Podcast Summary

Podcast: È solo sesso

Host: Valeria Montebello
Episode: S3 E19 - Sexual retreat
Date: January 16, 2026

Overview

This episode of "È solo sesso" explores the booming world of sexual wellness retreats: immersive experiences blending sensual practices, spiritual aspirations, and sometimes controversial boundaries. Host Valeria Montebello examines how these retreats promise healing, empowerment, and sexual awakening, but also expose participants to manipulation, financial exploitation, and even cult-like dynamics. With a sharp and ironic tone, Montebello unpacks the allure, rituals, risks, and larger business empire of sexual wellness.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Scene Setting: Inside a Sexual Retreat

[00:42]

• Montebello paints a vivid picture of a sexual retreat at Joshua Tree:
  • 30 women, blindfolded, partially or fully nude, lie on yoga mats.
  • Their bodies are adorned with fruit, feathers, cucumber slices, smooth stones, and flower petals.
  • Sensual indie-folk music plays, and facilitators walk among them, decorating their bodies.
  • "Una donna è sdraiata con fette di limone sui capezzoli, una grande fragola in bocca e un bouquet di rose sul bacino."
• She quickly clarifies: "Non è l’inizio di un horror, ma di un ritiro sessuale."
• Approaches such as "Back to the Body" aim to help women rediscover their erotic selves, overcome intimacy problems, work through trauma, and enhance sexual fulfillment.

2. The Business of Sexual Wellness

[02:00]

• The sexual wellness market is rapidly expanding:
  • Includes sexuality practices, organic lubricants, tantric breathing, couples counseling, and sex toys.
  • Projected to reach $48 billion globally by 2030.
• Retreats like Back to the Body cost between $550 and $2,000 for two nights and offer:
  • Mindfulness, journaling, guided seminars, group discussions, gourmet meals.
  • A climactic bodywork session aiming for multiple orgasms guided by expert instructors.

Notable Quote

Participant testimonial [02:45]:

"Dopo aver lasciato il ritiro, mi sono sentita rafforzata, armata di un nuovo manifesto di vita spirituale a cui potevo aderire."

3. Philosophies & Rituals: From Ancient Greece to Neo-Tantra

[03:10]

• At "Euphoria Retreat" in Greece, the founder models the experience after Odysseus’ return to Ithaca, promising participants their own personal odyssey.
• Charismatic gurus and leaders drive these cultures, each adding their own philosophy, lexicon, and rules.

Notable Quote

Euphoria Founder [03:26]:

"Ricreiamo il viaggio di ritorno di Odisseo a Itaca. L'esperienza è pensata per coinvolgere il viaggio interiore di ogni partecipante, la sua Odissea personale, che si spera gli aiuti a raggiungere la propria versione di Itaca."

4. ISTA: The “Harvard” of Neo-Tantra

[04:00]

• ISTA (International School of Temporal Arts) described as "the Harvard of Neo-Tantra."
• Focus on sacred sexuality, blending New Age rituals and highly erotic practices:
  • "I loro allenamenti sono paragonati al paracadutismo. Intensi, emozionanti e rischiosi."
• Practices include energy work, yoga, gestalt therapy techniques, explicit erotic exercises (e.g., Yoni contemplation, sacred point massage, mutual prostate/G-spot palpation).
• Evening "temple nights" where participants, instructors, and assistants mix freely for massages and sex.
• Advanced levels involve exploring “death and rebirth” and darker, more boundary-pushing rituals.

5. Ethical Dilemmas & Dark Sides

[05:30]

• Some retreats spiral into cult-like, hierarchical systems, rife with manipulation and abuse:
  • Allegations of harassment, mistreatment, violence, and coercion.
  • Some operate as pyramid marketing schemes, exploiting emotional and psychological vulnerability.
• Refers to Keith Raniere’s NXIVM case:
  • Women experienced public humiliation, branding, starvation, and sexual exploitation.

Notable Quote

Montebello [06:35]:

"È facile entrare nella testa di persone che arrivano in questi luoghi dopo aver subito traumi... ma invece spesso non è altro che fame di potere, avidità e manipolazione."

6. Irony & Consumerism

[07:20]

• Montebello distinguishes between innocuous retreats ("yoga, fiorellini e magari orge") and problematic spiritual packages sold at luxury prices.
• Points to the absurdity of commodified "spiritual healing" that costs more than a Prada bag.

Notable Closing Quote

Montebello [08:08]:

"Credere nella possibilità di un percorso spirituale fai da te è porno. Credere in un percorso di miglioramento spirituale che costa più di una borsa di Prada è non porno."
(A scathing, tongue-in-cheek play on the commoditization of self-improvement and sexuality.)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the erotic, vulnerable scene at Joshua Tree:
  • "Non è l’inizio di un horror, ma di un ritiro sessuale." [00:54]
• On spiritual, high-priced promises:
  • "Credere in un percorso di miglioramento spirituale che costa più di una borsa di Prada è non porno." [08:08]
• On group dynamics and risk:
  • "I loro allenamenti sono paragonati al paracadutismo. Intensi, emozionanti e rischiosi." [04:20]
• On the risk of manipulation:
  • "È facile entrare nella testa di persone che arrivano in questi luoghi dopo aver subito traumi..." [06:35]

Conclusion

Valeria Montebello masterfully exposes the seductive, lucrative, and sometimes predatory world of sexual retreats. She balances detailed storytelling with irony and sharp critique, questioning how the desire for erotic fulfillment and spiritual growth often turns into business—and sometimes exploitation. Listeners are left both intrigued by the stories and warned about the blurred boundaries between healing, enlightenment, manipulation, and consumerism.