Gaytouch 2012

International gay massage week: some extra information and frequently asked questions

The programme

We start on Thursday evening (14 June 2012) with dinner and an introduction round. There are six course sessions: five mornings and a shorter session late afternoon/early evening on the third day. The morning sessions are from 09.15 to 13.15 hours, and then we have lunch. After lunch, apart from the one day on which we have an extra session, everyone is free to do as he pleases - laze around the swimming pool, go to a nearby beach (there are also nude beaches), or explore the surrounding area. Even if you attend Gaytouch alone, you'll find that massage is the best ever way to make contact, so you will soon find companions for those free-time activities that are nicer to do with someone else or a small group. The Sunday is completely free, so you have a whole day to do as you please. As mentioned earlier, Thursday 21 June is for departure (an extra day, departing Friday 22 June, could be possible): there is no official course programme on this Thursday or Friday.
Former Gaytouchers: as mentioned, there is a follow-up week for you, Friday 22 to Friday 29 June 2012. Everything you find on this site about the beginners' week applies to you, too. Just the content of the course is different, your free day is Tuesday, and your extra afternoon session is Wednesday. We will also mail you, but if we have lost touch, please contact us!
During the beginners’ course we make a complete trip around the body. After some general pressure, we teach strokes (effleurage, with oil) and kneading (petrissage) for each part of the body. You learn to give a good, deep relaxation massage to family and friends. We keep the theory to a minimum. Sometimes to some people 'gay' means 'sex' and then in a negative sense. We do not teach erotic massage on this beginners' course: the 'gay' aspect is social, sharing a great experience with people of your own persuasion and enjoying social activities outside the course times too (of course you can always be alone if you want to be: only the course sessions are compulsory). Being naked actually helps the atmosphere: there's an openness, honesty and lack of tension which everyone appreciates. Click here to visit this site's page dealing with the content of our (non-naturist) courses in general.
Photo: The view from the terrace, where we massage.

The price and what is included

We realize that you are already spending money to travel to us, so we do our best to keep the price of the course low: € 645 including accommodation, breakfast and lunch. In detail, the price includes:

About 22 hours of instruction with at most three massage tables per teacher (so really intensive guidance)
Breakfast each day
Lunch (buffet) every day except the one free day, and coffee, tea, etc. in the shorter break during each session
The first dinner on the Thursday evening (advanced week: Friday evening)
A course book (in English) of 126 pages with 166 photographs and 22 anatomical drawings (advanced week, two course books, 30 and 60 pages)
Summary sheets for quick reference when practising during the week and when you are back home
Dutch sales tax (VAT) at 6% and 19%

Especially the first point above needs bearing in mind. There are courses where you work on the floor in a class of 24 with one teacher. This is not our style. We want you to have a complete massage experience in one week. It's intensive but fun and you really do learn a lot.

The price is based on a shared twin room. Depending on the group composition, one single or one triple might just be possible. You can indicate this, but assume it will be a twin after all. For men attending both weeks we offer a € 100 discount on the second week. Thursday night 21 June is also free of charge.

A DVD of the course is available at a small extra charge, in advance or in Spain. Click on the DVD link at the top of the screen to read about it in any of the five languages used for the commentary. The course book is also available in advance, should you wish to do some background reading. In fact, it is the English edition of the book that is for sale generally. Please click on the link at the top of the screen to learn more about the book. There's room on the registration form for ordering the book or DVD at the special course price.

Accommodation

We are on site for both the course and overnight accommodation. In principle you could be naked for 168 hours that week! But it would be a shame to miss the beaches, surrounding countryside and charming towns and villages. Hospitality is the key word and this will be the third time we've used this accommodation for courses.

The staff

On the masseur page you can read more about some of the Touch masseurs. Gerald Mettam organizes the courses, including Gaytouch. André Broos and Gerard Moorman will be the other teachers.

What happens now

Let us know that you are interested in attending Gaytouch 2012. The best way is to fill in the registration form, but if you have further questions, just send an e-mail before actually registering. When you do register, please also send us a passport-type photograph (or just a holiday photo from which we can take head-and-shoulders: so we don’t need a nude photo!). You can send this by e-mail or by post. The photo is used only for a folder that is sent to participants by post just before the Gaytouch week, and for no other purpose. The folder makes a big difference to the first 24 hours. As with all your personal information, we are extremely careful and discreet. No information is passed to anyone else without your express permission.
It may be that you are interested in the advanced week, immediately after the beginners’ week. If you let us know, we’ll tell you more about what that involves so that you can make a final decision. We'll also ask about your massage background.
When we receive your application form we will send you a letter or e-mail confirming this, with details of payment of the course fee. We also write about travel to Spain and possible car hire or transfer from the airport. At various times before the Gaytouch week you receive several folders describing (a) the programme (also what to bring with you), (b) the participants, (c) the route to La Colmena Famosa and (d) general information about the area.

Some frequently asked questions (FAQs)

How big is the group?

We have up to 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 course accommodation. 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.

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 € 180 for a week, including the charge to reduce your CDW excess, which hardly any firm 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.