{{Short description|Sexual health business}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}} {{Infobox company | name = OneTaste | logo = OneTaste logo (2023).png | logo_caption = | type = Private | industry = | founded = | founder = Nicole Daedone and Robert Kandell | key_people = Anjuli Ayer (CEO) | hq_location_city = San Francisco, California | hq_location_country = United States | num_locations = 8 | num_locations_year = 2016 | area_served = {{Unbulleted list|Los Angeles|Harlem|London}} | products = | brands = | production = | production_year = <!-- Year of production data (when known) --> | services = | revenue = $6.5 M<ref name="Inc.com on OneTaste">{{cite web |url=http://www.inc.com/profile/onetaste |title=OneTaste - San Francisco, CA |newspaper=Inc.com |year=2015 |access-date= February 29, 2016 |quote=Inc. 5000 #537 2015}}</ref> | revenue_year = 2014 | operating_income = | income_year = <!-- Year of operating_income data (when known) --> | net_income = <!-- or: | profit = --> | net_income_year = <!-- or: | profit_year = --><!-- Year of net_income/profit data (when known) --> | aum = <!-- Only for financial-service companies --> | assets = | assets_year = <!-- Year of assets data (when known) --> | equity = | equity_year = <!-- Year of equity data (when known) --> | owner = <!-- or: | owners = --> | members = | members_year = <!-- Year of members data (when known) --> | num_employees = 28<ref name="Inc.com on OneTaste" /> | num_employees_year = 2014 | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | website = {{URL|https://onetaste.us}} | module = <!-- Used to embed other templates --> }} '''OneTaste Incorporated''', currently operating as '''The Institute of OM''',<ref name="Harrison Nov 2022">{{cite web |last1=Harrison |first1=Ellie |title='It went from utopia to a hell hole': The bizarre story behind Netflix's Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/onetaste-orgasm-meditation-netflix-b2217714.html |website=The Independent |access-date=10 May 2025 |language=en |date=4 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="Hahn Nov 2022" /> is a business sponsoring seminars, classes, workshops, lectures, and discussion groups around the practice of "orgasmic meditation" (OM).<ref group=Notes>The term "orgasmic meditation" is trademarked for use in educational services. It was first recorded in commerce in 2005; the USPTO granted trademark to OneTaste's subsidiary Caravan Retreats Incorporated in 2013. {{As of|2026}} the owner is OneTaste successor group Society for Eros Practice and Philosophy. See {{US trademark|85159647|US Serial Number: 85159647, "Orgasmic Meditation"}}</ref> In June 2025, a federal prosecution convicted OneTaste leaders Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz (also known as Rachel Pelletier) for the crime of forced labor conspiracy for the mistreatment of its employees.<ref name="Meko">{{cite news |last1=Meko |first1=Hurubie |title=Founder of Sexual Wellness Company Indicted On Forced Labor Charges |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/nyregion/one-taste-commune-nicole-daedone-indicted.html |access-date=July 29, 2024 |work=The New York Times |date=June 6, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Marcelo-2025" /> In 2026, Daedone was sentenced to 9 years imprisonment, and Cherwitz received 6.5 years.<ref name=":92">{{Cite web |last1=Hurtado|first1=Patricia|last2=Huet|first2=Ellen|date=2026-03-30|title=Sexual Wellness Firm Founder Gets 9 Years in Forced-Labor Case|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-30/sexual-wellness-firm-founder-gets-9-years-in-forced-labor-case?taid=69cac13a1de6e000018af5c8|access-date=2026-03-30|website=Bloomberg.com}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=United States District Court Eastern District of New York Judge GUJARATI, DIANE Monday, March 30, 2026 Courtroom 4D S|url=https://www.nyed.uscourts.gov/cal/calPDF.cfm?prid=6237847|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260329141525/https://www.nyed.uscourts.gov/cal/calPDF.cfm?prid=6237847|archive-date=2026-03-29|access-date=2026-03-29|website=www.nyed.uscourts.gov}}</ref>{{ r | SFC_2026-03-30 }}
Nicole Daedone and Robert Kandell founded OneTaste in San Francisco.<ref name="GT Weekly" /> An open secret of the company was that Reese Jones (of Singularity University) kept the company afloat, providing at least $800,000 from 2007 through 2011. In return, Daedone (Jones's live-in girlfriend) procured the sexual services of OneTaste subordinates for Jones.<ref name="Pullano 13 May 2025-2"/> The company and independent affiliates expanded to multiple cities, including London, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco, selling educational courses and retreats demonstrating the purported benefits of orgasmic meditation.<ref name="Huet Jun 2018">{{Cite news |date=2018-06-18 |title=The Dark Side of the Orgasmic Meditation Company |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2018-06-18/the-dark-side-of-onetaste-the-orgasmic-meditation-company |access-date=10 May 2025 |website=Bloomberg Businessweek |first=Ellen |last=Huet |author-link=Ellen Huet |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-06 |title=Eastern District of New York {{!}} OneTaste Founder and Former Head of Sales Indicted for Forced Labor Conspiracy {{!}} United States Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/onetaste-founder-and-former-head-sales-indicted-forced-labor-conspiracy |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=www.justice.gov |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-07 |title=Founder of SF-based sexual wellness startup OneTaste charged with exploiting abuse victims |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/06/07/founder-of-sexual-wellness-startup-onetaste-charged-with-exploiting-abuse-victims/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}</ref>
OneTaste describes orgasmic meditation as an activity in which a participant (usually male) strokes the genital area of a female participant while she concentrates on the resulting physical sensations. OneTaste events demonstrated the technique in front of live audience and employees were instructed to perform and undergo stroking regularly, including from strangers.<ref name="salon">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2009/03/17/slow_sex/|title= All hail the female orgasm|magazine=Salon|first=Tracy |last=Clark-Flory|date= March 17, 2009|access-date=2009-03-20}}</ref><ref name="Ensor May 2025">{{cite web |last1=Ensor |first1=Josie |title=OneTaste 'orgasm and masturbation cult' was forced-labour, trial told |url=https://www.thetimes.com/us/news-today/article/onetaste-orgasm-cult-trial-nicole-daedone-rachel-cherwitz-q5rjwvdrq |website=The Times |access-date=10 May 2025 |language=en |date=7 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="Shugerman Mar 2025">{{cite web |last1=Shugerman |first1=Emily |title=Controversial company OneTaste selling Mendocino property |url=https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/05/onetaste-orgasmic-meditation-compound-for-sale/ |website=The San Francisco Standard |access-date=10 May 2025 |language=en |date=5 March 2025}}</ref> Over 35,000 people came through the doors of OneTaste for events, classes or to learn the practice of Orgasmic Meditation.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Mitchell |first1=Molli |title=What Happened to OneTaste? Inside Female Orgasm Company |url=https://www.newsweek.com/what-happened-onetaste-nicole-daedone-orgasm-inc-netflix-1757854 |access-date=14 April 2026 |publisher=Newsweek |date=8 November 2022}}</ref> Former employees reported enduring stroking under duress including "economic, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse, surveillance, indoctrination and intimidation". In the trial of Daedone and Cherwitz, victims testified to psychological and physiological harms, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.<ref name=":1" />
A 2009 ''New York Times'' profile was the first national exposure for the company.<ref name="PleasurePrinciple2"/> Daedone received mainstream exposure through publishing a book with Hachette, speaking at a TED Talk and a Goop-sponsored event, as well as an endorsement in ''The 4-Hour Body'' by Tim Ferriss<ref>{{Cite news |title=Nicole Daedone's Orgasmic Meditation Workshops Promised Spiritual Growth—Employees Called it a Cult |url=https://people.com/nicole-daedone-orgasmic-meditation-promised-spiritual-growth-employees-said-cult-11751854 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250626041025/https://people.com/nicole-daedone-orgasmic-meditation-promised-spiritual-growth-employees-said-cult-11751854 |archive-date=2025-06-26 |access-date=2026-02-19 |work=People.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Zack |first=Jessica |date=2026-01-19 |title=The fall of the 'Empire of Orgasm': How a Bay Area journalist uncovered the truth about OneTaste |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/books/article/empire-of-orgasm-ellen-huet-21197489.php |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> As OneTaste grew and received more media attention, the organization was accused of cult-like operations, similar to Lafayette Morehouse, an intentional community of which Daedone was formerly a member.<ref name="PleasurePrinciple2"/><ref name=":4" /><ref name="GT Weekly" /> An exposé by Bloomberg News in 2018 led to OneTaste being investigated by the FBI for sex trafficking, prostitution, and violations of labor law.<ref name="Harrison Nov 2022" />
