Opinion: California’s massage industry explosion
By Joe Mathews
For the record, I did not intend to get naked for this column.
But the woman at the local massage parlor insisted that I remove my pants and underwear before she would put her hands on me. And so I took it all off–in order to better understand today’s California.
Judging by our streetscapes, this is a state of massage. It has become nearly impossible to drive a thoroughfare anywhere in California without encountering multiple massage parlors. Since the 2007 arrival of the Great Recession, no retail business sector has grown faster, with hotbeds in San Francisco, San Mateo, Fresno, and Sacramento and Orange counties.
Then there’s California’s massage capital, the San Gabriel Valley, where I live. The city of San Gabriel has gone from one to 53 massage parlors in a decade, while little old ladies in Pasadena can now choose from more than 100 massage parlors (that’s one for every 1,300 residents), up from nine a decade ago, according to the Pasadena Star-News. My own neighbors in South Pasadena also seem to have a lot of stress in need of relief. On a recent walk, I counted 10 parlors within six blocks of our house, with names like Massage Place, Shiatsu of Zen, King Spa, Massage Villa, Gifted Hands Therapeutic Massage, Massage Envy, and Happy Feet Foot Massage.
While I have enjoyed a massage once, it was not the quality of experience that made me go seek another one.
But I do not want to sell it short either.
The massage was a gift from my wife.
This lady came to my home, fully equipped with the table and the various other tools and supplies she needed.
Knowing it was new to me, she asked about any physical pains I was having, if any and then proceeded to give my body the most thorough rubdown I had ever had. I am not young but still fairly active so there is almost always something sore, and she, somehow, could feel tight muscles without my input and worked on them until it did, really, feel better.
She obviously knew her trade, and I can see that an athlete might seek this often. She made no claims, and made no unbelievable or questionable promises.
But the article is correct about the proliferation of massage businesses. And most have some form of gimmick, usually connected with a foreign origin. Like if it is Swedish or Asian or an Eskimo secret it is better for you than say, a California massage.
There is a tendency to evoke the crystal gazer, new age mantra of secrets and things that science and the medical profession do not want you to know.
One local masseuse advertises “22 strand DNA activation” Whoa! What might this be, other than something made up to sound scientific? Isn’t DNA part of our genetic makeup? Doesn’t sound like anything you could manipulate with a rubdown. OH! I forgot it is natural. But if she screws up do you turn into a frog, or grow hair where you are not supposed to have any?
I have also heard of something called cranio-sacral massage, which purports to manipulate the skull plates alone the suture lines in the skull. (Medical science tells you when you grow up they knit together, but this is not true, we can push them into better alignment and fix your stress!) This was from a failed chiropractor…don’t get me started about that.
In an economy in trouble we seem to have money to spend on all kinds of false hopes, magic and outright fraud.
People are, I am afraid, just succumbing to a modern version of the snake oil salesman of frontier days.
We are faced with so many other things that work but are barely believable or that you can’t understand, that some of us are willing to accept and believe about anything.
There have long been many good masseuses in this town. There was a school here. And they were all, as far as I know, reputable. In recent months there has been a proliferation of so-called Asian Massage Parlors popping up. If they’re as good as the Asian Mani/Pedi shops, I wouldn’t bother.
But there is a lady in town who recently retired from her massage business, and she was absolutely amazing. Rosemary Manning had the most intuitive touch. She was head and shoulders above most of the local massage technicians, but alas, she has given up the business.
I don’t go for a massage unless absolutely necessary; it’s money I haven’t got. But it would probably be beneficial to those who do if some good recommendations could be made here.