Finding the Sweet Spot
Intimacy Retreat for Couples & Paired Friends
Mmm, that glorious moment when we are giving (or getting) exactly the touch that feels good on our body! Sometimes we find that “sweet spot” spontaneously, but more often, we find it through clear communication and feedback.
With Dr. Charla you’ll enjoy expertly led, sensual, clothes on activities including new ways to touch, talk and play that feel safe and sexy. You’ll engage your senses, inventing play that's spontaneous and surprising. You’ll feel witnessed and respected for your choices. You’ll practice new skills finding, trusting and expressing your deepest longings…as they emerge…in a safe place…with ease.
Charla teaches simple activities that feel profound!
In safe, protected, clothes on workshops, you will learn:
- how ‘wanting’ is different from ‘willing,”
- an ‘offer’ different from a ‘request,’
- a ‘Hell Yes’ different from a ‘yes,’
- how ‘OK touch’ is different from FABULOUS!
Claiming power in our bodies is a spiritual act; the very heart and soul of erotic pleasure.
Ah, the sweet spot!
We welcome couples who have been together a long time, or just met, and paired friends who want to take new skills forward. All classes, activities, and evening soirees are voluntary. Learning can be done by observing—or sitting on the beach watching the waves! You choose, you’re on vacation!
Praise for Finding the Sweet Spot:
- “The workshop was like an emotional hot meal and warm bed, a safe place to rest and be held.”
- “Charla created a space where I didn’t have to try. I let go of story. I found my “quiet and still.”
- “There is no right or wrong her workshop activities. Everything feels so right.”
- “After 37 years of marriage I found what I thought was slow, was not slow enough. I’m glad I can still learn.”
- “I could feel the pull of my own desire for the first time in years.”
- “I feel like my partner played with my soul outside of my body.”
- Accommodations within steps of the Pacific and also a lovely pool
- Daily therapeutic yoga sessions with Michelle specifically designed to nurture you
- 3 Nutritious, locally sourced meals and pre-yoga snacks, coffee and juice, with excellent gluten-free and vegan options
- Specialty workshops: 6 half-days plus some bonus offerings
- Nature Immersion: Immerse yourself in the natural beauty of this beach, where the Turtle Hatchery releases baby turtles to make their trip to the ocean. Just a short walk south, explore otherworldly rock formations and hunt for seashells in the tidepools between the boulders.
- “Homework” to keep the intimacy flowing
- Zipline excursion (we often see parrots and sloths!)
- Horseback riding on the beach
- Surf lessons
- Transformational Bodywork appointments with Michelle
Base Package: $2,100 per person EARLY BIRD PRICE with registration by September 15th
the base package includes
- All listed retreat activities
- 3 meals plus early morning fruit and coffee
- shared housing including private rooms with shared bathrooms
Separate family housing is available, as well as childcare. Please inquire for options.
Workshops run Sunday-Friday. Travel will happen on Saturdays, or if your flights differ, let us know and we’ll discuss options.
Customize your experience with optional housing upgrades:
- private villas
- private rooms
- air-conditioning
- private baths
- queen & king beds
- ocean views
- direct pool access
- beachfront balconies and Casitas
Meet The Instructors
Michelle Fleming
Michelle is a Yoga Therapist, a Thai Bodyworker, a Nerve and Artery specialist and a Board Certified Structural Integrator in the lineage of Ida Rolf. It was through these complementary practices of wellness that she healed her body - and from there Orthopedic Yoga Therapy was born.
These days she trains teachers and students to find a fluid pattern of movement that protects and nourishes the joints while stretching the muscles and connective tissue and quieting the mind. She is the owner of Sanctuary Wellness Studios, Director of Orthopedic Yoga and Transformational Yoga Therapy and founder of Equilibrium, a non-profit dedicated to bringing breath, movement and nutrition education to young people with anxiety and mood disorders.
Dr. Charla Hathaway
I believe good lovers are made, not born. I believe accurate, positive sex education is a basic human right, and it can change your life.
I received my PhD. in clinical sexology at the Institute for the Advanced Studies of Human Sexuality with a specialty in teaching intimacy. I’m a Certified Surrogate Partner Therapist through the Institute for Mind Body Therapy. My books on enhancing intimate relationships, 8 Erotic Nights and Erotic Massage, have been translated into many languages. I’m a certified Sexological Bodyworker, and studied to be a Sacred Intimate at The Body Electric School. I’ve studied Tantra and sensual massage at Esalen Institute.
As founder of Austin’s BodyJoy Intimacy School, for twenty years I help thousands of students learn new ways to touch, talk and play (that feel safe and authentic) in classes, workshops, retreats, Meet up groups, newsletters, as well as private sessions. I encourage students to slow down, listen to their body, value their desires, articulate them, change their minds, and always respect the choices and boundaries of their partner(s). Recently, I turned the reins of my school, BodyJoy, over to my mentoree, Melissa D.