As controversy mounted, OneTaste closed all of their U.S. locations and stopped hosting in-person classes.<ref name="Huet Oct 2018" /> A trial in 2025 ended in the convictions of Daedone and Cherwitz.<ref name="Meko" /><ref name="Marcelo-2025" /> By 2026, the organization was documented holding events (under the names "Eros Platform" and "Team Nicole") to promote orgasmic meditation. Despite their convictions and imprisonment, the organization used the image and likeness of Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz with a combination of social media, virtual reality headsets, computer-generated imagery and large language model text generation.<ref name="Brown">{{Cite web |last=Brown|first=Elizabeth Nolan|date=2026-03-11|title=A First Amendment right not to use AI for evil?|url=https://reason.com/2026/03/11/a-first-amendment-right-not-to-use-ai-for-evil/|access-date=2026-03-16|website=Reason.com|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Zucker">{{Cite web |last=Zucker|first=Andrew|date=2026-02-13|title=The Rise of the Celebrity "Prison-fluencer"|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/rise-celebrity-prison-fluencer-1236501589/|access-date=2026-03-16|website=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="eventbrite.com">{{Cite web |title=A Panel Discussion On Eros and Human Flourishing with Elizabeth Nolan Brown|url=https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-panel-discussion-on-eros-and-human-flourishing-with-elizabeth-nolan-brown-tickets-1984221177957|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260311163914/https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-panel-discussion-on-eros-and-human-flourishing-with-elizabeth-nolan-brown-tickets-1984221177957#location|archive-date=2026-03-11|access-date=2026-03-16|website=Eventbrite|language=en-us}}</ref><ref name="Daedone">{{Cite Instagram |postid=DV3hWYbEd93|user=nicoledaedone|title=This past Thursday, there was an incredible event in Harlem. As part of the art exhibit, visitors could step into a virtual reality experience where avatars of Rachel and I did a holographic, virtual reality demonstration of Orgasmic Meditation in Erice, Sicily.|first=Nicole|last=Daedone|date=2026-03-14}}</ref><ref name=":83">{{Cite news |last=Nerkar|first=Santul|date=2026-03-30|title=The Founder of a Sexual Liberation Group Is in Jail, but Still Has Fans|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/30/nyregion/nicole-daedone-one-taste-sentencing.html|access-date=2026-03-30|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
== History == [[File:Nicole Daedone in the 2024 video Feminism and Anger.png|thumb|upright|left|alt=Nicole Daedone|Co-founder Nicole Daedone in 2024]] OneTaste began in 2004 and was cofounded in San Francisco by Robert Kandell and Nicole Daedone.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Pullano |first=Nina |title=Government wraps 'sex cult' case in Brooklyn |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/government-wraps-sex-cult-case-in-brooklyn/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=www.courthousenews.com |date=June 2, 2025 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="PleasurePrinciple2">{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Patricia Leigh |last2=Pogash |first2=Carol |date=March 15, 2009 |title=The Pleasure Principle |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/fashion/15commune.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105035015/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/fashion/15commune.html |archive-date=2022-11-05 |access-date=2009-05-05 |work=The New York Times|url-status=live}}</ref> Daedone stated that a man introduced her to orgasmic meditation before she started OneTaste.<ref name="Weiss 2016">{{cite web|last=Weiss|first=Suzannah|date=2016-08-23|title=Can You Orgasm Your Way to Enlightenment?|url=http://www.complex.com/life/2016/08/orgasmic-meditation-nicole-daedone|access-date=2018-03-08|website=Complex}}</ref> ''The Daily Telegraph'' reported that Daedone changed her description of the man upon retelling the origin story, having portrayed him on different occasions as a Buddhist, a monk, and "a cute guy" who said "the best pickup line I'd ever heard".<ref name="Brown Apr 2021">{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Mick |title=Inside the multi-million dollar orgasm cult endorsed by Hollywood |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/inside-multi-million-dollarorgasm-cult-endorsed-hollywood/ |website=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=10 May 2025 |date=24 April 2021}}</ref> In a history of the OneTaste organization, Ellen Huet identifies the individual as Erwan Davon, a student at Lafayette Morehouse and its offshoot Welcomed Consensus.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Huet |first=Ellen |title=Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |year=2025 |pages=26–29|type=Kindle}}</ref>
OneTaste trademarked the orgasmic meditation (OM) procedure delivered through the company's classes.<ref name="agnew2024">{{Cite news |last=Agnew|first=Megan|date=January 28, 2024|title=Inside OneTaste: my stay at Nicole Daedone's 'orgasm commune'|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/inside-onetaste-my-stay-at-nicole-daedones-orgasm-commune-39vn85bg9|newspaper=The Sunday Times}}</ref> It originally operated two communal-style "urban retreat" centers, one in San Francisco's Soma District and another in Lower Manhattan.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://www.onetaste.us|title=OneTaste|publisher=OneTaste Incorporated |access-date=2011-02-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110202182236/http://www.onetaste.us/ |archive-date=2011-02-02 }}</ref> OneTaste then expanded to Los Angeles and London.<ref name="Huet Oct 2018">{{cite web |last1=Huet |first1=Ellen |author1-link=Ellen Huet |title=OneTaste Stops 'Orgasmic Meditation' Classes, U.S. Locations Set to Close |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-19/onetaste-stops-orgasmic-meditation-classes-all-locations-set-to-close |website=Bloomberg News |access-date=10 May 2025 |date=19 October 2018}}</ref> The company produced media, workshops, weekend retreats, and a coach training program.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=OneTaste - San Francisco, CA|url=https://www.inc.com/profile/onetaste|access-date=2021-04-24|website=Inc.com|language=en}}</ref> It owned its own glamping-style retreat center called "The Land" in Philo, California. The space was rented out for events organized by SoulCycle, Louis Vuitton, Samasource, and Giphy.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-05 |title=Controversial company OneTaste selling Mendocino property |url=https://sfstandard.com/2025/03/05/onetaste-orgasmic-meditation-compound-for-sale/ |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=The San Francisco Standard |language=en}}</ref> In 2014, OneTaste was listed as an Inc. 5000 fastest growing company.<ref name=":2" />
An open secret of the company was that Daedone's boyfriend Reese Jones (of Singularity University) kept the company afloat. He was documented providing at least $800,000 from 2007 through 2011. In return, Daedone procured the sexual services of OneTaste subordinates (euphemistically called "handlers") for Jones.<ref name="Pullano 13 May 2025-2">{{cite web |last1=Pullano |first1=Nina |date=13 May 2025 |title=Bay Area 'sex cult' workers forced to service wealthy clients sexually: Witnesses |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/bay-area-sex-cult-workers-forced-to-service-wealthy-clients-sexually-witnesses/ |access-date=14 May 2025 |website=Courthouse News Service}}</ref> A statement by Eros Platform, a successor to OneTaste, states that Jones "was instrumental in the establishment of OneTaste Inc.". The statement does not deny that Daedone procured sexual partners for Jones, but says that he provided "a safe and entirely consensual adult environment for personal exploration and development."<ref>{{Cite web |title=OneTaste: The Truth About Reese Jones|url=https://erosplatform.com/blogs/onetaste-the-truth-about-reese-jones|access-date=2026-02-21|website=Eros Platform|language=en}}</ref>
According to Huet, Jones's finances cratered in 2012; Daedone subsequently pressured subordinates to find ways to pay Reese back. OneTaste then began its "Coaching Program" of expensive trainings for accreditations. It also began a boiler room operation using hard sell tactics. Rachel Cherwitz was employed to ensure salespersons met quotas. She encouraged staff to keep notes on students, including ways of exerting pressure (such as noting divorces) for further sales. Women staff referred to as "fluffers" were employed to give single men partners to stroke. According to Huet's sources, fluffers were instructed to maintain plausible deniability about tactics running afoul of prostitution laws.
