Quintimacy is back! It's in the central location of Leicester this time. This is the 7th Quintimacy weekend, but this time it's not 2 days, but 3!
Yes, you can gather with us Friday morning, and dive into group bonding and consent education and practice, enjoy 3 luxurious days of exploring different forms of queer intimacy and erotic embodiment, enjoy the company and community of a lovely bunch of queer folk, and not leave until Sunday at 4pm!
What is Quintimacy?
Quintimacy® is a unique opportunity to explore intimacy, consent and erotic desire from a trans centred and queer point of view. Quintimacy is an exclusively Queer space, held by experienced and qualified professional practitioners in Sexological Bodywork, Yoga Therapy and Somatic Coaching. Consent and respect are at the core of the work.
Everyone is encouraged and supported to take care of their own needs and boundaries. You don't have to touch or be touched at all to be fully welcome and a part of the workshop. Whether you're an established part of the Quintimacy community, a workshop regular or brand new, you are warmly invited to share this (now 3 day long!) weekend with us.
Offerings will include embodied consent exercises, touch, deep and authentic connection, deep listening and empathy, and cuddles/holds, as well as intimate and erotic embodiment and sensual touch and massage. There is a focus on gender freeing and gender affirming approaches to the body, including the genitals.
In an intimate group of around 20 participants, we will spend 3 days together...
Day 1 is all about building a sense of safety and establishing shared values and skills around communication, enthusiastic consent and learning to hold one another gently in vulnerability.
Day 2 offers the opportunity to deepen this work to include intimate or erotic touch, practices such as the Genital Interview and watching intimate and erotic bodywork demos.
Day 3 offers opportunities for longer, immersive episodes of exploration and receiving an experience you have negotiated, based on your desire and what is present for you. It is also a chance to share deeply with the group of queer erotic peers we have cultivated this space with.
Everything will be an invitation and there will always be a spectrum of possibilities for engaging with the programme, and spaces to have sanctuary such as a dens, sensory tent, and places to rest, journal, do colouring and witness the room.
Day One
On Day One we'll work carefully and with intention, supporting one another to feel into our bodies' sense of yes and no, and to communicate our boundaries and desires. The focus of this gentle trauma-informed day will be on soothing, safety and nurturing.
Day One includes time to experience:
sharing stories
deep listening and being heard
conscious non-sexual touch
embodied consent
massage
cuddles
This first day is a complete experience, where clothing is optional but 'pants stay on' at all times, and is suitable for those new to this work.
Day Two
Day Two offers the chance to build on these strong foundations of safety. Deepening our journey into Queer Intimacy, allowing our relationships within the group to become closer, clothing will again be optional but 'pants off’ is now an option. On Day 2 we open up the possibility to witness and share erotic touch and pleasure.
Day Two includes time to experience:
sensual or erotic touch
full body massage
intimate mapping
gender free body appreciation
gender affirming genital exploration
self touch
shared touch
Day Three offers opportunities to benefit from this brave space and intimate container we have created together.
Day Three includes time for;
- doing something again or for longer
- more time with the same or a different partner.
- watching new bodywork demos
- long, luxurious, immersive episodes of receiving an intimate and/or erotic experience with a partner/s.
- possibly playing as more than 2 or a group intimacy experience.
- more time immersed in a brave, queer and sex positive space with your friends and peers.
Please note;
If you're drawn to attend Day 3, you MUST have attended Day 1 and 2. This is to create a sense of safety in the group, and the shared understanding and experience of consent and communication. If you're not sure, you can book on Day 1 and 2 (limited tickets), and decide at the end of Day 2 whether you want to stay with us for Day 3.
Safety and Safeguarding
Beck and Skylar work to the code of conduct for Certified Sexological Bodyworkers (CSBs) and the Quintimacy weekend is held on the basis of these ways of working, which are deeply consent-based and trauma-informed.
We ask all attendees to use barriers (nitrile gloves) for body fluids, following the same hygiene protocol that CSB's use in our work. This applies even if you are attending and working with a fluid bonded partner, and this is keep the space clean.
