I place the blame squarely on Janet Elkins and the EventWorks Holiday party in December 2009. Janet had decided to treat everyone, me included because I write the EventWorks blog), to a Chinese massage at Zhi Zhu Ba in San Gabriel, followed by a lunch at the New Kingswood Teppan grill . Both businesses are in one center at 250 West Valley Boulevard in San Gabriel.
Instructions: dress code comfortable and relax!
I headed off to San Gabriel in leggings and a lose dress. Janet and her husband Steve are experts at this. They have been telling me about these great massages for a while. Janet: "When we have an evening off at home we check the movie listings. If there is nothing we want to see we head off to the massage salon. It is really low-key and relaxing. And at 15 Dollars plus tip is costs about the same as a movie and popcorn."
It's also fun for small groups and families because a Chinese massage salon looks much like a nail salon. Lots of chairs that resemble the American LazyBoy recliner, a Buddhist altar and bamboo for feng shui. No taking clothes off except for shoes and socks. Despite the moniker "foot massage" it is actually a full body massage. Starting off with your feet in a hot water foot bath, the therapist massages your neck and shoulders. Then it's feet out of water and flat down on the chair, face down and up for back massage, head massage and extensive foot reflexology. Trust me, you will not have a tense muscle left anywhere! I was purring like a kitten. So relaxed that I could barely talk over lunch and everyone who knows me knows I talk a lot.
One thing that bothered me, though, is the fact that San Gabriel is about 60 miles from my house. We do have large Asian communities in Orange County as well so I whipped out my phone and yelped "Chinese Massage". Hallelujah, there are salons all over the place in the various Asian neighborhoods around the Greater Los Angeles area. The salon price war is on and the 15 bucks for an hour deal is available in many locations.
So on a sunny January Sunday afternoon while my hubby was watching football I headed off to Jolly Feet, 9938 Bolsa Ave, Site 103 in Westminster, CA. The salon is hidden on the backside of a 2-story business complex on the corner of Brookhurst Street and Bolsa Avenue in Little Saigon. This time I went alone. Again, a great massage and my aching computer shoulders and back were miraculously better. I arrived around 2:30PM and got right in. When I left an hour later every chair was taken. Business hours in most salons are extensive, from 9:30 or 10AM to 10PM or even later on weekends. You will find yourself in the heart of an Asian community so not everyone will speak English but the salon managers do. If you do have the energy and coordination after your massage, you should check out the Asian stores and restaurants around you. Jolly Feet is close to the restaurant Brodard where I can indulge my other addiction: pho ga, Vietnamese chicken soup.
Cost as of January 2010: $15 plus tip. 5 to 7 dollars are expected and well worth it!
Locations: besides Little Saigon and San Gabiel, I googled "Chinese Massage" for various locations and also found recommended salons at 5419 West Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood's ThaiTown, at 13308 Victory Blvd in Van Nuys and at 1120 S Western Ave in KoreaTown/ Los Angeles. They charge $15 to $25 an hour, still very affordable.
Many of these businesses are chains and are expanding to more locations all the time. So yelp it and enjoy. Don't blame me if you become addicted, too!
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