Robert Kandell sold his stake in the company for $1.5 million in 2014.<ref name=":3" /> Daedone sold her ownership of OneTaste to three participants for $12 million in 2017. The company stated that it received $12 million in revenue during the same year.<ref name="Ramey Jan 2025">{{cite web |last1=Ramey |first1=Corinne |title=She Made Orgasmic Meditation Her Life. Not Even Prison Will Stop Her. |url=https://www.wsj.com/style/nicole-daedone-one-taste-founder-prison-e1dc5eff |publisher=The Wall Street Journal |date=25 January 2025 |access-date=10 May 2025}}</ref>
''Bloomberg Businessweek'' published an exposé of the company in June 2018. According to the report, OneTaste offered orgasmic meditation courses for $499 to $16,000, as well as a $60,000 annual subscription that included access to all courses.<ref name="Huet Jun 2018" /> In October 2018, OneTaste closed all of their U.S. locations and stopped hosting in-person classes.<ref name="Huet Oct 2018" /> By 2022, OneTaste had rebranded itself as The Institute of OM.<ref name="Harrison Nov 2022" /><ref name="Hahn Nov 2022">{{cite web |last1=Hahn |first1=Jason |title=Lawsuit Seeks to Block Release of Netflix Doc About 'Orgasmic Meditation' Group OneTaste |url=https://people.com/human-interest/lawsuit-seeks-to-block-release-of-netflix-doc-onetaste/ |website=People |access-date=11 May 2025 |language=en |date=4 November 2022}}</ref>
OneTaste opened a New York facility in autumn 2024, where the company provided orgasmic meditation lessons. In 2025, OneTaste also offered lessons through their Eros Platform website, and CEO Anjuli Ayer announced their intent to adopt a franchise-based business model.<ref name="Ramey Jan 2025" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Elizabeth Nolan |title=The weak, weird case against a supposed 'orgasm cult' |url=https://reason.com/2025/02/19/the-weak-weird-case-against-a-supposed-orgasm-cult/ |website=Reason |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=19 February 2025}}</ref>
== "Orgasmic Meditation" == OneTaste marketed educational events (including "seminars, classes, lectures and discussion groups") centered on "orgasmic meditation" (OM).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mark: ORGASMIC MEDITATION |url=https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=85159647&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch |access-date=2026-02-17 |website=Trademark Status & Document Retrieval |publisher=USPTO}}</ref> In these events, a clothed and usually male "stroker" stimulates a female "strokee" by softly fingering the upper-left section of her clitoris for a timed 15 minutes.<ref name="Ramey Jan 2025" /> Prior to physical contact, the stroker describes the appearance of the strokee's vulva to her and puts on a lubricated glove.<ref name="Schwartz Oct 2016">{{cite magazine |last1=Schwartz |first1=Alexandra |title="Future Sex": Adventures in an Erotic Wonderland |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/17/future-sex-adventures-in-an-erotic-wonderland |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=10 May 2025 |date=10 October 2016}}</ref>
=== Origins === Daedone's former associates concede that "orgasmic meditation" was derived from "deliberate orgasm" (DO),<ref group=Notes>The term "deliberate orgasm" is trademarked for use in "audio, visual, and multi-media recordings featuring music, adult entertainment and information in the field of human sexuality". It was registered in 2009, but its first recorded use in commerce was 1996. {{As of|2026}} the trademark owner is The Welcomed Consensus, in the name of Wendy Testerman. See {{US trademark|77700305|US Serial Number: 77700305, "Deliberate Orgasm"}}</ref> a similar activity marketed by the Welcomed Consensus in videos.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mark: ORGASMIC MEDITATION |url=https://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=77700305&caseSearchType=US_APPLICATION&caseType=DEFAULT&searchType=statusSearch |access-date=2026-02-17 |website=Trademark Status & Document Retrieval |publisher=USPTO}}</ref> Daedone was previously a member of the group. Several women have attested to abusive practices by Welcomed Consensus and its leaders, including Daedone during her tenure.<ref name="Brown Apr 2021" /><ref name="Johnson Aug 2023">{{cite web |last1=Johnson |first1=Sydney |title=Is a San Francisco 'Sex Cult' Subjecting People to Abuse? |url=https://www.kqed.org/news/11958888/is-a-san-francisco-sex-cult-subjecting-people-to-sexual-abuse-onetaste-welcomed-consensus |website=KQED |access-date=10 May 2025 |language=en |date=28 August 2023}}</ref>
=== Science === Orgasmic Meditation (OM) has been the subject of a series of peer-reviewed studies examining its neurological, psychological, and relational effects. A 2021 study in PLOS ONE found that OM increased interpersonal closeness between partners, with a stronger effect observed among non-romantic dyads.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Prause |first1=Nicole |last2=Siegle |first2=Greg J. |last3=Coan |first3=James |title=Partner intimate touch is associated with increased interpersonal closeness, especially in non-romantic partners |journal=PLOS ONE |date=10 March 2021 |volume=16 |issue=3 |article-number=e0246065 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0246065 |doi-access=free |pmid=33690603 |pmc=7946224 |bibcode=2021PLoSO..1646065P }}</ref>
A separate 2021 fMRI study in Frontiers in Psychology found that OM produces a distinct pattern of brain activity resembling both meditation and sexual stimulation, with effects on heart-rate variability consistent with stress resilience.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Newberg |first1=Andrew B. |last2=Wintering |first2=Nancy A. |last3=Hriso |first3=Chloe |last4=Vedaei |first4=Faezeh |last5=Stoner |first5=Marie |last6=Ross |first6=Reneita |title=Alterations in Functional Connectivity Measured by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and the Relationship With Heart Rate Variability in Subjects After Performing Orgasmic Meditation: An Exploratory Study |journal=Frontiers in Psychology |date=11 November 2021 |volume=12 |article-number=708973 |doi=10.3389/fpsyg.2021.708973 |doi-access=free |pmid=34858249 |pmc=8631761 }}</ref>
A 2022 FDG-PET neuroimaging study found sustained alterations in the parietal lobe associated with OM practice, suggesting long-term changes in emotional regulation and prosocial behavior.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Newberg |first1=Andrew B. |last2=Wintering |first2=Nancy A. |last3=Hriso |first3=Chloe |last4=Vedaei |first4=Faezeh |last5=Mohamed |first5=Feroze B. |last6=Gottfried |first6=Sara E. |last7=Ross |first7=Reneita |title=Alterations in cerebral glucose metabolism measured by FDG PET in subjects performing a meditation practice based on clitoral stimulation |journal=F1000Research |date=21 December 2023 |volume=11 |page=1015 |doi=10.12688/f1000research.122351.2 |doi-access=free |pmid=39931656 |pmc=11809681 }}</ref>
Two 2022 studies published in F1000Research found that over 80% of practitioners perceive OM as a meditative rather than sexual activity,<ref name="Both partners practicing orgasmic m">{{cite journal |last1=Siegel |first1=Vivian |last2=Emmert-Aronson |first2=Benjamin |title=Both partners practicing orgasmic meditation report having a mystical-type experience: results using the Mystical Experience Questionnaire |journal=F1000Research |date=22 July 2021 |volume=10 |page=638 |doi=10.12688/f1000research.53496.1 |doi-access=free }}</ref> and that 62% of practitioners reported a complete mystical experience during the practice — a rate comparable to the second-highest dose of psilocybin in clinical trials, as measured by the Mystical Experience Questionnaire.<ref name="Both partners practicing orgasmic m"/>
