A woman has broken down her experience after revealing she went to a rather fascinating retreat about orgasms.
When most think of retreats, they might think of something rather relaxing, something therapeutic, maybe some nice yoga, massages and light exercise. Well, not at this one in California...
Well, I guess they are sort of touching all of those bases, but maybe not in the way you might expect.
The Back to Body Sex Retreat in Joshua Tree National Park happens out in the wilderness and is dedicated to women honing in on their own sexual satisfaction.
One woman has spoken about the retreat after experiencing it for a few days.
Typically, guests pay around $14,700 for the experience, but Sex and Dating columnist Jana Hocking for the Mail Online went on the retreat for just over $1,300.
Speaking as a guest on the Just Between Us podcast, Jana detailed what happened.
The retreat sees woman focus more on their own sexual needs (Getty Stock Image) Speaking about her experience, Jana said: “I thought it would be full of extroverts who were outlandish and wanted to perform in front of each other, but it really wasn’t.
“They were either getting divorced and realized they hadn’t had a proper orgasm and wanted to right wrongs, while other women were dealing with trauma and needed to learn how to enjoy sex again, which was quite heartbreaking."
Jana went on to explain the ethos of the camp and said it aimed to teach women that they need to put their needs first sexually.
Describing the first exercise, she noted that each woman explained why they attended the retreat but added that this was about the only tame thing they did...
Hosted by the founder Pamela Marsden and her team of helpers the group moved on to tantric meditation.
Some of the exercises include bondage, tantric movements and bringing yourself to orgasm (Getty Stock Image) Jana explained: “We had to hold our vulvas and rock back and forth, either naked or in our underwear, and speak to our vulva and tell it what we wanted, who we wanted to be and what our goals were.
“My goal was to take back ownership of my sexuality because I realized I was performing — I can do a Meg Ryan orgasm like the best of them — but am I having a real orgasm? Am I putting my needs first?’
Other exercises included forms of bondage, sensory deprivation and different forms of touching from the helpers.
One exercise saw Marsden brought to orgasm by a male helper after half an hour of foreplay in front of the attendees.
"It just went on so long I got bored," Hocking says.
Another tutorial saw a urologist demonstrate the ins and outs of the female anatomy on Marsden's naked body.
"We all stood around as the urologist kind of pointed at her private parts," she said. "This is your labia, this is your clit."
Jana said she was the only one at the retreat who didn’t reach orgasm, but feels now more confident and well-equipped to climax in the comfort of her own home.