L.A. Massages: From extraordinary to extraordinarily affordable

August 10, 8:22 PMLA Health and Beauty ExaminerSarah Torribio

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Flickr photo/Thomas Wanhoff

I've been feeling it—the need for a massage.

Juggling motherhood and work, walking around (carefully) with no health insurance, moving to a new house and facing recession woes: You name the stressor and I've got it.

With everything on my plate, I could go for a weekly rub-down. I'm a little light in the money department, though. Because of this, the relaxing results of whatever treatment I choose are going to have to last a while.

I'm window shopping on the web to see what's out there in terms of healing hands in the L.A. area, and I've discovered that the City of Angels offers some heavenly options.

Got a minute? I'd like to share some of the most interesting and enticing treatments around.

As is always the case with window shopping, some of the goodies I'm coveting are beyond my means. These I'm filing in the "someday" basket.

I'll share some of these higher-end options in case your "someday" is today.

Okay, get ready to salivate:

Double your pleasure

I've heard of couples massages, of course. However, did you know that on your next solo treatment, you could be pampered by a pair of yours-for-a-session personal masseuses?

Here's how Voda Spa describes its Voda Signature Four Hand Massage:

"Experience the soothing decadence of four hands flowing over your body like the ocean waves. A luxurious treatment where two therapists work in unison, designed to give you an extraordinary oasis of relaxation."

Of course, there is a price for those extra 10 fingers making waves on your bod. The cost for this treatment is $250 for 50 minutes, $325 for 80 minutes.

Voda Spa is located at 7700 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood. For information and reservations, call (323) 654-4411.

Oil of ¡Ole!

Are you ready for a shot of relaxation?

The Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills offers a Punta Mita tequila massage that is sure to send your senses reeling. Here's how the spa's website describes it:

"Blended together, tequila and sage form the basis of the Punta Mita massage. Both these ingredients are antiseptic, good for cleansing and detoxifying the body. The treatment is specially designed to improve circulation, aid digestion and relieve the fatigue of jet lag."

The cost is for this boozy treatment is $170 for 60 minutes, $235 for 90 minutes.

The Four Seasons is located a t300 S. Doheny Drive in Los Angeles. For information and reservations, call (310) 273-2222.

Cadillac massage on a Kia budget

Feel like you've been in overdrive lately? The Massage Garage, an automobile-themed spa in downtown Culver City, offers several treatments in your choice of mini, mid-size and SUV lengths. A 30-minuteTest Drive is $30, a 60-minute Tune Up is $45, and a 90-minute Overhaul is $70.

The  menu is pretty standard—Swedish, shiatsu, Thai, pregnancy, and deep tissue massages as well as reflexology—but the ambiance is anything but. The owners of this revved-up refuge describe the spa's theme as industrial-meets-Zen.

Is funky your speed? The lobby is tooled up with leather car seats, a vintage tanker desk and garage-style lighting, and the rooms are painted in shades ranging from "electric chartreuse to rainforest green."

Though the walls are hung with prints of road-flavored Americana, you can still escape from that on-the-go feeling with the help of sprays of eucalyptus and candles.

I'm particularly interested in this one, because the low prices make me say "Vrooom!" You can even buy in bulk, with package purchases of five to 10 massages saving you as much as $70.

The Massage Garage also lets guests pamper their faces with bang-for-your-buck facials beginning at $45 for 45 minutes. All of these treatments—acne clearing, anti-aging, deep exfoliating and pampering—employ the über-organic Bioelements skincare line.

The Massage Garage is located at 812 Main St. in Culver City. For information and reservations, call (310) 202-0082.

Now and Zen

Many spas incorporate a bit of New Age ambiance into their treatments, whether it be dim lighting and candles or om-centric music. Aiko Spa, a mobile spa located in Los Angeles, however, takes the cosmic cake.

Got $290? Got two and a half hours? You may want to try Aiko Spa's Zen Garden treatment, which starts with a visit to the Aroma-Sanctuary. After you've selected the scent to help with your ascent onto a cloud of relaxation, featured amenities include a tantric Sand Mantra scrub, an application of mud courtesy of Mother Earth, and a visit to the hot jade rock garden.

Aiko spa promises that the stones will "massage and melt away any lingering ethereal tension and ground you back into your earthly body, transformed into the Bohdi you were meant to be, ready to face the hectic world until your next voyage to the Zen Garden."

Alright. I've got my bags packed. Actually, though, I'm interested in a twist on the stone massage you'll find at many spas. For $180, the Jade Rock Garden massage helps your temperature rise. . . and fal l. . .with a LaStone Hot & Cold Stone massage treatment.

Not only will this treatment help loosen what's tight. According to the folks at Aiko, the stones "encourage vascular gymnastics of the circulatory system to assist the body in healing itself." Sounds invigorating.

For information and reservations, call (310) 477-7706

Touch of Affordability

At this point, you may be cursing me for highlighting massages that seem suited to those living lifestyles of the rich famous (or at least financially flush!).

If you're on a budget, you may be as interested as I am in another find, Touch Massage Boutique.

This place is so financially doable that it has been highlighted in Allure magazine as well as on the Fox and CBS Los Angeles news programs. On a daily basis, an hour-long massage—classic Swedish, prenatal, sports, deep tissue or reflexology—costs $57, while 90 minutes in heaven runs $90.

Still not cheap enough for you? How does your Tuesday look? If it's open, you may want to stop by for some R & R, because hour massages run $49 all day on Tuesdays.

Touch Massage Boutique is located at 8317 S. Robertson Blvd. in Beverly Hills. For information and reservations, call (310) 659-8559.

There's no doubt about it. If you've got stress, Los Angeles has a million massages that can help you beat it. I'm certainly ready for one of these treatments to take me away, because I suspect Calgon isn't going to do it this time.