Bucolic Laurel Canyon, nestled in the Hollywood
Hills, only a couple of miles away from the hustle on Sunset Strip, has
long attracted a bohemian crowd. “It’s full of magic,” says Ayurvedic
practitioner and herbalist Kari Jansen,
whose at-home sylvan treatment space at the top of fabled Lookout
Mountain has become one of Los Angeles’s go-to self-care destinations
for the boho-chic set, like photographer Magdalena Wosinska, holistic blogger Shiva Rose, and Women With Superpowers duo Tasya van Ree and Nitsa Citrine.
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To
come out for a visit here—to be a lady of the canyon, as Joni Mitchell
put it—wellness warriors must first brave the snaking, narrow
mountainside roads that lead up to Jansen’s airy indoor-meets-outdoor
studio perched on the side of a wildflower-strewn glen. Sessions start
with a detoxifying steam sauna to warm the body, followed by a full-body
lymphatic massage using oils infused with native plants such as white
sage, mugwort, lemon balm, lavender, yarrow, and peppermint, all of
which she grows in her garden. Everything from cups and hot stones to
tuning forks and crystal bowls are incorporated into the tailor-made,
two-hour treatment. “It is all about finding blockages and releasing
them,” Jansen says. “My intuition leads me to the areas each client
needs the most work on.”
For those with a couple more hours to spare, a blissful add-on comes in the form of Shirodhara, an ancient Ayurvedic treatment that involves steadily dripping oil onto the forehead to clear the energy around the third eye.
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Once Jansen feels the body has reached a balanced
state, clients are led to the outdoor claw-foot tub, filled with sea
salts and flowers, for a restorative soak amid darting hummingbirds,
chirping crickets, and hawks lazily circling on the warm
eucalyptus-scented breeze. “Summer is Pitta season, so it’s important to
stay hydrated, well-nourished, and cool,” says Jansen, who enjoys the
company of lingering clients as they drink tea outside by the hammock
while she throws pottery or blends herbs for her line, Poppy and Someday. “It’s just so easy to get inspired in this canyon tucked away from the fast-moving world.”
