I can tell almost instantly if a man is either attuned to tantra or is capable of entering into a tantric experience: it’s always in the eyes. It’s a deeply present gaze that’s simultaneously wild and free. It’s like a giant permission slip for me to be all of me and not hold back anything, and it has the power to make me feel both alive and shattered at the same time. As soon as I came out of the kitchen of my Mediterranean villa—where four of my girlfriends were gathered around the hilltop pool about 20 feet away, completely oblivious to my experience below—I knew the masseuse who had arrived at my doorstep for my 2 p.m. appointment had it.
A few days ago, one of my friends had set up our massages for the week. I commented that I didn’t care when I got my massage, just that I wanted one. Naturally, that meant I went last. While my other girlfriends all received a massage from a woman, I was the lone wolf with the man (who we have now all renamed as Tantra Daddy). What was supposed to be an hour-long massage turned into nearly three hours of a deep tantric awakening—fully consensual, and yet deeply erotic.
Tantric massage is a form of bodywork rooted in the principles of Tantra, an ancient spiritual tradition that views the body as a sacred vessel for connection and transformation. Unlike conventional massage—which focuses on relieving muscular tension or physical pain—tantric massage is designed to awaken sensation, presence, and the movement of emotional and energetic patterns held in the body. The technique views the body as a sacred map of consciousness, using slow, conscious, and consensual touch to access subtle energy points. When done properly, it invites deeper awareness and can help release stored tension—not just in the muscles, but also in the nervous system, activating pleasure and restoring flow in the energy body.
On that day at the Mediterranean villa, I had no idea I was about to receive the best tantra massage of my life, but I was more than willing to go on the ride. Of course, it started with the stare. Not in a creepy or predatory way, but in that tantric way I’ve learned to spot—where I felt like the masseuse was seeing all of me and asking for more. First, he asked if it was okay to take off his shirt, and I said yes, thinking we were just creating a more comfortable environment. It’s hot in Europe in the summer, right? Who wouldn’t want to take off their shirt?
But then he asked if he could shift the towel on my hips, then if I was okay being completely naked. Step by step, he was always asking for consent, and I found myself wanting to keep saying yes. Before I knew it, I was completely naked, and I could feel him activating erogenous energy points most of us ignore or fear because they’re bound up with shame rather than pleasure. He moved with the kind of deliberate, intuitive touch that is common in tantric massage, where connection is as important as technique. He massaged my breasts with care and used sweeping, opening strokes around the pelvis and inner thighs, inviting a deeper sense of relaxation and awareness. It was intimate without being invasive, sensual without feeling sexual, and as he continued, I noticed what was really happening: I was being guided back into my body.
When it was over—and somehow nearly three hours had passed—I felt like I’d been plugged into some type of cosmic erotic charger. He hadn’t even touched me in a sexual way, and yet my body felt lit up, invigorated, completely and utterly turned on. But not to him, necessarily, to me—I felt the full range of my aliveness, and I was speechless.
When I floated back out to the pool, where my friends were still lounging, they howled with laughter when they saw me. My jaw was nearly on the floor, and it was clear I had been changed. They told me they had gotten worried about me and had checked in by peering through the kitchen window, trying to figure out what the hell was happening on the terrace and why my massage was taking so long. I couldn’t even be embarrassed. I was too busy feeling resurrected. The way Tantra works on the body—when practiced with consent and care—is its own kind of magic.
Due to the intimate and often erotic nature of tantra massage, it’s hard for major hospitality players to get in the mix, but things are changing. According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness economy reached a new peak of $6.3 trillion in 2023 and is projected to grow to nearly $9.0 trillion by 2028, as more travelers seek experiences that offer not just rest, but repair. When practiced with care, tantra massage can feel less like a treatment and more like a ritual, one that supports healing on both physical and emotional levels.
Hotels like Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, are beginning to offer massages rooted in tantric philosophy, such as the treatment offered by the founder of Subtle Energies, Farida Irani, who has over 30 years of clinical expertise and a background in Ayurveda. The head-to-toe ritual begins with a gentle meditation, then transforms into a massage with Indian rose oil rooted in marma therapy, an experience that goes beyond physical restoration, working with the body’s subtle energy points in a way that resonates with the principles of Tantra: awakening inner vitality, balancing hormonal and emotional pathways, and guiding the guest into a state of harmony, renewal, and empowered femininity.
Similarly, at Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort in Turkey, the hotel’s wellbeing center offers a kundalini massage: a tantric, energy-awakening therapy that works along the spine to release energetic blockages formed by emotional tension and stimulate the natural flow of life force energy. They also offer an abhyanga Massage, a more traditional Ayurvedic ritual that uses warm, herbal-infused oils and rhythmic strokes to balance the body’s doshas, enhance circulation, and stimulate lymphatic drainage. Both massages have elements of Tantra while being hotel-friendly for guests who may not be ready for the full Tantric experience.
But perhaps the most advanced tantra massage available to travelers is at the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, provided by the Best Life-ing team, where founder Julia Brodska notes tantra embodiment practices as one of the fastest-growing trends sweeping the wellness field
“Over the past decade, the hospitality wellness industry has evolved far beyond the traditional spa treatment,” says Brodska. “Guests are no longer content with a standard massage or facial—they are craving something more profound, more transformative, and more meaningful.”
At Best Life-ing, the tantra healing and bodywork sessions—massages designed to help participants rediscover intimacy, enhance relaxation, and cultivate a deeper connection with their body— have seen steady growth, and guests often describe the offerings as life-changing and liberating, with many saying the sessions help them access an exciting depth of self-awareness they’ve never experienced before.
The rise of tantra therapies marks a shift in luxury wellness, where massage is no longer seen as merely restorative but as a potential catalyst for transformation. It’s clear travelers are no longer looking for surface-level relaxation. They want full-blown awakening and transformation, an experience that changes them from the inside out, all within the confines of a 90-minute block.
