Pacific Northwest Massage Therapists Retreat
Breitenbush Hot Springs, Oregon
July 12-15, 2024
Greetings Massage Therapists, Friends, and Family
Our retreat at Breitenbush Hot Springs has been a magical highlight of the Northwest massage community for over 35 years, and we’d love to have you join us this year. Breitenbush is beautiful in July; the days are long and warm, and the water’s running high. Your friends and family are absolutely welcome to come. We hope to see you there!
About Breitenbush
Breitenbush Hot Springs is a forest retreat with a historic lodge, several hot pools and individual soaking tubs, a cold plunge, a steam house, a labyrinth, and riverside swimming. Electricity is generated from the Breitenbush River. The retreat is off the grid and is surrounded by Mt. Hood National Forest.
Breitenbush is seven miles downstream from a glaciated volcano in a glacial flood plain that drains nearly a hundred square miles of rainforest. This is the largest thermal-spring area in the Oregon Cascades. Every single geological condition known to produce hot springs converges here. The hot water you soak in at Breitenbush existed as glaciers on Mt. Jefferson 60,000 years ago and has not seen daylight until now.
According to historical information on the Breitenbush website, the land where the retreat center is located has been a meeting place for multiple Native American tribes for over 10,000 years. These include the Kalapuya and Molalla people from the west side of the Cascades Mountains, and also Chinookan and Sahaptin peoples from the east side of the mountains.
rebuilding
The community at Breitenbush is deep in the process of rebuilding after wildfires in 2020 destroyed all guest cabins, several other beloved buildings and many staff homes and also damaged vital infrastructure. They have developed new guest accommodations (cabin-like buildings as well as yurts), are restoring the surrounding forest and are taking a fresh look at the best ways to fulfill their mission “to provide a safe and potent environment where people can renew and evolve in ways they never imagined.”
Donations have gone a long way to helping sustain Breitenbush through this inspiring but challenging period of rebirth — and they will be extremely helpful as this multi-year effort continues. If you are able and wish to contribute, any amount is appreciated. To donate to Breitenbush, click here. You will be routed to the Daya Foundation’s Breitenbush Rebuilding campaign, where you can make a tax-deductible donation. Thank you for your support!
Learn more about Breitenbush’s rebuilding.
How to Register
STEP 1: New this year — you will register for your lodging directly through Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat and Conference Center. We’ll link you to their lodging registration website below; keep reading.
STEP 2: Come back here to register for continuing education classes with Pacific Northwest School of Massage after you register for lodging.
Questions? Please read our frequently asked questions. If you don’t find what you need there, please email us or call Laurie at 206-250-8087.
Lodging
To attend the retreat, register for lodging first.
Lodging includes three delicious vegetarian meals per day (dinner on your first day through lunch on your last day) and use of all the hydrotherapy facilities.
There is a two-night minimum stay.
Continuing education classes are separate; after you register for lodging, you can register for classes with us.
What’s different this year?
As in past years, we’ve rolled your retreat event fee into your lodging cost. When you browse the lodging options and make your choice, you’ll see a total price that covers lodging, meals, soaking and event fee.
What’s new: Your final invoice emailed from Breitenbush will show the breakdown — lodging, meals, soaking and event fee as separate line items. The event fee is $40 per adult per night (early-registration discount before June 11: $30 per adult per night).
The total per night will be very similar to last year.
Why an event fee? It covers fees that Breitenbush charges to host our group as well as other costs we incur to organize the retreat. If you’ve attended before, it’s always been part of your lodging price.
2024 retreat lodging prices:
Below is a summary of the price for the first adult staying in a particular lodging space.
Each additional adult in the same lodging space is $87 per night + $40 per night retreat event fee (early-registration discount before June 11: $30 per night). You will not be assigned a roommate; you’ll be sharing only if you choose to register with someone else.
If you already registered and now want to add a roommate to your lodging, call the Breitenbush Hot Springs office at 503-854-3320 to register them and get the discounted “additional adult” price.
Children’s rates (regardless of lodging type): Age 0-4, free; age 5-12, $55 per night; age 13+, adult price.
Summary of the Price for the First Adult in a Lodging Space
Each additional adult in the same lodging space is $127 per night (that’s $87 per night + $40 per night retreat event fee).
To learn more about each type of lodging and register, visit the Breitenbush Hot Springs Retreat and Conference Center website:
Continuing Education
CE classes are open to massage therapists who have registered for retreat lodging.
You can take as many or as few as you like. Topics in 2024 include:
Myofascial Treatment Techniques for the Knee (Pat O’Rourke)
Introduction to Visceral and Abdominal Massage (Brian Utting and Anneka Deacon)
Dynamic Thai Massage (Paul Buffel and Daisy Steinfort)
The LMT Joy Rx: Bringing Back Your Aliveness and Joy (Jeff Blank)
Releasing the Anterior Neck and Jaw with Breathing, Bodywork and Movement (Tiana Duncan)
Learn More
Frequently asked questions (with driving directions & map)
Massage therapists retreat slideshow 2013 and slideshow 2023
Activities
You can soak, steam, plunge, relax, and network, as you wish. Neighboring Forest Service trails are closed due to 2020 wildfire damage, but there are walking and hiking opportunities in the area (PDF).
