'Orgasmic Meditation' 'Cult' OneTaste Under FBI Investigation For Prostitution Claims
Nov. 20 2020, Updated 4:47 p.m. ET
OneTaste — a wellness company co-founded by Nicole Daedone, which promoted “orgasmic meditation” for women — is under investigation by the FBI after allegations of sex trafficking and prostitution have come to light.
Ex-staffers reveal the company was basically a "sex cult," BBC journalist Nastaran Tavakoli-Far said in the first episode of “The Orgasm Cult.”
Their workshops involved "a woman undressing from the waist down, lying on a nest of pillows, and having her clitoris stroked, usually be a man, very precisely on the upper left-hand quadrant, the so-called 'one o’clock spot,'" Tavakoli-Far revealed, adding that participants called it "OM-ing," which means "orgasmic meditation."
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She added, "A timer goes off after 15 minutes."
According to its website, "Orgasmic Meditation (OM) is a unique wellness practice that combines mindfulness with the power of the deeply human, deeply felt experience of Orgasm. During the practice, one person strokes another person’s clitoris for 15 minutes with no goal other than to feel sensation. It is a whole new approach to wellness."
"The FBI is now making inquiries about OneTaste’s activities over allegations including sex trafficking, prostitution, and violations of labor law," Tavakoli-Far — who spoke with dozens of people associated with OneTaste as part of her investigation — said. Following the allegations, OneTaste stopped their classes, and the group appears to be on pause. The original website, OneTaste.us, has been disconnected, and the YouTube channel hasn’t shared any new content in two years.
"I had full-blown PTSD when I left OneTaste," a woman named Michal said. "I was very, very scarred and very afraid. I was, for about two years, suffering from nightmares, a deep sense of depression, and loneliness and low self-esteem."
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However, a rep for the company told the Daily Mail that "any allegations of abusive practices are completely false."
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"OneTaste was an organization that helped individuals to increase health, happiness and connection through methods combining mindfulness and sexuality," the rep said. "More than 300,000 people practice Orgasmic Meditation worldwide. Many have experienced profound healing and transformation."
This is hardly the first time the company has made headlines, either. In 2018, Bloomberg News published an exposé on OneTaste.
In 2018, customers were shelling out a lot of money for retreats, programs and more — anywhere from $499 for a weekend course to $60,000 for an all-inclusive program, Tavakoli-Far reported.
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"Staff were mostly on commission, earning hardly anything while working and living in some very expensive cities," Tavakoli-Far revealed. "Many workers were expected to flirt with customers to close sales. Some were told to have sex with potential clients and threatened with being cut out of the group if they refused. Employees were expected to make OneTaste their entire lives."
The FBI opened a probe after Bloomberg published the report. However, the company denied the allegations at the time, too.
"We never asked anyone as part of a sale to have sex with customers — it’s a false and outrageous allegation that insults both us and our customers," the company said at the time.
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Daedone's personal website is not being used but her Twitter account's bio still reads: "Founder of @OneTaste and Orgasmic Meditation. Author of Slow Sex: The Art and Craft of the Female Orgasm." Daedone hasn't posted on Twitter since 2014.
Daedone was introduced to orgasmic meditation by a Buddhist monk and began spreading her wisdom about the sexual act in 2001.