I knew Esalen was influential but I didn't realize how much so until reading this. The author's goal is to do more than history here. He also argues that American spiritual life has been undergoing what amounts to a tantric transformation and a general awakening of the body, and Esalen has played a big role in this. Many of Kripal's side points (such as the idea that comparative religion is itself a form of mysticism) were so intriguing that bought another of his books.