‘I went on a ladies’s solely retreat and one exercise left me in a continuing state of arousal’
These women are finding new ways to spend their annual leave, and thousands of pounds, as return to their ‘sexual selves’ during a women-only retreat in the English countryside
Women are willing to pay thousands for the experience
As the wellness world has taken a strong hold in modern society, we’ve seen the ancient teachings of yoga becoming popularised, Pilates becoming the new go-to workout, and now twerking as the answer to finding your “innate organismic life force”.
While it’s so important women are seeing their health and wellness as a priority in their lives, the more and more retreats, classes, clubs and online trends that emerge beg the question – at what point has it become too niche?
One woman, Daisy Featherstone, is running her very own female retreats in the Wiltshire countryside as a sexual liberation and pleasure coach. And while her background began in yoga and burlesque dancing, she has curated a retreat focusing on one thing only: twerking – specifically rebranded as ‘liberation twerking’.
While the dance movement’s origins lie in West and Central Africa, they seeped into Black African American culture in New Orleans, where the twerk is thought to have been created, and later into hip-hop music culture.
Although, on this retreat the photos and footage seem to display predominantly white women in Britain, using the dance as a way of coming back to their ‘sexual selves’.
The retreat is over the course of four days
The brand’s website, The Liberated Woman, states that Daisy is a certified Layla Martin VITA Sex, Love & Relationship Coach; a trauma-informed facilitator and a qualified Twerk instructor with a background in burlesque.
It also outlines the purpose of this bespoke course across five key sports. The course aims to “awaken the fierce, magnetic energy pulsing in your hips” as well as “peel off the layers of shame” and allow women to “move in ways that feel delicious, rebellious, and utterly free.”
The first day of the retreat involves pelvis and twerk foundations, while day two focuses on ‘divine embodiment’, and day three is ‘sensual self-expression’. It’s on the third day that the women are asked to “reclaim your erotic aliveness” in a space where “nothing is too much”.
The fourth and final day of the retreat gives women the chance to perform the choreography they’ve learnt throughout the week, which will then be professionally filmed. Participants are able to have the video as a keepsake to see their progress and remember the women that they experienced this intimate retreat with.
What seems to be the most eye-opening part about this course is just how much the previous participants feel it has ‘changed their lives’. One woman in an emotional testimonial on their website begins to cry as she explains that since completing the course, “a portal has been opened”.
Ever since she stepped away from the retreat, she says: “I feel like I’m in a constant state of arousal.”
Some women say it has changed their lives
It does seem to be an accepting space for women who claim to have had struggles accepting their bodies, allowing them to feel desirable and sexual again.
Another testimonial claims: “I would recommend Twerk Liberation to any woman prepared to delve deep into their sexuality & sensuality and rip themselves wide open and just love every aspect of their body. It’s just so juicy.”
A recent Instagram post from @The.liberatedwoman even asks her 3,000-plus followers: ‘What if the healing you need isn’t therapy but moving unapologetically with other women and shaking ass?’ Some women might argue this is their average Saturday night with friends; others are willing to pay a lot more for the experience.
That self-acceptance comes at a cost, and a hefty one at that. To stay in a ‘Sisterhood Shared Room’ for four days, with food provided, participants are forking out £999. Meanwhile, a private room, the ‘Queen’s Suite’, is priced at £1,399, with other options available.
There are a number of other courses available through The Liberated Woman, some of which cost as high as £2599 for the ‘VIP package’, and the experiences seem to be popular.
Those looking for new ways to get in touch with themselves and their bodies may not have considered this type of retreat before, but it certainly offers a unique experience.
