I’m Lucie Fink and this is five days of different massages.
Hey everyone, welcome back to Try Living With Lucie.
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One of our writers at R29, Cory Stieg, once wrote an article that really stuck with me
and it's about why splurging on a massage every so often might actually be justifiable
because of the legitimate physical and mental health benefits that come from massages.
I try to make sure that every episode of this series is informative and helpful to you in
some way.
So for this episode I don't want you to just sit here and watch me get massaged.
I want you guys to learn and explore new topics and that is exactly what we're about to do.
Before we get started, a couple of caveats to this episode.
Number one I live in New York City where there are a bajillion different types of massages
that I could have chosen for this episode.
Of course I only was able to choose five for the video so if we get to the end of this
episode and I haven't tried your favorite massage, please comment it below and let me know.
Cause even when this five days is up, I'm still up for more.
And number two, just know that I normally wouldn't get these massages back to back to back five
days in a row.
I know that your body is supposed to chill out between massages in order for them to
be really effective.
So this video is more so for you to watch and learn.
And now we're ready for the first massage.
My mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and had to get a cancerous tumor removed.
And even though breast cancer does not run in my family, I still proactively changed my
deodorant to an aluminum-free natural deodorant.
And I've also started thinking a lot more about my lymphatic system.
If you think of the human body, there are hundreds of lymph nodes inside of our bodies that have
lymph fluid running through them and they work to filter out any bad cells like bacteria,
viruses, cancers and more.
So I wanted my first massage of the week to be something that promotes the flow of that fluid
to improve that detoxification process.
I went to Greenstar Wellness for a lymphatic drainage massage.
When the body doesn't metabolize properly, the body holds all the toxins so it's very
important to open up all the lymphatic system in the colon for you to be able to have a very
good detoxification.
She started by feeling my body, pulsing under my ears, down my neck, around my armpits and
on my sternum.
Next she massaged my abdomen in a clockwise motion to mimic the passage of food throughout
my digestive system, going up the ascending colon, across the transverse colon and then
down my descending colon.
After massaging the lymph nodes in my groin and behind my knees she used some red and
blue light pulsations to stimulate circulation.
And then it was time for the Lymph Star Pro or as I like to call it because the noises
it made the alien wands.
The gases inside of the tubes create an energy field that then radiates onto your skin and
flows throughout your system.
It's a vibrational energy technology that uses sound and light, and she ran it along
my sinus, my jaw, my neck, my collarbone, under my arms, around my breast tissue, and
so much more.
And then we finished off with a few deep breaths and a shot of chlorophyll water.
This was a great way to start my week and to get my lymph fluid flow in.
And even though this is one of those massages that you can't immediately tell how effective
it was internally, you will leave feeling relaxed and recharged.
When looking into different massages for this episode, I wanted to discover treatments that
came from different parts of the world.
After all New York City is a total melting pot and you can have a diverse cultural experience
in pretty much any neighborhood.
So, that led me to the Russian bath house or the banya.
There's a whole culture and ritual surrounding the banya.
Generally, there are dry saunas, wet saunas, dunking pools, an in-house restaurant, and as
I've read online Russian Banyas used to be pretty much exclusively for older men.
So that's where Brooklyn Banya comes in.
I went for my first ever Platza treatment.
I was first given a wool felt Viking sauna hat to protect my hair and head, and I started
by heating up for a few minutes in the sauna.
And then I was brought into a 200 degree sauna with my platza man who took a leafy fragrant
bundle of oak leaves, and then proceeded to smack me with them.
As I learned from my platza man, the oak leaves have a natural astringent in them which will
open your pores and exfoliate your skin.
And he's working with warm water pretty much the whole time.
Plus you're in a sauna.
So you're really hot and just when you reach your hottest point, he dumps freezing cold
water on you.
And despite what it might look like on camera, this treatment does not hurt at all.
In fact, feels pretty good.
After the treatment I was completely covered in leaves so I had to go into the shower and
rinse off.
Then I chilled out in the jacuzzi, enjoyed some Russian tea the way I was taught:
cherry jam first followed by a sip.
I also had some honey and then slathered it onto my face as a facemask.
Going into this place feels like you're entering someone's home.
It has its own soul and it really has the ability to heal people physically and emotionally.
And I can't forget the real reason why I felt such a deep connection to this place.
There was a cat when I walked in, and I felt instantly drawn to this cat.
I started petting her immediately and low and behold, the cat's name is Lucie. And not
only is her name Lucie but her name Lucie is short for Lucinda, and I'm Lucie short for
Lucinda. So clearly I found my spirit animal at Brooklyn Banya.