A 2022 study in the International Journal of Psychophysiology found that OM produces intense positive affect while significantly reducing measures of anxiety and anger.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Siegle |first1=Greg J. |last2=Prause |first2=Nicole |title=Intense positive affect without arousal is possible: Subjective and physiological reactivity during a partnered sexual meditative experience |journal=International Journal of Psychophysiology |date=August 2022 |volume=178 |pages=99–107 |doi=10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.06.009 |pmid=35750269 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
A 2023 study in Sexual and Relationship Therapy found that individuals with a history of adverse childhood experiences reported higher arousal following OM, suggesting the structured container may provide a safe context for arousal in trauma survivors.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Griggs |first1=Caroline |last2=Regan |first2=Rachel |title=An analysis of practitioners Journaled experiences of Orgasmic Meditation (OM) |journal=Sexual and Relationship Therapy |date=3 July 2025 |volume=40 |issue=3 |pages=644–661 |doi=10.1080/14681994.2025.2507788 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
A Phase 1 clinical trial published in Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications in 2025 assessed OM as a meditation practice for individuals with PTSD, finding it safe and associated with a 47% reduction in PTSD symptom scores.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kriegman |first1=Daniel |last2=Pelletier |first2=Rachel |last3=Griggs |first3=Caroline |last4=Roth |first4=Caryn |title=Phase 1 clinical trial on Orgasmic Meditation (OM): Assessing safety and feasibility as a meditation practice for individuals with PTSD |journal=Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications |date=June 2025 |volume=45 |article-number=101451 |doi=10.1016/j.conctc.2025.101451 |pmid=40534836 |pmc=12175237 }}</ref>
=== Promotion === The company markets OM as a mindfulness practice in which both participants focus their attention on the sensation with the stated goal of developing "connective resonance" between themselves.<ref name="PleasurePrinciple2"/>
OneTaste materials are contradictory about the nature of OM: on the one hand, claiming it "shouldn't be considered a sex act" while encouraging the partners to use vulgar terms for the genitalia (e.g., "pussy" and "cock") to arouse the participants.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Huet |first=Ellen |title=Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |year=2025 |isbn=978-0-374-60419-6 |page=97 |type=Kindle}}</ref> OneTaste euphemistically called stroking and other forms of sexual contact "research", and referred to pairings (including assigned pairings of strangers) as "research partners".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Huet |first=Ellen |title=Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |year=2025 |isbn=978-0-374-60419-6 |page=121 |type=Kindle}}</ref>
According to testimony and evidence heard at the criminal trial of Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz, OneTaste's promotion of "orgasmic meditation" went the extent of it making it a compulsory activity by employees, particularly those in OneTaste communal homes. Victims reported that "Daedone and Cherwitz insisted that employees engage in these sex acts even if they found them disgusting; those who resisted were punished with negative employment consequences, shunning, sexual abuse and threats of physical violence, among other things."<ref name=":1" />
=== Related practices === OneTaste also promoted "male OMing", which involves a woman performing a 15-minute handjob on a man.<ref name="Nerkar-2025">{{Cite news |last=Nerkar |first=Santul |date=2025-06-09 |title=Leaders of 'Orgasmic Meditation' Group Are Convicted of Coercion Charges |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/09/nyregion/onetaste-orgasmic-meditation-verdict.html |access-date=2025-06-10 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Pullano |first1=Nina |title=Sex cult lawyer: 'Being mean is not a crime' |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/sex-cult-lawyer-being-mean-is-not-a-crime/ |website=Courthouse News Service |access-date=10 June 2025 |date=4 June 2025}}</ref> According to criminal court case records "men willing to pay for certain courses, typically taught by Daedone, Cherwitz, or other OneTaste leaders, could expect to have their penises stroked or their prostates massaged, or otherwise engage in OM, often by female OneTaste workers."<ref name=":1" />
== Controversies == Several journalists have compared OneTaste to a cult and pyramid scheme.<ref name="PleasurePrinciple2"/><ref name="GT Weekly">{{cite news |first=J. D. |last=Ramey |url=http://www.gtweekly.com/index.php/santa-cruz-blogs-commentary/88-culture-beat/5208-the-big-om.html | title=The Big OM |work=Good Times | date=November 14, 2013 | access-date=13 May 2015}}</ref><ref name="The Frisky">{{cite web |first=Lana |last=Vrzic |date=January 26, 2020 |title=7 Things To Know About Orgasmic Meditation |url=http://www.thefrisky.com/2013-10-17/7-things-to-know-about-orgasmic-meditation/ |work=The Frisky | access-date=13 May 2015}}</ref>
=== Testimonials about orgasmic meditation benefits === thumb|Portrait of Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, a former OneTaste student turned critic. A 2013 article in ''The Tyee'' used quotes from Dr. Pooja Lakshmin, a Stanford University-educated psychiatrist and resident of a OneTaste communal house, attesting to medical studies on the benefits of orgasmic meditation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Tyee — In Praise of Slow Sex |url=https://thetyee.ca/Life/2013/05/25/In-Praise-of-Slow-Sex/print.html |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=thetyee.ca}}</ref> Dr. Lakshmin has since said that her medical background was used to give an air of legitimacy to the group while she was kept ignorant of the inner workings of OneTaste. She left after two years with the group and publicly repudiated her statements of support for the group, which she calls a cult.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lakshmin |first=Pooja |date=2023-03-22 |title=After the Orgasmic Meditation Commune, I Had to Fix My Warped Thinking About Wellness |url=https://lithub.com/after-the-orgasmic-meditation-commune-i-had-to-fix-my-warped-thinking-about-wellness/ |access-date=2026-02-22 |website=Literary Hub |language=en}}</ref>
=== Accusations of coercive control === Ellen Huet, gathering accounts of OneTaste's history, found Nicole Daedone and members of the organization as embracing the label of "cult" through its early years. She insisted on banning the term in OneTaste circles once members began living communally (first in a OneTaste center and then out of a converted warehouse in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood). In these communal spaces, residents were encouraged by Daedone to stroke one another and have communal sex with other residents and with prospective recruits.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Huet |first=Ellen |title=Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |year=2025 |pages=63, 66, 85, 89, 117 |type=Kindle}}</ref>
In a 2009 ''New York Times'' interview, Daedone insisted she does not aspire to guru status, while acknowledging that "there's a high potential for this to be a cult." The ''Times'' noted "Daedone, is a polarizing personality, whom admirers venerate as a sex diva, although some former members say she has cult like powers over her followers... Much of the community's tone revolves around Ms. Daedone, a woman of considerable charm, although detractors regard her as a master manipulator."<ref name="PleasurePrinciple2"/>
