Visitors are now able to access Esalen as well as other businesses and trails in northern Big Sur via twice-daily convoys on Highway 1 operated by Caltrans.
Convoys run only at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day. These are the only opportunities to travel into and out of Big Sur, so visitors must plan accordingly.
Welcome to our Big Sur, California campus. Many arrive eager to submerge into our natural hot springs baths. You will! As you thoughtfully journey across this expanse of sacred land — learning, growing, healing, changing, and transforming with the guided support of leading edge faculty, we invite you to tune in, slow down, and bask in the majesty of this stretch of paradise.
Disconnecting to take the time to recover, reset, and relax is paramount to truly nourishing yourself during your time here. Esalen offers many exciting features for exploration throughout the day and night. And, when it’s time to trek back to your accommodations for a restorative night's sleep, don’t forget to look up at that star-filled sky illuminating the wildly enchanting coast.
Our hot springs hang between the sea and sky, an awe-inspiring respite for mind and body. As a great equalizer, they are simultaneously comforting and renewing. The baths are a destination for nourishing conversation, contemplation, and community.
As a healing space, the baths are clothing optional. You are invited to soak, either with a swimsuit or without, knowing that the environment we strive for at Esalen is one of personal sanctuary and respect for healing the human body.
At the heart of Esalen is the Lodge, a treasured gathering place for good food, good conversation, and cultivating new friendships.
While you’re growing and nourishing with us, you’ll enjoy three hearty, healthy meals made from scratch each day. Our kitchen staff uses a mix of Esalen Farm & Garden-grown produce as well as products from local Big Sur and Monterey County purveyors to create delicious, nutritious, and inventive menus. Choose from vegan, omnivorous, and gluten-free options to create a complete meal that suits your dietary preferences.
The Esalen Farm & Garden strives to be a holistic model of local food security and sustainability, producing organic food that nourishes, heals, and educates the people who visit Esalen. More than just a food source, the farm is a constant seasonal education in moving through transition and transformation.
As we continue to cultivate five acres of rough, dramatic, and rocky land, we stay committed to maintaining its natural health and vitality. We compost nearly 500 pounds of food and green waste every day to build the fertility of our soil for future generations.
Adjoining the Lodge at the heart of campus, is the Conley Bookstore. Most significantly, the bookstore offers a selection of literature that reflects Esalen’s history, curiosities, ideologies, practices, and more. We feature works from previous and current faculty, both well known and homegrown.
We also curate custom signature swag — in the form of Esalen sweatshirts and tees, bathrobes, hats, water bottles, jewelry, home and bath lifestyle accoutrements and other magical treasures. We keep things local to Big Sur and California, with locally-source art, jewelry, bath and beauty products.
This jewel of a pool with its epic, picturesque views is open to all of our guests. The area is clothing optional.
Built around 1963, the current fresh water pool we submerge in today replaced a rectangular, hot spring water-filled pool. In the 80s a heat exchange was installed to warm the fresh water using the heat from the hot springs.
By the late 90s, Esalen switched to salt water chlorination while still heating the pool through our innovative hot springs system.
The Meditation Hut is open to our guests for silent meditation at all hours.
First built in the 1950s as a secluded writer’s studio for Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy’s brother, Dennis. It was as a gift from their grandmother Vinny after Dennis wrote his first novel, The Sergeant, a bestseller, at the tender age of 25.
By 1960, a young Dick Price had moved in as he and Michael began dreaming up and creating the Esalen Institute. Known as the Round House located at Hot Springs Creek, many folk lived there over the decades.
Esalen exists in deep relationship with the forces of nature. From the transfiguring force of a wildfire to the limitlessness of the star-filled night sky, we honor the myriad ways that nature is our source and greatest teacher.
Water flows at our heart, where three sources — a fresh-water spring, the mineral hot springs, and the ocean — converge in a trinity of creation, renewal, and destruction.
In the upper reaches of the canyon that bisects the north and south sides of our campus, a freshwater spring bubbles to the surface. The source, Porter Springs, is in the Ventana Wilderness and provides about 75% of our water.
Wander through the garden, down the ravine, and across Hot Springs Creek to the north side of campus — where you’ll find a vibrant turquoise barn adorned with sculpture, mosaic, and stained glass. Inspired by the wild beauty of Esalen, many drop in and gather here to experiment, play, and journey through the ancient human path of creativity.
When art workshops aren’t in session, the Art Barn becomes an open studio. Paper, paint, brushes, and clay are among the supplies available.