THE MAKING LOVE RETREAT®
The Ultimate Couples Retreat
The Making Love Retreat® is a unique week long retreat for couples who desire a deeper, more intimate and loving connection. This retreat, created by the founders Diana and Michael Richardson, has been running for 30 years, helping thousands of couples to heal and deepen their intimate relationship and sex life. It’s a proven approach that works for heterosexual couples, from ages 18 to 80s, from all walks of life.
Registration now open! You’ll find all the details, including how to register for the October 2025 Making Love Retreat on this page.
“When you touch one thing with deep awareness, you touch everything.” – Lao Tzu
WOULD YOU LOVE TO:
- Have space and time to prioritise your relationship and your sex life?
- Deepen the quality of intimacy and love that you experience together?
- Move beyond ‘goal-based sex’ and find a new and deeply fulfilling way to experience sex that can get better and better (even in a long term relationship)?
- Discover new understandings and ways forward with sexual or intimacy challenges?
- Smooth out places where you feel stuck in your intimate relationship and feel more ease with each other?
Join us for The Making Love Retreat
This is a week to devote time to your intimate life, away from the distractions and busyness of life. Whether you’re looking to revitalise your relationship, you’re committed to deepening what you have, or you just sense there is more, this retreat is for you.
This immersive retreat is an opportunity for you to reset your sex and intimate life as you explore a revolutionary new way to experience sex – the making love approach. You and your partner will experience of clear guidance and daily lessons in which you will discover new ways to deepen your intimate connection.
The Making Love Retreat gives you the space to unwind, relax and explore as a couple, and to deepen your understanding each day through experiential exercises in a private, calm and spacious learning environment.
What’s Included
- 7 days/6 nights in the relaxing surrounds of a peaceful countryside home.
- Nourishing and delicious meals.
- Teachings on the slow sex approach and the Love Keys.
- Lots of practice time in the privacy of your bedroom.
- Time for Q&A and to share experiences (if you choose to).
- Movement/Chi Gung/Yoga.
- Practices to support The Making Love approach.
- Space for you as a couple to relax.
We will show the difference between ‘conventional’ sex – based in tension, intense stimulation, climax and being ‘in the mood’ – and ‘conscious’ or ‘slow’ sex, rooted in presence, relaxation and love, without any goals or agenda.
All the experiential exercises, meditations and teachings that we share are designed to awaken and cultivate presence and awareness in your own body and with each other. You are assured that there is no partner swapping, nudity or sex in the group room. All intimate practice takes place between each couple in the privacy of their own bedroom.
As this body of work is focused around male-female penetration, the retreat is designed for heterosexual couples. Message Sarah for other offers open to couples of all sexual orientations and gender expressions.
The Gifts of the Making Love Retreat
You will leave with profound insights, experiences and tools so that you can continue to cultivate love, intimacy and passion in your relationship. The gifts can include:
- Communicating in new ways with your partner, especially on the topics of intimacy and sex.
- Transforming your approach to sex through gaining a new/deeper understanding of sex and it’s role within relationship.
- Letting go of the pressures and expectations of how sex ‘should’ be and how men/women ‘should’ act.
- Experiencing more aliveness, passion and confidence in love making and the tools to continue exploring together.
- Ways to relax and deepen connection with yourself and each other.
- A deeper connection and trust of your body.
The Making Love approach can bring deep healing however it is not a ‘quick fix’ and may not resolve all your relationship and sexual issues in one go or on it’s own. The retreat offers a proven approach and a set of tools to integrate into your relationship and your life, so that you can continue to explore and deepen your connection together.
Couples often find the Making Love approach has a positive effect on other areas of their life. Many of the tools are not just for love, they are for life.
YOUR GUIDES
Hello! We’re Sarah and Graeme, authorised teachers of The Making Love Retreat® and we have been in a committed relationship for 6 years. The Making Love approach has been at the heart of our relationship from the beginning and we love sharing this way.
Before we met, we spent decades on our own paths, healing and growing and learning about relationships, sometimes painfully. For both of us, we are in the relationship we dreamed of. It hasn’t always been easy and through the good times and the challenges, we continue to make our relationship a priority and with this, our intimacy and love continues to deepen and grow.
We weave together decades of study and teaching to inspire couples to deepen their intimacy and connection through the Making Love approach. Teaching together, we are known for being grounded, inspirational and playful. We offer retreats, sessions and courses online and worldwide.
In addition to being authorised Making Love Retreat® teachers, Sarah Rose Bright is a Love, Sex and Intimacy Coach, host of the Love, Sex and Intimacy Podcast and Gene Keys Guide who works with women and couples. She supports women to embrace who they are, awaken their sensuality and transform their intimate relationships and couples to transform how they make love, experience deeper intimacy and divine pleasure.
