OneTaste Incorporated was a business primarily dedicated to teaching the practices of orgasmic meditation (OM) and slow sex. Though it embraced ideas based in Eastern philosophy, the central focus was a meditation practice around the sensation of a man touching a woman's genitalia.[2] It was founded by Nicole Daedone and Robert Kandell in San Francisco.[3] The company started to receive more widespread attention around 2007.[4]
As OneTaste grew and received more media attention, the organization was accused of cult-like operations, similar to Lafayette Morehouse, an intentional community of which Daedone was formerly a member.[5][6][3] An exposé by Bloomberg in 2018 led to OneTaste being investigated by the FBI for sex trafficking, prostitution, and violations of labor law.[7] Shortly thereafter, OneTaste closed all of their U.S. locations and stopped hosting in-person classes.[8] The FBI investigation resulted in an indictment in 2023 of Daedone and her former head of sales on forced labor charges.[9]
Mission statement
The organization's stated goal is "to create a clean, well-lit place where sexuality, relationship, and intimacy could be discussed openly and honestly."[10] Daedone draws parallels between slow sex and the Slow Food movement associated with chef Alice Waters.[4] With sex as with food, she says, people can overindulge without getting nourishment, or go from one extreme of consuming mindlessly to the other extreme of self-denial.[11]
Orgasmic meditation
The community is centered around a practice known as Orgasmic Meditation (OM), which is a mindfulness practice in which the object of meditation is finger-to-genital contact, specifically stimulation of the female clitoris.[5] OM is practiced in pairs, with one practitioner stroking the female's genitals, while both focus their attention on the sensation with the stated goal of developing "connective resonance" between pairs. Daedone described her own work as "one that places a near-exclusive emphasis on women's pleasure — in which love, romance and even flirtation are not required."[5] After, both partners discuss their experiences verbally.[5][12] Orgasmic Meditation borrows from other traditions including yoga and meditation.[11]
Proponents state that orgasmic meditation encompasses more than just orgasm and that it encourages greater emotional awareness, connected relationships, and sense of fulfillment.[13] Others describe the sensation as "a heady buzz, mixed with equal parts wooziness and intensity of focus."[12] Practitioners of orgasmic meditation claim the practice nourishes the limbic system, the area of the mammalian brain responsible for emotion, empathy, and motivation but these claims are unsubstantiated by any source outside their organization.[4]
History
OneTaste was cofounded in San Francisco by Robert Kandell and Nicole Daedone. Daedone stated that a Buddhist monk introduced her to orgasmic meditation before she started OneTaste, though she did not name the monk nor the lineage the monk studied under.[14]
OneTaste originally operated two communal-style "urban retreat" centers, one in San Francisco's Soma District and another in Lower Manhattan.[10] OneTaste then expanded to Los Angeles and London.[8] The company produced media, workshops, weekend retreats, and a coach training program. In 2014, OneTaste was listed as an Inc. 5000 fastest growing company.[15] In 2018, OneTaste closed all of their U.S. locations and stopped hosting in-person classes.[8]
Another organization, the Unconditional Freedom Project, shares "key personnel, a website, and a mailing address".[16]
Controversy and indictment
OneTaste drew international media attention, controversy, and then an FBI investigation and indictment of Daedone and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz on forced labor charges.[7][17]
Several journalists have compared OneTaste to a cult and pyramid scheme.[5][3][18] "As with many a commune before it, the leader of One Taste, Ms. Daedone, is a polarizing personality, whom admirers venerate as a sex diva, although some former members say she has cult like powers over her followers... Much of the community’s tone revolves around Ms. Daedone, a woman of considerable charm, although detractors regard her as a master manipulator."[5] In a New York Times interview, Ms. Daedone insists she does not aspire to guru status, while acknowledging that "there’s a high potential for this to be a cult."[5]
A New York Times article led to several critical blog and opinion columns. A 2013 Gawker article referenced online cult accusations, which documented the reporter's experience at a weekend conference hosted by OneTaste.[19] An article in GoodTimes Weekly, "The Big OM", refers to "cult allegations" by posters on Yelp.com,[3] as did one on Vice,[20] and on Salon.[21] A 2016 episode of the podcast Love + Radio is dedicated to the experience of a woman who had increasingly fraught relations with OneTaste.[22] An article in The Cut stated that "some cult experts have linked Daedone with Victor Baranco," the cult leader who ran Lafayette Morehouse, and also suggest that it may be a pyramid scheme.[6] Similarly, an article in The Frisky described OneTaste as "Landmark Forum for the clitoris."[18] A Refinery29 article cited the organization's "potentially aggressive sales tactics."[23]Playboy Magazine compared OneTaste to Scientology and Landmark Forum, saying it had a "pyramidal pricing structure". For example, a week-long training with Nicole Daedone was advertised at $36,000. The Playboy writer noted behaviors that were 'cultish', for example, "the way the volunteers serve the leaders, jumping at their every demand to "get me water” and “move that stool”... the full-court sales pitch from the minute you walk in... I leave early and I'm furious". The author implies she was gaslighted when she disagreed with the leaders. She writes that she was re-traumatized "for weeks" as memories of her past sexual trauma were triggered by a business promising female empowerment but "people probably just want your money."[24]
The book Sensation by Isabel Losada ends with a "Warning" about "'hard sell" techniques... 'One Taste' (like many businesses) offer a wide range of courses which are outside the price range of most bank accounts. I'll say it again. Please don't spend money that you don't have."[25]
In 2015, a former employee received a 6-figure settlement for sexual assault and harassment.[26] Around universities, students are drawn to free OneTaste events with ad boards such as "Tired of Swiping Left? Let’s Talk Real Intimacy!" or "You Do Yoga. You Meditate. Now try #OrgasmicMeditation". A year-long, $60,000 premium membership is sold by the company since 2014.[26] OneTaste teaches their members that money is just an emotional obstacle, which led some of them down to thousands of dollars in credit card debts.[26] In June 2018, Bloomberg Businessweek published an article chronicling recent training changes and that was critical of how the company treated its employees and consultants, often pressuring them to take expensive courses, programs, and retreats that drove them into debt.[citation needed]
After the 2018 Bloomberg article, the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened a probe into OneTaste for prostitution, sex trafficking, and violations of labor law.[27] In June 2023, Daedone and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz were indicted on charges of forced labor.[17][28] As of February 2024[update], a federal judge in Brooklyn set a tentative trial date for January 2025.[29]
In November 2020, BBC Radio 4 released a 10-part investigative podcast entitled The Orgasm Cult that spoke to former workers of the company, detailing allegations of emotional, financial and sexual abuse, with some saying that OneTaste’s teachings and practices gaslit many women, leaving them with symptoms of PTSD. The podcast also spoke to experts about how the medical establishment’s dismissal of women’s health concerns pushes many women towards the growing and unregulated wellness industry and companies like OneTaste.[30]
Documentary
A Netflix documentary film, Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste, was released on November 5, 2022. Prior to the release, several people formerly associated with OneTaste filed a lawsuit against Netflix, seeking a temporary restraining order and the removal of certain sexually explicit imagery.[31] Their request was denied.[32]
