StolenTime in St Lucia

TW: Eating disorders, body dysmorphia

When I was invited to jet away to St Lucia on a sexual wellness retreat, I don’t think my friends have ever been more excited for me. Sun, sea, sand and sex talk galore – what’s not to love? A week where I could totally ignore my workload back home and just revel in Caribbean sunshine was exactly a bit of what I fancied.

As a journalist whose work centres around sex and relationships, I had preempted that this would be a great excuse to drink piña coladas on Malabar beach and occasionally chip in during our set sessions as someone who was already well versed on the topics at hand.

Little did I know that my week away would force me to face a long buried secret – and actually deal with it.

Our week at the StolenTime by Rendezvous resort on the western side of St Lucia was carefully curated with sessions held by sexual wellness expert and author of Get Your Mojo Back, Clio Wood, including:

• Women’s Sexuality And The Male Gaze
• Our Journey As Women
• Getting Your Mojo Back
• Getting Low – How Mental Health Affects Libido
• Your Pleasure Toolkit
• Body – How The Physical Self Changes Over Time
• Self Advocacy

Being flung into a room with four strangers and asked about your sex life can sound utterly terrifying, but if there’s one thing Clio can do, it’s create a space where even the shyest person would feel comfortable discussing their private life. The beach studio where the majority of the sessions were held was a little slice of paradise – the island sun lighting the room and the sound of the waves just feet away providing much needed serenity after a particularly deep talking point.

Following a session, we’d hit the beach, pool or lazy river (StolenTime is one helluva location for relaxation) and decompress before rekindling as a group at dinner and descending into merriment (especially when Clio brought us all an........

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