Esalen® Massage Professional Training (100 hours)
Patrick Stockstill and Jessica Fagan, Esalen Massage teachers
with teaching assistant Anthony DiMaggio
Doe Bay Resort and Retreat Center | Orcas Island, WA
This retreat (offered as two immersive 8-day modules) is a guided, transformational journey into Esalen Massage, a renowned presence-based approach to touch developed over the last 60 years in Big Sur, CA. Whether you are a seasoned practitioner or a recent massage school graduate, in this workshop you will be given tools to expand your capacity for skillful and heartfelt touch. We will explore the interface of technique, improvisation, and intuition. A journey deep into the self, in right relationship with others, Esalen Massage can profoundly transform your ability to be present, your quality of touch, and your power to share safe, healing touch. Upon successful completion of the course requirements, you will be invited to join the global family of Esalen Massage as a certified Esalen Massage Practitioner.
What is Esalen Massage?
Esalen Massage applies principles of mindfulness to bodywork, offering a holistic body-mind-spirit experience both to the practitioner and to the receiver. Through oil application with light to medium pressure and slow rhythmic strokes, the practitioner evokes awareness, a sensory “coming home.” The practitioner may add deeper detail work to untangle stressed muscles, integrating each release into the surrounding tissue and the whole body. Assisted movement or stretches can be applied to free up old holding patterns, and frequent pauses give time for assimilation, energetic re-balance, and a sense of well-being. (adapted from the Esalen website)
Guided by Patrick and Jessica, both experienced Esalen Massage teachers, you will explore different topics daily, applying a variety of massage techniques to address tension, holding patterns, and injuries, all within the holistic framework of Esalen Massage. Daily experiential learning also include sensory awareness, mindful embodiment practices (e.g. mediation, tai chi, yoga, dance), applied anatomy, communication skills, and simple but powerful self care practices.
Doe Bay Resort and Retreat Center, Orcas Island
Doe Bay is a magical resort and retreat center on the east side of Orcas Island. Over the years, it has hosted countless personal, yoga, art, and music retreats and events. Learn more about the Doe Bay property and amenities at doebay.com.
"This place is pure magic! There are few places to reconnect to oneself and nature so quickly and profoundly. From high end to rustic accommodations and a fabulous cafe Doe Bay has something for everyone. This is simply the best retreat available in the Pacific Northwest!" – Guest Review at doebay.com
Housing choices include private or shared rooms in the Retreat House available upon registration; or you may book your own cabin, yurt, dome, treehouse, or camping. Commuter registration is available for participants who live on island or prefer to arrange their own housing.
Meals will be provided twice daily, including a simple breakfast. Efforts will be made to accommodate most dietary needs. Additional meals are available at the Doe Bay Cafe during their operating hours. The Doe Bay Store has a small selection of groceries, and there is a communal kitchen accessible to all property guests. The Retreat House, where our program will be held, has a commercial kitchen that may be used by those staying in the Retreat House outside of class time. Doe Bay is about 10 minutes from the town of Olga, which has a very small co-op grocery, and 30 minutes from the town of Eastsound, where there are two full service grocery stores and several restaurants.
Travel to Orcas Island is most commonly aboard the Washington State Ferry System, which departs several times daily from Anacortes to Orcas. The 60-90 minute ferry ride is a scenic, relaxing way to ease into the slower pace of island life. Reservations are strongly recommended for vehicles; walk on passengers do not require reservations. Please plan your travel to arrive earlier than necessary; delays are common on the ferry system! One third of available car spaces are each released at 7am two months, two weeks, and two days before your travel day. Walk-on water taxis serve Orcas from Anacortes and Bellingham. If you prefer, you can fly to Eastsound via San Juan Airlines (from Bellingham) or Kenmore Air (from Seattle). Tickets are roughly $200 each way after taxes. Doe Bay also suggests options to get from Anacortes or the Orcas ferry landing to Doe Bay here.
Your Teaching Team
Jessica Fagan has been deeply immersed in the practice and teaching of bodywork, movement, and Yoga since 1994 having studied, practiced and taught in the US, Mexico, Europe, Asia, and Indonesia. She came to Esalen Institute in 1997 where she became part of the Healing Arts department and has been deeply influenced by the evolving and innovative forms of bodywork and Somatic therapies ever since.
Jessica’s teaching utilizes her background in Eastern and Western body therapies, Psychology, the Arts, and love of making healing contact through the hands, to create a unique approach to working with the body and her students.
