Surrogate partners and sexological bodyworkers explained as Virgin Island introduces BDSM coach

Virgin Island has returned for a second season, as 12 participants head to a luxury retreat for a ‘hands-on’ course in intimacy.

Working with Sexological Bodyworkers and Surrogate Partners as well as a Clinical Therapist, the adult virgins are facing their issues and anxieties head-on.

This year, there’s the likes of Joy, whose vaginismus means she’s been unable to have sex as well as Alex, who struggles with getting an erection.

And as well as the aforementioned experts, this year they’ll also be getting help from a BDSM Coach, Shelby Devlin.

While much about Virgin Island may seem shocking, it provides ‘genuine help’ for the participants, who have already rubbished allegations the experts ‘groom’ them.

But as the season kicks off again after a successful first year, some confusion continues over just what the different roles of those people helping them on the Channel 4 show are.

BDSM Coach

Said to appear in the show for a short time part way through, Shelby is credited as a BDSM coach, kink expert and sex educator with 15 years’ experience.

The 39-year-old, based in San Francisco, holds a master’s degree in Sexuality Studies, is certified in the Somatica Method and is a Certified Massage Therapist.

The coach admitted she was surprised at ‘how quickly’ she became ‘attached’ to the participants.

“From my very first workshop, I felt an immediate connection to both the individual participants and to the group dynamic as a whole,” she said. “It felt like falling in love at first sight.”

Shelby is proud of the work she did on Virgin Island as she added that she made a ‘meaningful impact’.

“I’m especially mindful of how difficult it can be for people who feel disconnected from

their pleasure, who carry shame around their desires, or who struggle to accept

themselves-particularly those with queer and kinky identities,” she said.

The details of Shelby’s work are under wraps for now, but we know lead experts, Dr Danielle Harel and Celeste Hirschmann have promised the concept of ‘Core Desires’ to embrace and explore ‘their specific turn-ons’.

Shelby joins as the island's BDSM coach. (Channel 4)

Sexological bodyworkers

Celeste previously explained to LADbible that these experts help people ‘with getting more into connection and pleasure in their own body’ as well as lowering ‘shame’ and helping them feel ‘more sense of embodied pleasure’. On Virgin Island, Aisha Paris-Smith, Ilil Lunkry and Jason King work with the participants in this role.

She added: “The boundaries [of a Sexological Bodyworker] are that their clients can potentially be naked on a table. They can receive touch, but it's one way touch. So, the practitioner touches the client, and the client can be naked, but the client doesn't touch the practitioner back.”

While Surrogates may be more of the ‘two-way touch’, Sexological Bodyworkers ‘are doing a little bit more of the work around the functional, and kind of sensation-based expansion of pleasure in the body’.

Celeste and Danielle also get hands-on with the participants. (Channel 4)

Surrogate Partner Therapists

So, this lot are somewhat more physically involved than the Bodyworkers.

This season, Kate Slade and Andre Lazarus return as therapists as well as Risdon Roberts.

Using the Somatica method, the Surrogates ‘can be naked’ as well as the participants. And yes, that means, within the boundaries, they can ‘have full sex with a client’.

“They have a pretty structured protocol that they need to go through, that they have found is most helpful to people who are learning, and may end up having a full sexual experience with a client,” Celeste explained. “So there's a very, structured, systematic approach in that way.”

Danielle and Celeste also do the ‘two-way touch’ associated with the Surrogacy as they teach them ‘seduction, escalation, intimate connection, communication’ as ‘everybody has their own rules’.

Kate said it ‘feels great to come back’ as Andre said it felt ‘like a natural yes’.

“Virgin Island felt like meaningful work that was actually helping people overcome their intimate challenges. I knew we could go further and deeper in season 2,” he explained.

Virgin Island continues on Monday 19 May at 9pm and is available to stream on Channel 4.