KQED's Forum Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power and the Downfall of a Bay Area Wellness Cult
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Dec 2, 2025 
Ellen Huet, an investigative journalist for Bloomberg and author of *Empire of Orgasm*, dives into the controversial world of OneTaste, a wellness cult focused on orgasmic meditation. She discusses the journey from promise of empowerment to allegations of sexual and financial abuse. It explores the manipulative sales tactics, community culture, and the blurred lines of consent that characterized OneTaste. Huet also highlights how societal desires for intimacy and the appeal of sex positivity drew many into this troubled organization, culminating in serious legal repercussions.
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Orgasmic Meditation As A Packaged Practice
- OneTaste marketed orgasmic meditation (OM) as a timed, goalless practice focused on bodily sensation.
- The practice was framed as a 15-minute 'hack' promising sexual and spiritual benefits.
A Tiered Sales Funnel Drove Commitment
- OneTaste used a tiered sales funnel: intro classes, weekend courses, intensives, then expensive coaching programs.
- The highest-tier offerings could cost thousands up to around $20,000, driving deep financial commitment.
Warehouse Communal Living In SoMa
- OneTaste's Warehouse in SoMa housed roughly 50 people in open communal sleeping spaces with curtains instead of walls.
- Residents shared group bathrooms and showers, treating the setup as a radical sexual-living experiment.
