self-awareness training, body dynamics, peer feedback. The emphasis of this course is on experiential learning and the practice of Esalen® Massage.

  • Esalen Massage Demonstration, theory and practice 64 hours

    Esalen Massage 48 hours

    Passive joint movement 05

    Contraindications 05

    Special needs clients 06

    Practitioner Development 08 hours

    Sensory awareness practice 03 hours

    Mindfulness training 05 hours

    Science 15 hours

    Anatomy and Physiology 06 hours

    Pathology 03 hours

    Kinesthetic movement 05 hours

    Ethics 03 hours

    Business practice 03 hours

    Psychological Aspects 04 hours

    Hands on Assessment 03 hours

    Total hours 100 hours

 

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Asheville, NC

Still Point Wellness 
946 Tunnel Rd. Asheville, NC

Meals and accommodation are not included in tuition.

Days 1-3:
9:00 am -1:00 pm: Class
1:00 pm - 2:30: Lunch
2:30-6:30: Class

Day 4:
9:00 am -1:00 pm Class

Day 5-7
9:00 am -1:00 pm: Class
1:00 pm - 2:30: Lunch
2:30-6:30: Class

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Your Instructors

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Robin Fann-Costanzo

Robin has been working at the Esalen Institute and internationally since 1992 as an Esalen massage staff member, instructor, and registered yoga teacher.   In addition to Esalen massage, Robin brings a lifetime of experienced as a trained dancer and has extensive training in craniosacral therapy, somatoemotional release, gestalt therapy, life coaching, and dance therapy.

Her love for learning and teaching led her to collaborate in the development of Esalen teacher’s training program.  Robin is featured in the Esalen massage DVD and in 2017 released her own full length instructional Esalen Massage tutorial.  She has developed  continuing education programs taught at Esalen and offers classes in Asheville, NC where she currently resides with her husband and daughters. 

In 2012 at the World Massage Festival, Robin was honored for her years of dedication in the field of massage and bodywork, by being inducted into the World Massage Hall of Fame.

 

Dean Marsen

Dean is a Senior Instructor of Esalen® Massage who has been teaching workshops and trainings at Esalen Institute and internationally for over 40 years. 

He trained in other bodywork styles before becoming fascinated by the flowing, wholistic Esalen style and has since learned from and collaborated with numerous teachers at Esalen and elsewhere. Dean is a Registered Yoga Teacher and long-time meditator and he weaves presence and connection, the essence of these practices, into all of his groups. Whether teaching Massage, Yoga, Self-care or Meditation, Dean incorporates a variety of somatic methods into his eclectic approach to teaching the art of massage.

Dean lives with his wife, Ginger Holladay, in Leavenworth, Washington nestled in the beautiful Cascade Mountains and he leads classes and trainings at Esalen Institute, in Japan, China and elsewhere.

Robin Fann-Costanzo's Introduction to Esalen Massage® Video
$39.99

Follow along as Robin Fann-Costanzo, World Massage Festival Hall of Fame Inductee, gently guides you through an entire world-class 90 minute Esalen Massage. Perfect for anyone interested in learning the art of Esalen Massage. *this is a non-credit instructional video

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