Some frequently asked questions

How big is the group?
We have 8 men, which is a nice size. Two teachers will look after you, ensuring an excellent teacher/participant ratio.

How does the course work?
The course is very practical: we keep theory to a minimum. It is also very logically structured and there is a lot of emphasis on the correct use of your body as masseur. One of the teachers demonstrates a technique on his colleague and then you take it in turns to practise on your partner for that session and he on you. Getting used to receiving massage is a further important aspect of the course. As you’ll have read, each session you work with someone else so as to get used to different body types. We have always worked with two teachers. This ensures that no-one misses anything by needing to act as ‘model’ during the demonstrations, and also that you benefit from optimal guidance when actually learning the techniques.

We work naked - what if I have an erection?
Firstly, the naked bit. That is indeed a basic principle of Gaytouch and we would not have it any other way. In fact, it means that you’re naked all the time you’re at our villa. We ask you to bring towels with you, but these are to sit and lie on, not to wear around your waist! Please see this not as something that is forced upon you, but rather as a golden opportunity to be totally liberated for a week and to be yourself, accept yourself and accept other people. It really works. It is about self-respect, mutual respect and integrity. And yes, now and then someone has an erection, usually while massaging or being massaged. Our reaction … so what? It is a perfectly natural – at that moment not even sexual – reaction of your body to being touched and is absolutely nothing to worry about or be ashamed of. No-one ever minds in the slightest: in fact, few people even notice because they are too busy with their own partners.

Can I attend with a friend?
Of course - that's a great way to follow our course. However, the other very basic principle of the week (and all our courses) is that everyone works with a different partner each session. This means, therefore, that you work with six different people. Not only is this better for the atmosphere on the course, it also gives you valuable experience of different kinds of body and types of person, so you learn even better. On the other hand, you don’t need to provide a ‘model’ to work on, so guys on their own are most welcome. Since we now have only one place open on our second week, this question is actually redundant.

Can I bring a friend who is not following the massage course? We regret that this is not possible. There is only enough accommodation for the eight men actually following the course plus the two staff members.

Am I too inexperienced/experienced?
(a) This is a beginners' course, so we really begin at the beginning. Since you are travelling to this course, we assume that you are seriously interested in massage, but that is all that we ask of you. Many people who follow our courses have tried massaging but find it hard work and realize that it can obviously be easier and more effective - if you know how. Others would like to begin but do not have the confidence to do so. Many have received massage and want to know more. (b) If you are already an experienced masseur this is probably not for you. However, some qualified masseurs have attended our courses and have gained a lot from them. If you attend, it would be to experience the atmosphere and being together with a like-minded group of men, and/or to brush up on the basic principles that may have become 'watered down' over the years. You are welcome, but do realize that it is a beginners' course. In some cases it might be possible to simply attend the follow-up week: please send us a mail, describing your massage training and experience. We'll then discuss the programme of this second week.

What is the age of the group?
We are really against age discrimination: usually we don't even ask people's ages. For Gaytouch it is useful background information, for room allocation, for instance, but nothing further. We usually have men from 22 to 65 and this mixture of ages also works very well. But the average age the past Gaytouches has been around 40; on Crete 2011 it was slightly higher. Just a word of warning for older people. You are very welcome, but the week is intensive and you learn a great deal in a short time. So be realistic about your ability to learn quickly and about your general health and co-ordination. It remains your decision, however.

What happens outside the course hours?
We do not usually organize anything special. We have always found that people form groups spontaneously to do interesting things. The process of forming liaisons and making acquaintances is speeded up very much in this massage situation. For example, in one restaurant we used for an opening dinner the staff thought it was the closing dinner. And of course you can always be alone if you want. As far as evening meals are concerned, once or twice during the week dinner is offered at La Colmena Famosa; for the rest there are several cheap restaurants or you can buy something simple at a supermarket.

Do I need a car?
Although we can arrange transfer from and to the airport, to be honest, it does help to be mobile. The nearest village (Colmenar) is 20-30 minutes' walk and there is a very limited bus service from there to Malaga. However, you can always share a hire car. (A small car will cost about € 150 for a week, including the charge to reduce your CDW excess, which no firm ever seems to mention.) This does not mean that you have to do everything together with the other person: people arrange things mutually and there are always enough cars to ensure that people can get around together. This is the other side of the story: if you don’t drive, or would rather not drive in rural Spain, you’ll be unlikely to be stuck at La Colmena Famosa (though that would not be all that disastrous!).

Which 30 countries of birth have been represented so far?
Abyssinia - Angola - Austria - Belgium - Brazil - Denmark - Estonia - Finland - France - Germany - Greece - India - Irish Republic - Italy - Kenya - Lichtenstein - Luxembourg - Malta - Netherlands - Norway - Portugal - Singapore - South Africa - Spain - Sweden - Switzerland - United Kingdom - USA - Venezuela - Zambia

Again, if you have any questions at any stage, we are more than happy to be of assistance!

Use the links in the column to the right to return to the main Gaytouch page or to go to the registration form. The links above this page will help you tour our site and get to know us better.

We specialize in:

Individual massage
Everyone needs time out, an hour for him- or herself. Touch masseurs have considerable experience in providing good, deep massages for stress release. You are in good hands! Read more ...

Courses
We present the basic Touch beginners’ course in classical massage which we have developed and refined over a period of 20 years. More than 2200 people have attended such a course. We now specialize in men's groups in Amsterdam, with the exception of mixed groups in Deventer. For the moment only Gaytouch is given in English; the other courses are in Dutch.