hidden wells

dive into the healer within ~

dive into the healer within ~

The quieter you become, the more you can hear. ~~~ Ram Dass

  • The massage was such a relaxing and meditative journey together with Natalie, who has an angelic soul and touch. I came out of the massage more relaxed and felt almost like a rebirth. ~~~Jin

  • I had a beautiful experience with Natalie again. I felt healing in my body, in my soul, in my mind. This time we communicated more with words and without words. We were in perfect harmony and this session gave me especially a lot. Now I understand my body more and I'm more conscious about how to take care of myself. I'm grateful and happy. ~~~Nóri

  • The massage was more than just a massage, it was very healing, relaxing and a beautiful journey, Natalie has very special energy. Namaste . ~~~Anton

  • The atmosphere of the room per sé was already very healing, and the massage was exactly what I needed, gentle touch, slow pace, giving time to feel the touch and connect. Relaxing/medidative at the same time. Thank you so much for Natalie! ~~~Michelle

  • Healing, relaxation & therapeutic massage, all into one. Natalie is a skilled massage therapist and a beautiful soul, and that comes through the massage she provides. I felt so light after it. Grateful for this gift of energy! Thank you Natalie! ~~~Inês

  • Exceptional massage experience! Tranquil ambience: Natalie is a skilled therapist who tailored the session to my needs. The perfect balance of relaxation and therapeutic techniques, leaving me rejuvenated and stress-free. Highly recommend. ~~~Darya

healing comes from a deep, quiet place within each person, and the nervous system is the wellspring from which that healing originates

photo of my hand by Katherine Finkelstein

esalen / esselen

This particular style of massage is distinct in a few ways.

For one, it was born at the Esalen Institute amidst California's counterculture of the 1960s. Esalen was the nexus of the Human Potential Movement, attracting avant-garde thinkers such as Alan Watts, Timothy Leary, Allen Ginsburg, Aldous Huxley, Abraham Maslow, Ida Rolf, Anna Halprin, Ram Dass... it was a psychospiritual playground for all things counterculture and anti-dogmatic; an experimental mashup of eastern spirituality, western psychology, somatic therapies, music, dance, and of course, psychedelics.

Significantly, this all went down on the powerful, sacred healing grounds of the Esselen Tribe. Hanging on the oceanside cliffs of Big Sur, this particular piece of land is blessed with what they call The Three Waters. Natural spring water flows down a redwood canyon where it meets the emergent trickle of natural hot spring water, the two waters merging on their way to the third, the mother water, the Pacific Ocean. For thousands of years, the Esselen people gathered at this site for its healing waters, for sacred ritual, and to bury their ancestors. It is an all too common land-grab tale in our country, though there are whispers of progress through reparations and an evolving co-stewardship.

Harnessing the power of those healing waters, Esalen built a bathhouse cantilevered off the cliffs' edge with an epically expansive view of both sea and sky. Liberation of their bodies meant that clothing had no place at the baths, but massage tables surely did.

Some of the early residents started exploring with the act of giving a massage as a moving meditation. They developed long, fluid strokes in response to the pulse of the Pacific waves, while integrating elements of yoga, tai chi, meditation, sensory awareness and energy work. Along the way discovering that healing comes from a deep, quiet place within each person, and that the nervous system is the wellspring from which that healing originates.

Esalen massage emphasizes mindfulness and connection between the practitioner and recipient, aiming to restore harmony to your entire being from head to toe…. body, mind, and spirit.