Culver City Health & Beauty

Massage is typically a practice in receiving. You book a session, luxuriate in touch and pressure, and feel good. But it can also be a practice in giving: The Lifehood, a massage studio tucked into Culver City’s PLATFORM, is built on the idea that feeling good can be contagious. You can, of course, book a treatment for yourself, but you’re also encouraged to pay it forward by booking one for a friend or loved one. The idea is that your friend, in turn, will book for a friend, who will book for a friend, and so on. You can tailor massages by need—maybe you’re a deep tissue fan, maybe you’re the lymphatic drainage type.

This all-ladies clubhouse is welcoming (to women) and airy, perfect for healing, supporting, and learning from other women. If you’re imagining the stodgy members-only clubs of yore, don’t. WMN is deliberately unfussy. Founded by doula Paula Mallis, WMN Space offers everything from pre- and postnatal workshops, to meditation and movement classes, to full-moon circles. The roster of in-house specialists includes a vaginapractor (if you’re not familiar, it’s essentially a chiropractor for your vagina), healers, hypnotists, as well as talk and body therapists.

This is not your regular neighborhood mani/pedi/beauty joint. The thoughtfully designed space is outfitted with mid-century modern furniture (you won’t find any oversize massage chairs), and the technicians are incredibly well trained. It offers kiddie manicures, at-home appointments, and best of all, it’s open late. Culver City is just the newest outpost—the original is in Tribeca, and there's a third outpost at the Parker Meridien hotel in Midtown, plus a location in the Financial District and another in Austin, Texas. Facials are the unsung heroes at Tenoverten, which is staffed with highly skilled aestheticians. The four treatments are all incredible—and all powered by beautiful, enriching, clean, and nontoxic True Botanicals formulas. You can’t go wrong with the Pure Radiance therapy, which restores balance with custom enzyme exfoliation, gentle extractions, vitamin therapy, tension-relieving myofascial jaw release to quell breakouts, and Reiki. It’s just heaven.

While Dr. Farshid Sam Rahbar is a traditionally trained doctor, he takes an integrative approach, taking the time to understand the fully emotional and nutritional backstory before offering a path forward.

There's a pretty cheeky design aesthetic here, that takes a deep bow to the Queen: Union Jack covered chairs, portraits of Her Majesty, and floral, chintz wallpaper that looks like it was lifted from the walls of a country estate set the vibe. The concept is in line with the idea that everyone should be treated like royalty, which explains the extras (like long and late opening hours). Go for “The Full Monty” as they use wax from Italy, which is applied warm (not hot) to protect the skin. Jodi Shays is the owner, and the person to see if possible.