Graeme Waterfield works with men to support them to shift to a mindful and tantric approach to self pleasure and love making. He is a fully qualified counsellor, Tai Chi instructor, yoga and meditation teacher. With over 30 years as a practitioner and 20 years as a teacher, Graeme Waterfield brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to his work, supporting countless individuals to find balance and personal empowerment.
The Venue
We have exclusive use of Pennard House, a beautiful Georgian manor house in Somerset, England. Pennard House has a relaxed and homely feel, character filled reception rooms with open fires, and gorgeous grounds and gardens for you to explore.
There are 10 bedrooms – 7 classic en-suite rooms, 2 standard en-suite rooms and 1 standard room with a private bathroom separate to the bedroom. Bedrooms are allocated on a first come, first serve basis.
We will be nourished with lovingly prepared vegetarian food using high quality seasonal and local produce where possible. Allergies and special diets can be catered for.
We would love to bring the Making Love Retreat to other locations including America, Canada, Greece and Asia. We are open to invitations, so get in touch if you can recommend venues or you are interested in hosting us.
COST & HOW TO REGISTER
Super Early Bird (ends December 21st 2024) – £3,795 per couple if paid in full or £1,600 deposit and 6 monthly payments of £397
Early Bird (ends March 30th 2025) – £3,995 per couple if paid in full or £1,800 deposit and 5 monthly payments of £479
Full Price – £4195. Payment plan will depend of date of registration.
PLEASE NOTE
- The retreat cost includes the retreat fee, accommodation and all meals during your stay. Travel to the retreat is not included in the price. Full terms and conditions are provided on registration.
- Please contact us if none of the payment options work for you and will do our best to find an alternative.
- If you would like to pay in a different currency, you can pay via bank transfer or we can set up payment links via GoCardless, who use the real exchange rate for currency conversions. The rate will be determined by the exchange rate on the day of the payout.
HOW TO REGISTER
Step 1: Simply fill in this online registration form to provisionally book your place and we’ll send a confirmation email with booking forms.
Step 2: Return the booking forms and transfer the deposit/full amount.
Step 3: We’ll send you a confirmation of participation. You are now fully registered!
The Making Love Retreat is an unforgettable week in a relaxed Georgian manor house with delicious food, beautiful countryside and dedicated time for you as a couple. It really is a gift to immerse yourself in this transformative journey together. This is one week that can change your life!
If you are unsure whether or not the retreat is right for you, get in touch and we can arrange to have a conversation.
FAQ’s
Where is the retreat venue? The retreat will be at the beautiful Pennard House in Somerset, England. There is ample parking on site for those driving. The closest airports are Bristol (50 mins) or Exeter (just over 1 hour). The closest train station is Castle Cary (15 minutes).
When does the retreat start and end? The Making Love Retreat starts on arrival at 6pm on Monday 20th October 2025 for meditation followed by dinner. The retreat ends on the Sunday 26th October 2025 with lunch at 1:30pm.
Do we do any intimate practices in the group space? No. There is no sexual activity or nudity in the group space. All intimate exercises take place in the privacy of your own room.
Do I have to share my experiences with the group? There is space if couples want to talk about their experiences in a group setting but you do not have to. If you do share anything, all participants have signed a confidentiality agreement. The Making Love Retreat is not a group process. The focus is on you as a couple and we encourage couples to spend time together rather than socialise to deepen your personal experience.
What happens if we need support as a couple of individually? We are available throughout the retreat for 1:1 conversations as needed.
What is the number of participants in the Making Love Retreat? The retreat is for a maximum of 10 couples.
Is there any preparation to do before attending the retreat? Reading Diana & Michael Richardson’s books can be of support but this is not essential. The gift of this retreat is the dedicated space to explore the Making Love approach, taking it from theory into practice. These retreat has been running for over 30 years and thousands have now benefited from this approach.
Is the Making Love Retreat right for us? The Making Love Retreat is suitable for couples from 18 to over 80, whether you are just beginning your journey or you have been together for decades. If you are unsure whether or not the retreat is right for you, get in touch and we can arrange to have a conversation.
Who are Diana and Michael Richardson? Diana and Michael, also known as Puja and Raja, are globally recognised sexuality teachers, pioneers of the slow sex movement and creators of the highly respected Making Love Retreat. They have written many books which we highly recommend. Diana and Michael have been teaching and guiding couples in Tantra and the art of slow, conscious sex in their life changing Making Love Retreats since 1995. You can find out more about Diana and Michael here. We are 2 of their teachers, authorised to teach the Making Love Retreat®.
Is this retreat only for heterosexual couples? As this body of work is focused around male-female penetration, the retreat is designed for heterosexual couples. Get in touch with Sarah for other opportunities open to couples of all sexual orientations and gender expressions.
Any more questions or not quite sure? Please message us with any questions. If would like to speak with us before booking, get in touch to arrange a complimentary 30-minute chat.