I’ve presented at national conferences including the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists, have written numerous magazine articles, was a columnist for my local newspaper for ten years, taught erotic massage classes around the world and on international cruises. Producing two solo shows on sex work, my first short video, Uncle Bob is Dressing Like a Lady, won the People’s Choice award at Austin’s Erotic Film Festival.
I’m grateful for the gifts aging brings to my body and relationships I feel more pleasure, curiosity, and aliveness–along with ease and appreciation. Being authentic in the bedroom, spirals into confidence in the boardroom…and all life. When we honor our bodies and give voice to our desires while respecting other people’s choices, we feel the joy of intimacy.
After booking, please inform us of any food allergies & sensitivities for advanced planning!
Day 1:
Dinner:
Chicken Tacos with home made corn tortillas, gallo pinto (spiced beans and rice), fresh guacamole fresh pico de gallo, cheddar cheese, jalapeño crema, and mixed greens.
Fresh Limeade
Day 2
Early morning cleansing snack:
Assorted fresh fruit, local coffee, fresh coconut milk
Breakfast:
Protein pancakes with passion fruit honey sauce (GF)
Scrambled eggs
Assorted fruit
Fresh pineapple juice
Lunch:
Spring rolls with peanut sauce (V) or chicken satay, cashew nut stir-fry (V), and coconut rice.
Cucumber mint cooler
Hibiscus tea
Dinner:
Filet Mignon / Cauliflower steak (V) with sweet plantains, mashed potatoes and Arugula Salad.
Hibiscus tea
Day 3:
Early morning cleansing snack:
Assorted fresh fruit, local coffee, fresh coconut milk
Breakfast:
Vanilla cardamon chia pudding with fresh fruit and passion fruit purée
Grilled sourdough with smashed avocado
Assorted fruit and yogurt
Fresh watermelon juice
Lunch:
Empanadas with beans, rice, and roasted root vegetables.
Crispy plantain chips with fresh guacamole and pico de gallo
Ginger and lemon tea
Dinner:
Chicken Piccata/ Picatta Primavera (V) over pasta or rice
Kale salad with apples and pepitas
Hibiscus limeade
Day 4
Early morning cleansing snack:
Assorted fresh fruit, local coffee, fresh coconut milk
Breakfast:
Huevos Rancheros
Yogurt and fresh granola
Assorted fruit
Fresh passion fruit juice
Lunch:
Falafel with freshly baked pita bread, hummus, and tabouleh salad with craisins and almonds
Cucumber mint cooler
Dinner:
Pesto chicken with or without mozzarella, with roasted vegetables, and arugula salad with dates and nuts
Hibiscus tea
Day 5
Early morning cleansing snack:
Assorted fresh fruit, local coffee, fresh coconut milk
Breakfast:
Nica Tipico: Scrambled eggs, gallo pinto, fresh guacamole and pico de gallo
Grilled local cheese
Assorted fruit
Fresh pineapple juice
Lunch:
Beetroot salad with feta cheese, caramelized walnuts and a balsamic glaze
Tostones con Queso
Cucumber mint cooler
Hibiscus tea
Dinner:
Grilled Mahi-mahi with sweet plantains and vegetable fried rice.
Hibiscus tea
Day 6
Early morning cleansing snack:
Assorted fresh fruit, local coffee, fresh coconut milk
Breakfast:
Protein pancakes with passion fruit honey sauce (GF)
Scrambled eggs
Assorted fruit
Fresh pineapple juice
Lunch:
Spring rolls with peanut sauce (V) or chicken satay, cashew nut stir-fry (V), and coconut rice.
Cucumber mint cooler
Hibiscus tea
Dinner:
Filet Mignon / Cauliflower steak (V) with sweet plantains, mashed potatoes and Arugula Salad.
Hibiscus tea
Day 7
Early morning cleansing snack:
Assorted fresh fruit, local coffee, fresh coconut milk
Breakfast:
Protein pancakes with passion fruit honey sauce (GF)
Scrambled eggs
Assorted fruit
Fresh pineapple juice
Lunch:
Spring rolls with peanut sauce (V) or chicken satay, cashew nut stir-fry (V), and coconut rice.
Cucumber mint cooler
Hibiscus tea
Dinner:
Filet Mignon / Cauliflower steak (V) with sweet plantains, mashed potatoes and Arugula Salad.
Hibiscus tea
Day 8
Early morning cleansing snack:
Assorted fresh fruit, local coffee, fresh coconut milk
Breakfast:
Protein pancakes with passion fruit honey sauce (GF)
Scrambled eggs
Assorted fruit
Fresh pineapple juice