Following the ''New York Times'' article, accusations of OneTaste as cultlike ran in several media, including ''GoodTimes Weekly,'' ''Vice'', Salon.com and ''Playboy''.<ref name="GT Weekly" /><ref>{{Cite news |author=Vice staff |date=2013-10-29 |title=Orgasmic Meditation Is a Whole New Way to Stroke Pussy |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/apparently-orgasmic-meditation-will-awaken-your-vagina/ |access-date=2017-10-10 |work=Vice |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Gummow |first=Jodie |title=The sexy new fad for mindful living: Orgasmic meditation |url=https://www.salon.com/2014/03/26/orgasmic_meditation_the_latest_craze_for_a_holistic_sexual_awakening_partner/ |access-date=2017-10-10 |magazine=Salon |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Phetasy |first=Bridget |date=2017-03-24 |title=The Cost of Healing: What Everyone Ignores About Orgasmic Meditation |url=http://www.playboy.com/articles/orgasmic-meditation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180110192708/http://www.playboy.com/articles/orgasmic-meditation |archive-date=January 10, 2018 |access-date=2018-01-15 |work=Playboy}}</ref>
=== Business model and practices === Several media profiles have highlighted OneTaste's questionable business practices.
A 2016 episode of the podcast Love + Radio is dedicated to the experience of a woman who had increasingly fraught relations with OneTaste.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://loveandradio.org/2016/10/upper-left/|title=Upper Left {{!}} Love + Radio {{!}} Listen with headphones on|website=loveandradio.org|language=en-US|access-date=2017-10-10}}</ref> ''The Cut'' suggested that it may be a pyramid scheme.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|last=Stoeffel|first=Kat|date=October 16, 2013|url=https://www.thecut.com/2013/10/techies-predictably-love-orgasmic-meditation.html|title=Techies Predictably Eat Up Orgasmic Meditation Lifestyle|work=The Cut|access-date=2017-10-10|language=en}}</ref> The Frisky described OneTaste as "Landmark Forum for the clitoris."<ref name="The Frisky" /> A ''Refinery29'' article cited the organization's "potentially aggressive sales tactics."<ref>{{Cite news|first=Laura |last=Barcella |date=March 1, 2014|url=http://www.refinery29.com/2014/03/63548/meditation-cult#page-5|title=The Strange Truth About Orgasmic Meditation|work=Refinery29|access-date=2017-10-10|language=en}}</ref> ''Playboy Magazine'' compared OneTaste to Scientology and Landmark Forum, saying it had a "pyramidal pricing structure". A week-long training with Nicole Daedone was advertised at $36,000.<ref name=":0" />
The book ''Sensation'' by Isabel Losada ends with a "Warning" about "'hard sell' techniques... 'One Taste' (like many businesses) offer a wide range of courses which are outside the price range of most bank accounts. I'll say it again. Please don't spend money that you don't have."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Sensation: adventures in sex, love and laughter|first=Isabel|last=Losada|year=2017|isbn=978-1-78678-093-5|location=London, UK|publisher=Watkins Media|page=313|oclc=970027456}}</ref>
A 2018 profile in Bloomberg OneTaste suggested exploitative practices, including pressure to spend heavily and go into debt. OneTaste teaches their members that money is just an emotional obstacle. The Bloomberg article was critical of how the company treated its employees and consultants, often pressuring them to take expensive courses, programs, and retreats that drove them into debt.<ref name="Huet Jun 2018" />
=== Human trafficking and sexual abuse === In November 2020, BBC Radio 4 released a 10-part investigative podcast entitled ''The Orgasm Cult'' that spoke to former workers of the company, detailing allegations of emotional, financial and sexual abuse.<ref name="BBC 2020" /> At a criminal trial similar testimony including several employees reported enduring "orgasmic meditation" stroking under duress. Victims testified to psychological and physiological harms, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="BBC 2020" />
The podcast also spoke to experts about how OneTaste (and the broader unregulated wellness industry) takes advantage of the medical establishment's dismissal of women's health concerns.<ref name="BBC 2020">{{cite web |title=The Orgasm Cult |website=BBC |date=2020-12-16 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08xzk5h/episodes/player |access-date=2021-09-11}}</ref>
=== Charity self-dealing === According to author Ellen Huet, Daedone brought to OneTaste a tactic from the Welcomed Consensus: using nonprofits for self-serving purposes. Huet describes Daedone and associates founding the organization Fill Up America, ostensibly to collect excess food and clothing from businesses in San Francisco to distribute to the poor. Volunteers told Huet that Daedone and her friends kept prime goods for themselves and used them to subsidize OneTaste's communal houses.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Huet|first=Ellen|title=Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult|publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux|year=2025|isbn=978-0-374-60419-6|pages=Chapter 3, Notes on Sources|type=Kindle}}</ref>
Internal Revenue Service records indicate that Fill Up America organization obtained tax-exempt status and employer identification number (EIN) in 2002.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unconditional Freedom - Nonprofit Explorer |url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/912158747 |website=ProPublica |access-date=2026-02-17 |language=en |date=2013-05-09|last=Roberts|first=Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon}}</ref> Copies of Form 990 records hosted by ProPublica indicate Fill Up America changed names several times since: in the 2013 tax year its name changed to "OneTaste Foundation"; its website (listed on tax records) featured OneTaste curriculum on orgasm and Orgasmic Meditation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unconditional Freedom Form 990 for period ending December 2013|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/912158747/2016_09_EO%2F91-2158747_990_201312|website=ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Reconciliation and Orgasm {{!}} The OneTaste Foundation|url=http://onetastefoundation.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502073456/http://onetastefoundation.org/|archive-date=2015-05-02|access-date=2026-02-17|website=onetastefoundation.org|language=en-US}}</ref> In its 2019 filing the name was listed as "Love to Table"; its website did not list a connection to OneTaste.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unconditional Freedom Form 990 for period ending December|url=https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/912158747/download990pdf_03_2022_prefixes_86-95%2F912158747_201912_990_2022032119802022|website=ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Love To Table|url=https://www.lovetotable.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001191935/https://www.lovetotable.org/|archive-date=2020-10-01|access-date=2026-02-17|website=Love To Table|language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Netflix documentary and SLAPP suit === A Netflix documentary film about OneTaste and its controversies, ''Orgasm Inc: The Story of OneTaste'', was released on November 5, 2022. Prior to the release, fourteen former OneTaste members filed a lawsuit against Netflix, seeking a temporary restraining order and the removal of sexually explicit imagery that was allegedly "misappropriated" by a former OneTaste employee.<ref name="nbc-2nov2022">{{cite news |last1=Stelloh |first1=Tim |title=Lawsuit asks Netflix to release documentary 'Orgasm Inc.' without 'misappropriated' sexually explicit material |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/lawsuit-asks-netflix-release-film-orgasmic-meditation-misappropriated-rcna55379 |access-date=November 4, 2022 |work=NBC News |date=November 2, 2022}}</ref> Their request was denied by a Los Angeles judge.<ref name="nbc-4nov2022">{{cite news |last1=Stelloh |first1=Tim |title=Judge denies request to block sexually explicit images in Netflix documentary about 'orgasmic meditation' |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-denies-request-block-sexually-explicit-images-netflix-documentar-rcna55793 |access-date=November 6, 2022 |work=NBC News |date=November 4, 2022}}</ref>
