How to get this healthy, continued
Who keeps Wicked women in spellbinding shape
Good witch Glinda (Kendra Kassebaum) swears by former Rockette and Pilates master teacher and trainer Helena Hultberg-Talman to get her through eight bewitching performances a week. Bad witch—OK, very misunderstood witch—Elphaba, aka Teal Wicks, relies on two people to help her power through her physically demanding role: physical therapist Gina Giammanco, at Red Hawk Physical Therapy (“She has the strongest hands and can get to the root of your problems”), and Pilates instructor Greta Schroeder, who teaches at YogaWorks and the Jewish Community Center (“She’s both nurturing and challenging”). To protect her skin from all that gunky makeup, Wicks relies on aesthetician Pearl Dworkin, at Optimum Skin Care. “Her deep-cleansing facials get the green out that never seems to go away,” Wicks says. Helena Hultberg-Talman: 949 Guerrero St., S.F., 323-252-0605; Gina Giammanco: 580 Market St., S.F., 415-788-2100, redhawkpt.com; Greta Schroeder: YogaWorks, 1823 Divisadero St., S.F., 415-292-5600, yogaworks.com; The Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St., S.F., 415-292-1200, jccsf.org; Pearl Dworkin: 2660 Gough St., S.F., 415-310-9465, skincarebypearl.com
Two Mythbusters guys on how they do it for free
It’s no surprise that Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, two of the show’s six hosts, aren’t taken in by stay-healthy fads. Hyneman, in fact, relies on good, old-fashioned science to direct his fitness efforts. “There’s a lot of evidence that certain levels of aerobic activity enhance brain function,” he says. His “mind-body” regimen is to work out on a treadmill while solving design and engineering problems. Savage, on the other hand, takes his cues from basic common sense. “Spending time with my family and getting enough sleep are two of the best things I’ve done for my health,” he says. He did manage to lose 16 pounds recently, despite being a total foodie, but he did it the no-gimmick way: He ate less.
Where a cycling real-estate exec gets fit—off track
As the chief operating officer of Trulia.com, as well as an Ironman Hawaii top 100 finisher, Sami Inkinen can’t dash away for a 25-mile ride during lunch. So he stops in at Velo Collective, a high-tech cycling fitness center in the financial district and one of the best-kept secrets (until now) for competitive cyclists and triathletes. “It’s extremely time-efficient,” says Inkinen, who regularly gets a 90-minute workout with a professional trainer. (An Ironman champion, Tyler Stewart, is a favorite instructor. “She’s a tough cookie,” says Inkinen.) Plus, riding can be lonely, so Inkinen welcomes the chance to train with other cycling junkies. Velo Collective: 747 Front St., S.F., 415-398-4999, velocollective.com
A PayPal cofounder on his gonzo personal trainer
It turns out CEOs and elite athletes have plenty in common: They’re focused and highly motivated, and they settle for nothing less than the highest achievement. This explains why Max Levchin, chief executive of Slide.com (and former CTO of that little startup PayPal) and longtime cycling buff, sought out trainer-to-the-athletic-stars Matt Dixon, founder of Purplepatch Fitness. A former professional triathlete and exercise physiologist, Dixon coaches top execs, world-class endurance athletes (including Ironman champs Chris Lieto and Linsey Corbin), and serious weekend warriors, all of whom appreciate his unique amalgam of science-based fitness and ultrapersonalized training. “Thanks to Matt,” says Levchin, “my performance is 50 percent better.” Not a bad return. Matt Dixon: 231 Scott St., S.F., 323-481-3401, purplepatchfitness.com
Where an Ironman contender goes to pick up his step
As a seven-time Ironman finisher, Jeff Block had been around the block, seeing no end of coaches, trainers, and physical therapists to improve his stride and solve a chronic hamstring problem. Then he attended UCSF’s RunSafe assessment program, where, for $160, he was given a video analysis that immediately revealed the cause of his hamstring issue. He also saw a nutritionist, an orthotist, and another physical therapist. “The tools they had to identify my problem were so impressive,” says Block, who is beginning to run comfortably again. (This month, the price goes to $199, but it’s still a real bargain. Most of the clinic’s services cost that much by themselves.) RunSafe is part of UCSF’s new Human Performance Center testing lab, where anyone from ballerinas to golfers can get state-of-the-art exercise physiology, biomechanics, oxygen consumption, and lactate threshold testing. UCSF RunSafe Clinic and Human Performance Center: 1500 Owens St., S.F., 415-353-7896, UCSFhealth.org
A chinese acrobat’s pick for getting needled
Contort, flip, and leap for nearly 20 years, and you’re bound to end up with some kind of pain, says Wayne Huey, head of Red Panda Chinese Acrobats. Huey was plagued by aching hips and a sore midsection for years—until he discovered acupuncturist Sanjin Vicky Li, at Serenity MedSpa. “Vicky trained in China, and she’s very caring and attentive to details,” Huey says. “She’s also wise in the ways of preventative medicine. She reminds me that I might want to leave some of the things I’d love to do to the younger generation.” Sanjin Vicky Li: 77 Maiden Ln., S.F., 415-990-9571, serenitymedspa.com