Jessica currently resides in the San Francisco Bay area and recently completed her MFT in Expressive Arts Therapy. She brings a creative method of expression into the clinical practice of therapy through dance, drama, music, visual arts, and poetry/ narrative therapy. Jessica maintains a private massage practice, teaches locally as well as internationally, and is passionate about combining her knowledge of the body as it relates to the field of Psychology in order to address a diverse population with a multicultural perspective.
Patrick Stockstill is an Esalen Massage teacher and practitioner living on Orcas Island, Washington (Sx̱ʷaqʷsən, traditional home to Coast Salish peoples, primarily the Lummi, Samish, and Songhees Nations). From March 2023 to March 2026 he served as the president of the Healing Arts Center, an Orcas nonprofit dedicated to maintaining space for holistic healthcare practitioners.
Patrick discovered Esalen Massage while attending a traditional massage school, and his first session was unlike anything he'd experienced before. He visited Esalen in early 2011 for the first time, and after receiving a massage at the baths, he went to the office and enrolled in the next residential training program later that year. The sense of presence, care, and acceptance that he felt in that first session at Esalen inspires him to this day as a practitioner and teacher. Patrick returns to Esalen frequently to reconnect with the people, the land, and for additional trainings in bodywork and Gestalt Awareness Practice. Since 2024, Patrick has been a member of the Esalen Institute Massage School faculty.
His practice of Esalen Massage is informed by decades of yoga and meditation practice, ecstatic dance, Sensory Awareness, and a deep curiosity about psychology and human potential. Patrick is also a former staff faculty (teaching Deep Tissue and Anatomy & Physiology) and current guest faculty at McKinnon Body Therapy Center, and he has taught Esalen Massage in California, Washington, North Carolina, and Indonesia.
Sample Schedule*
Day 1
4 pm - 6 pm Arrival on property
6 pm Dinner
7 pm - 9:30 pm Class
Days 2 - 7
8 - 9 am Breakfast
9 am - 1 pm Class (including embodied movement and anatomy)
1 - 3 pm Break
3 - 6:30 pm Class
6:30 pm Break
8 pm Optional evening program (one night TBD)
Day 8
8 - 9 am Breakfast, vacate room
9 am - 12 pm Class
12 - 1 pm Lunch and departure
*times are approximate and subject to change
additional supervised practice sessions
and programming may be added
Prerequisites, Certification, and Continuing Education Details
Prerequisite: massage license or certification (at least 150 hours of combined massage and anatomy training).
After successful completion of all course requirements, you may request one year of membership in and a certificate from the Esalen Massage and Bodywork Association (EMBA). Use of the Esalen name or logo in your advertising requires initial registration with EMBA. Registration and first year EMBA fees are $150. Continuation of membership in EMBA is optional beyond the registration year; current fees are $100 annually.
Successful completion of the EMBA certification requirements (above and beyond earning CE hours) includes up to two "touch-in" evaluations with instructors or assistants, one final evaluation massage with an instructor or qualified assistant, and documentation of 15 Esalen Massage sessions, completed within 6 months of the course end date (with brief write-up provided to the instructors).
This course meets all Washington and Oregon state continuing education requirements for LMTs, not including CPR/First Aid and the hour in cultural competency required by Oregon.
Investment (Tuition, Room, and Board)
This course is a 100 hour program in two parts. Registration in just part 1 is not currently offered. Recognizing the different financial and personal needs of participants, the cost is determined by three factors:
1. Registration Fee (full program)
Includes course fee, two meals per day provided, laundry service, and Doe Bay property access
Early Bird (fully paid by March 31, 2026): $2,950
After April 1, 2026: $3,350
Deposit: $500 (non-refundable, due on registration, applied towards the total cost)
Sales Tax: As of October 1, 2025, WA state requires sales tax for classes and workshops (currently 8.35%)
2. Housing Fee (full program: 14 nights)
Single Occupancy Room in Retreat House: $1300 | Queen Bed, downstairs room
Shared (2 person) Occupancy in Retreat House: $900 | Double or Queen bed, upstairs room
Common space Occupancy in Retreat House: $600 | Sofa bed or Double bed, upstairs common area
Arrange own housing: $0 | Locals; or book a cabin/camping at Doe Bay or outside short term rental
3. Registration with Esalen Massage and Bodywork Association (EMBA) (optional)
$150 payable to Esalen Institute upon completion of all coursework and with instructor approval
Required if you intend to use the name "Esalen" in your marketing and description of services. Registration includes one year of membership in EMBA and a practitioner listing on massage.esalen.org
4. Travel Insurance is recommended if you are flying to Orcas Island or elsewhere in your travels.