According to ''The Daily Beast'', a former OneTaste employee stated that the lawsuit was "a last-ditch effort by OneTaste to protect its reputation" and "may be nothing more than an attempt to silence its victims, some of whom have accused the company of functioning like a cult".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-03 |title=Former OneTaste Staffer Says Netflix Lawsuit Is an Attempt to Silence Victims |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/former-onetaste-teacher-slams-lawsuit-attempting-to-stop-release-of-netflix-documentary-orgasm-inc/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=The Daily Beast |language=en}}</ref> The plaintiffs withdrew their lawsuit after the documentary was released with their faces obscured.<ref name="Manno Nov 2022">{{cite web |last1=Manno |first1=Adam |title=Ex-OneTaste Members Drop Lawsuit Against Netflix Over 'Orgasm Inc' Documentary |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/ex-onetaste-members-drop-lawsuit-against-netflix-over-orgasm-inc-documentary/ |website=The Daily Beast |access-date=10 May 2025 |language=en |date=7 November 2022}}</ref>
The lawsuit saw Netflix win a motion under California's anti-SLAPP law to force OneTaste to pay the costs of defending the suit.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Service |first=City News |title=Judge Grants Netflix More Than $250K in Attorneys' Fees {{!}} KFI AM 640 |url=https://kfiam640.iheart.com/featured/la-local-news/content/2024-09-05-judge-grants-netflix-more-than-250k-in-attorneys-fees/ |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=LA Local News |language=en}}</ref>
== Federal investigation and litigation ==
In 2015, OneTaste paid a former employee a six-figure settlement for enduring sexual assault, harassment, and labor law violations. The settlement was confidential until the 2018 ''Bloomberg'' report.<ref name="Huet Jun 2018" /> The report prompted a Federal Bureau of Investigation probe into OneTaste for prostitution, sex trafficking, and violations of labor law.<ref name="Harrison Nov 2022" /><ref name="FBI">{{Cite news|first=Ellen|last=Huet|date=November 13, 2018|title=FBI Is Probing OneTaste, a Sexuality Wellness Company|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-13/fbi-is-probing-onetaste-a-sexuality-wellness-company|access-date=2021-04-24}}</ref>
=== ''United States v. Cherwitz'' === thumb|Rachel Cherwitz (also known as Rachel Pelletier), the Head of Sales for OneTaste from 2009 to 2018; co-defendant in the ''United States v. Cherwitz'' case. In June 2023, a grand jury indicted Daedone and former head of sales Rachel Cherwitz on charges of forced labor conspiracy.<ref name="guard-6jun2023">{{cite news |title=US founder of 'orgasmic meditation' startup indicted on forced labor charges |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/jun/06/onetaste-nicole-daedone-sex-abuse-cult-charged |access-date=June 6, 2023 |work=The Guardian |date=June 6, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Peltz |first=Jennifer |date=2023-06-13 |title=Founder, ex-executive of edgy sexual wellness company OneTaste charged with forced labor conspiracy |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/founder-executive-edgy-sexual-wellness-company-onetaste-charged-99882895 |access-date=2023-06-13 |website=ABC News |language=en}}</ref>
==== Media campaign ==== The ''New York Times'' noted that Daedone hired crisis communications specialist Juda Engelmayer, who has previously worked for convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein. The article noted that Engelmayer and Daedone's defense team, "were cheerful, as if there were no greater privilege than being paid handsomely to wage war against people they see as woke and whiny."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bernstein|first=Jacob|date=2025-06-03|title=The Perks of Being Harvey Weinstein's Publicist|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/style/harvey-weinstein-pr-juda-engelmayer.html|access-date=2025-06-10|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
A report by Vanity Fair found that Engelmayer "reached out" to Frank Parlato Jr., a blogger who ran articles attacking OneTaste as a cult. Following this contact, Parlato's blog changed to defend OneTaste and Daedone while disparaging prosecutors, witnesses, and presiding Judge Diane Gujarati.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frank Parlato {{!}} 05-11-25|url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/frank-parlato-05-11-25/id1731418510?i=1000708039924|access-date=2026-02-16|website=Apple Podcasts|publisher=The Roger Stone Show|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite magazine |last=Adler|first=Dan|date=2025-05-09|title=How an Orgasmic Meditation Group Sparked a Troubled Federal Case|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/style/story/onetaste-orgasmic-meditation-federal-case|access-date=2026-02-16|magazine=Vanity Fair|language=en-US}}</ref> According to Ellen Huet, Parlato's articles during the course of the trial called the witnesses "stupid," "cowardly," "crybabies," "liars," "regretful narcissists," "losers," and "imbeciles," and mocked one accuser's weight in an article accompanied by photos of her clad in a bikini.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Huet|first=Ellen|author-link=Ellen Huet|title=Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult|publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux|year=2025|isbn=978-0-374-60419-6|pages=374–375|language=en-US|type=Kindle}}</ref>
A OneTaste member and publicist Marcus Ratnathicam, speaking with the New York Times, said that the organization had "reached out to everyone" but found a particularly receptive audience among right-wing and libertarian media outlets and influencers including Reason.com, Darren Beattie, Roger Stone, and Matt Gaetz. Ratnathicam was later excoriated by the presiding judge for "making faces" at trial witnesses seeking to intimidate them.<ref name=":7">{{Cite news |last=Nerkar|first=Santul|date=2025-07-06|title=In 'Orgasmic Meditation' Case, Did a Zealous Media Strategy Backfire?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/06/nyregion/onetaste-orgasmic-meditation-publicity.html|access-date=2026-02-16|work=The New York Times|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
==== Pretrial motions ==== In the pretrial phase, the defense claimed that FBI Special Agent Elliot McGinnis, who reportedly led the investigation for five years, undermined the case's integrity by advising witnesses to destroy evidence, mishandling privileged materials, and presenting misleading information in sworn affidavits.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FBI Told OneTaste Witness To Delete Evidence, Ex-Execs Say - Law360 |url=https://www.law360.com/articles/1847031/fbi-told-onetaste-witness-to-delete-evidence-ex-execs-say |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=www.law360.com |language=en}}</ref> However, presiding Judge Diane Gujarati denied a motion to dismiss, ruling that the defense had not sufficiently demonstrated bad faith or that these issues prejudiced the prosecution's case, but did push back the trial, initially scheduled for January 13, 2025 to May 5.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |last2= |last3= |first3= |title=OneTaste Execs Say Former Member's Journals Fabricated - Law360 Pulse |url=https://www.law360.com/pulse/articles/2268316 |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=www.law360.com |language=en}}</ref>