After yesterday's leaf smacking massage, I wanted today's to be a little bit subtler and
I think I found perhaps the most subtle massage in the history of subtle massages.
I went to Exhale Spa for a craniosacral massage.
Relaxes the body into a stage of stillness and silence.
It aids to really help the body heal itself, so to self correct the body.
You don't even take your clothes off for this one, so I just got up to the table and then
Kathleen started evaluating me by checking for palpitations and rhythms just by holding
onto my feet and laying her hands on me.
And then she began using very light touches holding my skull and sacrum and making almost
imperceptible movements.
You can expect to feel in this massage where the legs begin to roll out from each other, the
hips begin to sink in, the sacrum sinks to the floor.
The diaphragm lifts and lowers in a very nice peaceful stage.
And then you have kind of an emptiness that happens in that rib cage and long area.
It's a very peaceful euphoria.
And then just like that the treatment was over and I did not realize just how far I
had drifted down into this deep and silent space. As Kathleen explained to me, because
she herself is a conduit for energy during the treatment,
she too has to get to that deep and silent place.
And so with both of us in that deep and silent place the energy in the room was just
so calming and so relaxing.
I didn't actually fall asleep during the treatment, but when I woke up it did feel like I had
just emerged from the most restful nap of my entire life.
I really liked the energetic aspect of yesterday's massage and I feel like there's something
very special about being touched by somebody who has healing energy.
Today I went to Bhati Ascended Wellness in Williamsburg and I met with Guillerma,
who is a goddess.
During the Bhati signature massage, she uses a whole variety of modalities such as deep
tissue massage, Thai massage stretches, a bunch of energy techniques to address the
chakras, meditation bowls for sound bath and more.
When you walk into the room I sort of assess what needs to be done both physically and
energetically, so no two massages are the same.
I sort of read someone's energy.
I can tell what is needed and then decide from there.
Of the other massage I've had this week, this one definitely looks the most similar
to a traditional spa massage.
But I'm telling you there was so much more here than a standard deep tissue massage.
And to be honest with you it wasn't always that comfortable.
This is an Indian head massage technique, just not always the most comfortable.
And then she did some deep intense stretches, but oh my gosh those hands, those hands of
gold are meant to heal.
And I've since washed my hair.
But at the end she rubs oil all over your body and into your hair.
And I walked out with slicked hair feeling lighter and more revitalized than ever.
How about that hair.
Today was the last day of the best week of my life.
As you might know I do yoga a couple of times a week.
So when I did research into yoga and massage and discovered that there is a treatment out
there where yoga is essentially done to your body without you needing to engage a single
muscle,
I was very intrigued. My friend Emily, who you might recognize from Lucie For Hire as a hair
colorist, is the founder of Private Yoga Brooklyn and she's also a certified Thai yoga practitioner.
So I invited her to my apartment this morning for some Somaveda Thai yoga therapy.
We started out by creating a comfy space on my living room floor, using a yoga mat, a
couple of blankets and a couple pillows.
And then we had a brief consultation before we dove into the session. Loose comfy clothing
and no bra.
Two things that are very important.
She began by connecting to my breath.
I’m taking a moment to connect with myself and my teachers.
And then she moved into a warm up to ground me.
We did a series of twists, folds, backbends, hip openers, inversions and more.
I was the receiver so essentially I was completely limp and passive while Emily, the giver, did
yoga to my body.
You're a rag doll.
If I pick up your arm and wiggle you around and then I let go.
Very good.
And throughout the treatment she's basically flowing through a yoga sequence herself as
she rocks onto and off of your body.
Each of the treatments I did this week was so unique and intricate and I think the biggest
thing I'm taking away from this episode is just the breadth and depth of the types of
treatments that are available out there in the world.
I don't know about you but in general massages are a treat and a really rare thing for me.
I typically only get them when I'm on vacation or when something feels not right and I'm
looking for a quick fix.
But what this week has taught me is that there are so many more types of treatments out there
than your typical Swedish back rub.
And when introduced to your life on a more regular basis, they can actually help with
your body's functioning.
So maybe it's time for me to switch up that mindset I have that massages are a splurging
and pampering cost, and instead budget massages into my overall health and wellness budget.
The same way I pay for a gym membership or to buy healthy food.
Comment below letting me know your thoughts on massages and also comment your favorite
type of massage below and let us know what it's like.
And as always let me know what you want to see me try next time for five days at a time.
Bye guys!
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