You just had a 16 hour day on set, and you consider yourself lucky to have been part of a great production! However, your body has reminded you that it just spent 16 HOURS on its feet, which are tired, and your neck is fighting off a crick, and your low back is feeling a little tight, and good god, does a massage sound good right now.
A massage? Where the heck can you get one and know that you’ve spent the right time and money on taking care of yourself? Heck, is it even worth it? YES, YES IT IS.
Dear Reader, I’m making it my mission to tell you where to you can get a massage in this town. What makes me so damned special? When I’m not keeping up with my world of acting, I work as a massage therapist and I have done so for 9 years. I’ve worked in offices, spas, and even Renaissance Faires. I can tell you a thing or two about massage therapy. My hope is to get you excited about massage and to help you find a place where not only can you feel pampered, but you can feel like you’re taking care of yourself.
Ready to learn about massage therapy in Los Angeles?
I would like to introduce you to the Oasis Healing Center in Mar Vista, and to a very special massage therapist by the name of Yvonne Larson and her business, Absolute Vital Care Bodyworks. The Oasis Healing Center is home to many a massage therapist, chiropractor, acupuncturist, and others, all focused on clients who want to heal themselves.
Yvonne has been a massage therapist for about 20 years, and what makes her different, is that she is focused on customizing a massage for you. When I say, customizing, I really mean, customizing. Many a time, you can come into a massage, get a full hour on your whole body, which is lovely, but maybe you still wish you had more time on your neck. Yvonne’s practice is all about finding out what you need. She has three types of massage she can offer, the 30 minute Spot Treatment, the 60 minute Zone Massage, and the 90 minute Full Body Massage.
When you go to her website, you’ll be asked to fill out a questionnaire about yourself – that’s pretty standard for a massage practice, but what’s more, she’ll ask you more in-depth questions like about what kind of style you like, what’s the pressure you prefer to work with, and even what kind of music you like to listen to. Her goal is to not only find out what you’re seeking in a massage, but to also find this out in advance, so you can really get the full 90 minutes of your session. This is AWESOME! Why? She’s encouraging communication between herself and you, the client. Massage therapy really is subjective, and she wants to insure that you both are on the same page. If you start out working together, your massage session will be way more effective.
When you arrive at the Oasis Healing Center, (parking can be a little sparse – make sure you give yourself time to find a spot), you’re welcomed into a very friendly space. It doesn’t have that clinical, starched feeling that some private practices can have. There’s even a koi pond! Large, beautiful fishies are waiting to be looked upon as you walk through one building and to the back to the acupuncturists.
When I walked into Yvonne’s office, aka, the massage room, I felt instantly at ease. I really enjoyed the murals she had on her walls, (a tree! More koi!). I was there to get my neck and shoulders worked on, cuz I don’t know about you, but I often sit in traffic with my shoulders up to my ears, clenching my jaw, and shouting, “I’m here! I’m here! Stop cutting me off! I exist!” (Yes, traffic stresses me out, it’s Los Angeles, are we surprised?) As Yvonne knew from the start what I wanted to work on, (thank you nifty website questionnaire), she immediately got to work. She has a blend of styles and techniques to use to get your body relaxed. She first worked with kneading and gentle stretching on my neck to get a feel for what she was working with. This not only allowed her to see how tense I was, but it also allowed me to get a sense of her touch. I always appreciate that, as it helps me relax all the quicker. As I was beginning to fully comprehend how tense my neck was, I asked if we could focus solely on it. This was something new, I’ve never had an hour of neckwork. It was so cool!
When a massage therapist gets to focus on one section of the body, the work instantly slows down. This is where an MT can really shine, because its asks not only for the client to be patient, but the MT as well. Knots don’t instantly breakdown and leave the body, and the more tense you are, the longer it takes! I could feel that my neck felt like a tree trunk, and it was just neat to feel Yvonne take her time working with through that tension calmly and effectively. When it comes time work deeply, you often need to be mindful that a knot won’t come out by force, it requires deep breathing from the client, slow, consistent pressure, and more deep breathing. There were stretches and work specific to a knot that lives at the base of my neck, and has begun to take over my shoulder. It’s not very nice. The hour went by so fast, Yvonne took such good care of me! I felt like I had a neck again, not a pillar of concrete. Talk about relief! I really can’t wait to go back, and to continue working like that on my shoulders.
Would you like to have a massage customized to your needs? Then I suggest you get a hold of Yvonne. You can find her on Facebook, (http://www.facebook.com/NeckworkExpert) and or give her a call at: 800-711-4081. You can use the promo code: MsInTheBiz. If you want to know more about the Oasis Healing Center, go here.