On March 17, 2025, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York announced that they would not use a key witness's journals in the case. The witness had falsely presented them as written about the time she was a OneTaste member, but instead had "physically copied the relevant portion of the Handwritten Journals after typing the Typewritten Journals".<ref name="Jones 2025">{{cite magazine |last=Jones |first=CT |title=DOJ Won't Use Journal Evidence in 'Orgasm Cult' Case |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=2025-03-17 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/orgasm-cult-onetaste-lawsuit-trafficking-allegations-1235298246/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-03-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Barrett |first=Devlin |date=2025-04-04 |title=Key Evidence Thrown Out in Jolt to 'Orgasmic Meditation' Conspiracy Case |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/04/nyregion/one-taste-orgasmic-meditation-evidence.html |access-date=2025-04-07 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
Prosecutors noted that before the trial, someone leaked discovery materials under a protective order to an attorney associated with OneTaste (but not the criminal trial), who subsequently referenced those materials in a threatening letter to a supervising Assistant U.S. Attorney.<ref name=":1" />
==== Trial ==== Allegations against the leaders of OneTaste at trial are recapitulated in a government sentencing memorandum. <blockquote> [H]einous acts of manipulation, coercion and exploitation that Daedone or her co-conspirators committed were the following:
* directing victims to serve as "handlers" for OneTaste's main investor, Reese Jones, including cooking for him, sexually servicing him each day and performing other labor; * coercing victims to allow OneTaste clients and prospective customers to stroke their clitorises; * compelling victims to stroke OneTaste clients and prospective customers' penises, and to have sex with them; * directing that victims incur massive debt to pay for OneTaste courses and to continue to remain part of the OneTaste community; and * directing victims to work around-the-clock – including menial and sexual labor – for little or no pay.
The victims performed these acts, and others, out of fear of serious harm, including physical, psychological and financial harm. Indeed, those who resisted were punished with negative employment consequences, shunning, sexual abuse and threats of physical violence, among other things. Nearly every trial witness described how Daedone and her coconspirators engaged in a campaign of indoctrination, grooming, isolation, manipulation, use of past trauma, monitoring, public shaming, relationship disruption, sexual abuse, physical exhaustion and financial harm to force their victims' labor.<ref name=":1">{{Cite Pacer|plaintiff=United States of America|defendant=Cherwitz|case-title=United States of America v. Cherwitz|title=The Government's Sentencing Memorandum as to Defendant Nicole Daedone|doc-number=482|date=2025-12-10|pacer-number=495225|case-state=NY|case-district=ED|case-division=1|case-year=2023|case-type=cr|case-sequence=00146|access-date=2026-02-17}}{{source-attribution}}</ref></blockquote>
The trial started on May 5, 2025. During the trial, former CTO Christopher Hubbard described OneTaste as a "sex cult", and stated that he and Daedone arranged BDSM activities for entrepreneur Reese Jones of Singularity University, involving Jones "either giving or receiving some form of sexual activity" with OneTaste members.<ref name="Pullano 13 May 2025-2"/> The government notes that from 2007 and through 2011, Jones invested at least $800,000 in the company, and also subsidized Daedone's lifestyle.<ref name=":1" />
A video entered into evidence suggested Daedone and OneTaste were indifferent as to consent, as Daedone claimed that rape could be "deflected" if the victim would "turn on 100 percent, because then there is nothing to rape."<ref name="Nerkar-2025" />
A victim testified about an incident in which Cherwitz ordered her to undergo stroking by a third party in an orgasmic meditation demonstration witnessed by others. The victim testified to reluctantly agreeing to the third party's touching, but that Cherwitz herself then forcibly touched her without consent. When she did not provide an aroused response, Cherwitz berated and ridiculed the victim, calling her a "virus" infecting everyone with her bad ideas.<ref name=":6">{{Cite Pacer|plaintiff=United States of America|defendant=Cherwitz|title=THE GOVERNMENT'S SENTENCING MEMORANDUM|doc-number=478|date=2025-12-10|pacer-number=495223|use-recap=yes|case-state=NY|case-district=ED|case-division=1|case-year=2023|case-type=CR|case-sequence=00146|access-date=2026-02-26}}</ref>
Several women who worked for OneTaste testified against Daedone and Cherwitz described instances of uncompensated and forced labor ranging from sex work with investors to menial domestic work including cooking and cleaning.<ref name="Nerkar-2025" /> Other work described as uncompensated and forced included "administrative and personal services; sales, marketing, pitching and recruitment work; video and website production; the operation of certain OneTaste locations; and the performance of physical labor to maintain OneTaste's properties."<ref name=":1" />
==== Verdict ==== On June 9, 2025, the jury in the case found Daedone and Cherwitz guilty on federal forced labor charges.<ref name="Marcelo-2025">{{cite web |last1=Marcelo |first1=Philip |title=Leaders of 'orgasmic meditation' women's wellness company OneTaste convicted in forced labor trial |url=https://apnews.com/article/onetaste-sexual-wellness-executives-charged-forced-labor-711e616bd53d85db2001fea17ec43e17 |website=Associated Press |access-date=10 June 2025 |language=en |date=9 June 2025}}</ref>
Announcing the verdict, the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella, Jr. said, "The jury's verdict has unmasked Daedone and Cherwitz for who they truly are: grifters who preyed on vulnerable victims by making empty promises of sexual empowerment and wellness only to manipulate them into performing labor and services for the defendants' benefit."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-06-09 |title=Founder of Sexual Wellness Company "OneTaste" and Former Head of Sales Convicted of Forced Labor Conspiracy |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/founder-sexual-wellness-company-onetaste-and-former-head-sales-convicted-forced-labor |access-date=2025-07-01 |website=www.justice.gov |publisher=United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York |language=en-US}}</ref>
Lawyers for Daedone and Cherwitz told NPR that they intended to appeal the verdict to the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Publicist Juda Engelmayer says the verdict "crosses a dangerous line — criminalizing freedom of religion, assembly, expression, and speech."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wise |first=Alana |date=2025-06-12 |title=Leaders of 'orgasmic meditation' company were convicted of forced labor: What to know |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/06/11/nx-s1-5429181/orgasmic-meditation-sexual-womens-wellness-forced-labor-conviction |access-date=2025-06-28 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref>
Following the verdict, Judge Gujarati ordered Daedone and Cherwitz remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service citing "witness intimidation" activities of OneTaste publicist Juda Engelmayer and OneTaste member Marcus Ratnathicam.<ref>{{Cite web |title=United States v. Cherwitz, 1:23-cr-00146 - CourtListener.com |url=https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/67480489/united-states-v-cherwitz/ |access-date=2025-06-21 |website=CourtListener |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=OneTaste Leaders In Custody Over Forced Labor Conspiracy |url=https://www.law360.com/employment-authority/articles/2352264/onetaste-leaders-in-custody-over-forced-labor-conspiracy |access-date=2025-06-17 |website=www.law360.com}}</ref><ref name=":7" /> Prosecutors noted that "an agent of the defendants' made threatening comments in the press, including writing an article that bore a swastika over the Department of Justice seal."<ref name=":1" />
