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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.
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.
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.”