We take a number of steps to ensure that people attending the event are able and willing to create a consent culture together and this might mean turning people away on occasion if we don't feel there is a good fit at this time. The team are all operating under some agreement about ethical boundaries between us and attendees. There are anonymous ways to report any consent violations or accidents that you believe occur at a Quintimacy event. If you have any concerns, please approach Beck or Skylar to discuss at the nearest opportunity.
There are Group Agreements that detail how we behave at Quintimacy events to create the most conducive environment for doing this important work. These are sent out to participants in the weeks before the event.
Attending solo or as a pair
You can attend Quintimacy alone, and not know anyone (yet), or with a friend or a partner. You can choose to work with your partner exclusively, or not. Each person attending will need to purchase a ticket.
Venue
The venue is in Leicester City Centre and easily accessible on public transport, and there are various city centre car parks nearby. There are two gender neutral toilets exclusively for our use, and a men’s. There is a disabled accessible bathroom. The venue is wheelchair accessible. Please contact us to discuss any accessibility requirements.
The venue is the Secular Hall, Humberstone Gate, Leicester, LE1 1WB
Cost
Day 1 and 2 only: £180 (limited tickets available)
3 days: £225
There will be the opportunity to pay in instalments for those who need this option.
We want this event to be accessible, so there will be some concession places available, once we have covered our costs.
We really want you to be there! If cost is a barrier, please get in touch and let us know how much you could pay for Day 1 and 2, or the whole weekend. We will let you know as soon as we can if we can offer you a place. Priority will be given to QTBIPOC/disabled people/low income/benefits.
Booking
Early expressions of interest are very welcome. Email info@quintimacy.com
If you do not know Skylar or I, we will ask for some more information about you and arrange a phone call or zoom chat. If you and I decide the event is not a good fit for you, you will be offered a full refund of any ticket you have purchased.
Cancellations
Cancellation 7 days or more before event - we will offer a transfer of your balance to a future event, or offer a full refund minus all booking fees.
Cancellation with less than 7 days notice - we regret that no refund will be given.
In exceptional circumstances, a transfer of 50% of your booking cost may be transferred to a future event. Please contact us to discuss.
COVID
As with previous Quintimacy events, we prioritise the safety and wellbeing of the group. Based on the pandemic/endemic status in October 2022, we may take sensible precautions such as asking participants to do an LFT test the morning of the event, and use of hand sanitisers etc. We will also offer transfer of your payment to a future event or full refund (minus all booking fees) in the event you cannot attend due to COVID. More details will be published closer to the time, based on the situation then, and the opportunity to explore concerns and how each participant can be supported to manage risk in the best way for them and their close contacts.
Food
Hot drinks and snacks will be provided, including vegan snacks and fruit. We are inviting you to ‘bring and share’ vegan or vegetarian food for lunch on each day (there are kitchen facilities including a microwave/hob to heat food). If you prefer you can bring your own lunch or go out to get some.
On a previous Quintimacy, in the evenings, people arranged to go out to eat in local restaurants together, or maybe you will prefer a quiet meal at your accommodation.
Accommodation
We are unable to arrange accommodation locally but will set up a Facebook group for participants to arrange sharing accommodation, travel, and maybe a meal on Saturday night.
There will be a private Facebook page for the event where you can make arrangements with others. (As with everything we offer, engaging with this is optional.)
Facilitators
Beck Thom (of Quintimacy/Somatic Sex Educator) and Skylar Haven (of Queer Somatics) will be holding the space for us on these two days.
Beck Thom is a Somatic Sex Educator and Certified Sexological Bodyworker. They are experienced in delivering online and in-person workshops for queer and trans people around embodiment, sex and pleasure. They work in a trauma-informed, consent-based way and aim to create spaces where together we develop enough safety and trust for intimate and transformative work to happen. Beck is a registered member of Association of Certified Sexological Bodyworkers and is fully insured.
Skylar Haven (they/them), is based in The Netherlands and aims to create spaces with healing potential for folks - especially queer and trans folks - to gently explore loving, trusting and enjoying their body. They identify as queer and trans non-binary and are a certified yoga therapist, somatic coach and Certified Sexological Bodyworker and support folks with topics related to sex, health and wellness. They are the founder of Queer Somatics and some of the key themes in their work include: embodiment, rest, pleasure, and self-compassion.
Leicester Secular Society