Bay Area singles swipe left on apps as speed dating makes comeback
SAN FRANCISCO -- In the fast-paced world of swipes and likes, Bonne Rust is giving her thumbs a break and embracing a hands-on approach to dating.
"It's been really hard to find love," she said.
A Pilates instructor, Rust became a widow more than a decade ago. In the years since, she's tried dating apps with little success.
"It's tiresome and exhausting and makes you less hopeful and you kind of give up," she explained.
But instead of giving up, she decided to give in — and joined a tantra speed dating event in San Francisco.
Tantra speed dating aims to go beyond the usual superficial interactions. There are no candle-lit tables here but the premise is pretty much the same. Women are positioned in an inner circle, while the men stand in the outer circle.
Instead of brief conversations, participants engage in exercises designed to form meaningful connections.
At the end of each encounter, women place a bead into the pouch the men wear around their necks, if they're interested. To avoid the sting of rejection, the men are asked to close their eyes during the bead ceremony.
This is just one of many rapid-romance events enjoying a comeback these days. According to ticket platform Eventbrite, speed dating has surged 63% compared to last year.
Deborah Oppenheim, the host and lead facilitator at Tantra Speed Date San Francisco, said the resurgence is a reaction to people's growing dissatisfaction with dating apps.
"How often have you had the experience where you've got a list and then you show up in person and you're like, 'ooh this doesn't feel good.' And that's what the advantage of in-person gives us, it gives us the opportunity to feel what it's like to be in someone's presence," Oppenheim told CBS News Bay Area.
In the end, Rust handed out five beads. And while she's not sure any of the men will turn out to be Mr. Right, she came out feeling optimistic.
"I think this has helped me let go of the awkwardness in meeting people and have more confidence in my presence when talking to someone new," she said.
