When Sophie Hart signed up for an exclusive women-only “orgasm retreat” in the hills of Northern California, she expected some incense, some yoga, and maybe a few awkward conversations. What she didn’t expect was to be guided, watched, and celebrated through some of the most intense physical and emotional experiences of her life — all for $14,950.
The retreat, called “Awakening Eros,” bills itself as an elite immersion in “full-body female pleasure and embodiment,” and according to their website, has a six-month waiting list. But Sophie, a 33-year-old writer from the UK, secured a spot through a recommendation from a friend — and shared the full story with Cosmopolitan in a detailed interview that has since gone viral.
“When I arrived, I was asked to surrender my phone, strip naked, and be blindfolded — all within the first hour,” she told the magazine. “They said it was to ‘peel away the layers.’ I didn’t know if I wanted to run or cry.”
This woman’s orgasm retreat experience is like reading softcore cult fiction. $15K? I’m shook. #OrgasmRetreat— Jenna B. (@jennabeanluv) August 7, 2025
Hosted at a secluded property described by previous guests as a “Gwyneth Paltrow fantasy temple,” the retreat is led by former tantra instructors, intimacy coaches, and sexological bodyworkers. One of the lead facilitators, identified only as “Maia,” has been featured in Vogue’s breakdown of the rising sex-wellness industry and runs her own luxury mentorship program for “womb-centered leadership.”
Participants are required to sign a 17-page NDA and health waiver, but Sophie says the real shock came once the sessions began. “The first day was called ‘Receiving the Divine Touch,’ and we were each paired with a practitioner — a stranger — whose only job was to help us feel, breathe, and express.”
She describes lying on a heated crystal mat, surrounded by rose petals, while a woman in silk robes guided her into a meditative state and gently touched pressure points across her stomach, thighs, and eventually her vulva — all with constant consent check-ins. “At first it felt clinical. Then it felt like lightning,” she said.
According to a New York Magazine feature on similar retreats, the practice borrows heavily from “orgasmic meditation,” a controversial method where one partner strokes another’s genitals for 15 minutes in total silence. Proponents say it rewires shame, trauma, and numbness. Critics call it pseudoscientific spiritual sex work.
So let me get this straight: you pay $15,000 to lie on a mat while someone “guides” your orgasm? #TantraTok— Drea V. (@drealightwork) August 7, 2025
By day three, Sophie says she had cried in front of strangers, writhed through breathwork-induced pleasure states, and shouted into the forest during a “primal voice” ritual. “You stop being embarrassed,” she explained in a follow-up interview with BuzzFeed News. “Everyone else is moaning too.”
Another participant, who spoke anonymously to Insider, confirmed Sophie’s account, adding that guests were also encouraged to masturbate in a communal yurt while others sat nearby “holding space.” These sessions, called “Witnessed Self-Pleasure,” are designed to dismantle shame and rewire the nervous system around visibility and pleasure.
The retreat isn’t just about sex, though. Mornings begin with herbal infusions, somatic yoga, and trauma-informed journaling led by intimacy psychologist Dr. Naya Elen, who holds a PhD from CIIS and has spoken on sexual sovereignty at TEDx events. Guests are fed organic meals, coached through emotional blockages, and encouraged to “heal ancestral wounds through orgasm.”
While some online have praised the retreat for being bold and liberating, others are calling it “wealthy spiritual nonsense.” A thread on r/AmITheAsshole sparked debate after one husband shared that his wife had attended Awakening Eros without telling him in advance. “I found out through Instagram. She said it wasn’t cheating because it was therapy.”
If your therapist costs $15K and rubs your clit, you might want a second opinion. #SexRetreats— Liana Torres (@liana_talks) August 7, 2025
Despite the backlash, the industry is booming. A recent market analysis by Fast Company revealed that luxury sex-wellness retreats have grown by 300% since 2022, with programs now spanning Bali, Tulum, Ibiza, and Sedona. The common thread? Exclusivity, vulnerability, and an elite price tag.
Sophie says she has no regrets. “It was the first time I felt totally allowed to want,” she told Glamour UK. “Yes, it was weird. Yes, it was expensive. But I also met parts of myself I didn’t know were there.”
Would she go again? “If I had $15K lying around, yes,” she laughed. “It’s not for everyone. But if you want to blow up your nervous system in the best way possible — this is the place.”