==== Sentencing ==== Forced labor conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.<ref name="Marcelo-2025" /> In December 2025 sentencing memoranda, prosecutors requested a 20-year sentence for Daedone, and a 14-year sentence for Cherwitz.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6" />
In an asset forfeiture motion, prosecutors argued that $12 million Nicole Daedone raised through the 2017 sale of her stake in OneTaste were proceeds of the criminal forced labor conspiracy, as were funds held in Daedone and Cherwitz's seized bank accounts. Judge Gujarati granted the motion on March 18, 2026.<ref name="Ramey Jan 2025" /><ref>{{Cite Pacer|plaintiff=United States|defendant=Rachel Cherwitz|title=Order on Motion for Forfeiture of Property|doc-number=504|date=2026-03-18|pacer-number=495224|use-recap=yes|case-state=NY|case-district=ED|case-division=1|case-year=2023|case-type=CR|case-sequence=00146|access-date=2026-03-19}}</ref><ref name=SFC_2026-03-30 >{{ cite news | url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/onetaste-orgasmic-meditation-founder-22161236.php | title=Founder of San Francisco 'orgasmic meditation' company sentenced to 9 years in prison | last=Vaziri | first=Aiden | newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle | date=2026-03-30 | quote=The founder of a San Francisco company that built a national following around "orgasmic meditation" was sentenced Monday to nine years in federal prison, after a jury convicted her last year in a forced labor conspiracy case. Nicole Daedone, 58, the founder of OneTaste, was also ordered to forfeit $12 million. Seven victims were awarded about $890,000 in restitution, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York said. }}</ref>
On March 30, 2026 Judge Gujarati sentenced Daedone to 9 years imprisonment and Cherwitz to over 6 years. At the sentencing hearing, Judge Gujarati said that Daedone "does not appear to be remorseful".<ref name=":92"/><ref name=":102">{{Cite web |title=United States District Court Eastern District of New York Judge GUJARATI, DIANE Monday, March 30, 2026 Courtroom 4D S|url=https://www.nyed.uscourts.gov/cal/calPDF.cfm?prid=6237847|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260329141525/https://www.nyed.uscourts.gov/cal/calPDF.cfm?prid=6237847|archive-date=2026-03-29|access-date=2026-03-29|website=www.nyed.uscourts.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-30 |title=Glamorous leader of 'orgasm cult' OneTaste learns fate for grooming employees to have sex with clients |url=https://nypost.com/2026/03/30/us-news/glamorous-leader-of-orgasm-cult-onetaste-learns-fate-for-grooming-employees-to-have-sex-with-clients/ |access-date=2026-03-30 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-30 |title=Onetaste Founder Nicole Daedone Sentenced to Nine Years in Prison for Forced Labor Conspiracy |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/onetaste-founder-nicole-daedone-sentenced-nine-years-prison-forced-labor-conspiracy |access-date=2026-03-31 |website=www.justice.gov}}</ref>
{{As of|2026|03}} Daedone and Cherwitz are held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn while awaiting their permanent assignment. The Federal Bureau of Prisons lists Cherwitz as inmate register number 62735-510 and Daedone as inmate register number 63699-510.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inmate Locator |url=https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/ |access-date=2025-06-12 |website=www.bop.gov}}</ref>
==== Pursuit of executive clemency ==== In remarks to the ''New York Times'', Daedone's lawyer Jennifer Bonjean has stated that she would "exhaust all avenues to get my client released" and "would of course be hopeful the [Trump] administration would look at the case."<ref name=":7" /> Ellen Huet wrote that Daedone befriended prison activist Topeka Sam, an activist with ties to White House "pardon czar" Alice Marie Johnson.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Huet |first=Ellen |author-link=Ellen Huet |title=Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult |publisher=Farrar, Straus and Giroux |year=2025 |isbn=978-0-374-60419-6 |pages=Epilogue |language=en-US |type=Kindle}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Banikarim |first=Susie |date=2025-03-31 |title=Secret Svengali Behind Trump's Most Bizarre Pardon Yet Revealed |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/secret-svengali-behind-trump-most-235827552.html |access-date=2026-03-01 |website=Yahoo News |publisher=Daily Beast |language=en-US}}</ref>
Attorney Alan Dershowitz told NBC News that he is lobbying the Trump administration to pardon the convicted OneTaste leaders.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-03-18 |title=Alan Dershowitz plans to seek Trump pardon for 'orgasmic meditation' leaders awaiting federal sentencing |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/alan-dershowitz-plans-seek-trump-pardon-orgasmic-meditation-leaders-aw-rcna264104 |access-date=2026-03-19 |website=NBC News |language=en}}</ref>
== Continuing promotion of orgasmic meditation == {{As of|2026|03}} OneTaste (using the names "Eros Platform" and "Team Nicole") continues to hold events promoting orgasmic meditation with the image and likeness of Nicole Daedone and Rachel Cherwitz using social media, virtual reality headsets, computer-generated imagery and large language model text generation. One such event was a dinner promoted on Reason.com with tickets distributed by Eventbrite, featuring an avatar of Daedone. Others on the bill were Reason editor Elizabeth Nolan Brown, activist Topeka Sam and Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Vivian Siegel.<ref name="Brown"/><ref name="Zucker"/><ref name="eventbrite.com"/><ref name="Daedone"/><ref name=":83"/>
The ''New York Times'' described the event as "emblematic of the nonstop campaign by Ms. Daedone, OneTaste and her fervent fans to burnish her image as a martyr for women's liberation." As part of the event, attendees were encouraged to donate to fund more dinners. Organizers gave donors of $100 Daedone's latest book as a premium. According to the Times article, the book's draft text was sent to followers "through the email system monitored by the Federal Bureau of Prisons".<ref name=":83"/> Bureau of Prisons policy describes prisoners' use of the Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System (TRULINCS) - Electronic Messaging system as a "privilege" that may be revoked.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-02-19|title=Trust Fund Limited Inmate Computer System (TRULINCS) - Electronic Messaging|url=https://www.bop.gov/policy/progstat/5265_013.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250422061923/https://www.bop.gov/policy/progstat/5265_013.pdf|archive-date=2025-04-22|website=Federal Bureau of Prisons}}</ref>
==See also== {{columns-list| * {{annotated link|Neotantra}} * {{annotated link|One taste}} * {{annotated link|Sex cult}} }}
== Notes == {{Reflist|group=Notes}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website}} * {{cite web |last=Aggeler |first=Madeleine |title=What to know about the controversial practice of 'orgasmic meditation' |website=The Guardian |date=2026-04-03 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2026/apr/03/what-is-orgasmic-meditation |access-date=2026-04-03}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onetaste}} Category:Female masturbation Category:Human sexuality organizations Category:Sex industry in the United States Category:Sexual misconduct allegations Category:Slow movement