A prima ballerina’s secret for deep healing
After hip-resurfacing surgery, dance instructor and former principal Lines Ballet dancer Maurya Kerr saw a chorus line of massage and physical therapists to help her with rehab. By far the most effective treatments were her weekly sessions with biodynamic craniosacral therapist Alison McCauley, who works on everything from migraines to infertility. This complex therapy is difficult to describe in a phrase, but “a subtle form of energy work that focuses on the skull and spinal cord to resolve a range of physical and emotional problems” is close enough. “I’ve felt huge shifts happen with Alison,” says Kerr, who was a craniosacral skeptic until she experienced its healing powers firsthand. Alison McCauley: 415-710-0156, ali.energy1@yahoo.com
A bestselling author on how he keeps scoring goals
Po Bronson isn’t just a prolific author (most recently of NurtureShock, reviewed in San Francisco’s October 2009 issue)—he’s also a soccer addict. But when his cast was removed after a broken wrist finally healed, he was still in work- and sport-compromising pain. Naturally, he called his “miracle worker,” massage therapist Ron Spinhoven, of Interactive Healing Arts, whose soft-tissue, neuromuscular work speedily resolves Bronson’s game-day ailments. Spinhoven’s devotees, many of them tied-to-the-computer-screen business types, credit him with vanquishing everything from persistent migraines and RSI to back and joint pain. Ron Spinhoven: 2425 Fillmore St., S.F.; 6315 Bodega Ave., Petaluma; 415-297-0160
EcoMom CEO’s top choice for chemical-free beauty
You don’t get to look this good just by eating your organic blueberries. EcoMom chief executive Jenny Orser says she saves face with high-end, Berkeley-based natural beauty line Marie Veronique Organics. “The products actually improve my skin,” says Orser. “Even my dermatologist told me I’m glowing.” Her favorite Marie Veronique offering: one of the two tinted sunscreens that double as a daily moisturizer. It was chosen by the Environmental Working Group as one of the top five moisturizers with SPF. Marie Veronique Organics: Marie Veronique, 1790 5th St., Berkeley, 510-655-1543, marieveronique.net; Clary Sage Organics: 2241 Fillmore St., S.F., 415-673-7300, clarysageorganics.com
Where a top doc goes to stay on her toes
For 30 years, you’ve been delivering babies left and right—often in the middle of the night—and seeing a never-ending parade of patients. How do you stay in shape? The not-so-obvious answer for Dr. Joanne Hom, a San Francisco magazine reigning pick as one of the top Bay Area ob-gyns, is Marin Dance Theatre’s adult dance classes. “I thought, ‘I want to age gracefully and graciously,’” says Hom, whose several-times-a-week tutu habit has given her greater flexibility, better balance and posture, and a strong core. “Ballet is my happy medicine,” she says. Marin Dance Theatre: 1 St. Vincent Dr., San Rafael, 415-499-8891, mdt.org
Who helps a beauty queen avoid the flu
Always busy Splendora chief Gina Pell follows a regular fitness and massage regimen for one main reason (well, two): She has a pair of toddlers who bring home sniffles from school and the playground, and she wants to avoid being flattened this season. Personal trainer Rachel Rodriguez, at Aim Fitness, in the financial district, is the “driving force behind my physical strength,” Pell says. “When I started with her, I couldn’t do one push-up. Now I can do 50.” And Pell thinks Therapeia is, hands—or shoulders—down, the best massage place in San Francisco. All the therapists there “just have the right touch,” Pell says. “I now consider massage a way of preventing injury. I’m hunched over a keyboard a good 12 hours a day, which means that my shoulders are usually up by my ears.” A visit to Therapeia gets them back where they belong. Rachel Rodriguez: 215 Fremont St., S.F., 415-512-1800, aim2bfit.com; Therapeia: 1801 Bush St., S.F., 415-885-4450, therapeiamassage.com
Where a zen painter goes to zone out
Tokyo-born sumi-e artist Drue Kataoka is a master at applying ancient Japanese brush painting to modern American life, and she’s lucky enough to have found healing qualities in her work. The time she spends grinding ink before each session in the studio provides a meditative escape that awakens her mind and helps her get into creative mode. Although Kataoka believes you can meditate in any calming environment, she says the sprawling Arizona Cactus Garden on the Stanford campus, which was cultivated in the early 1880s and still contains some of its original plants, is one of the best. “It’s a well-kept secret and an otherworldly spot of calm and beauty.” Arizona Cactus Garden: Stanford University, Palo Alto, 650-723-3050
A theatrical star on who fixed her breathing
Ever since American Conservatory Theater core actress René Augesen had disk surgery on her neck, she has suffered from chronic pain. That’s no small matter when you’re projecting to a full house, night after night. Enter stage right: A.C.T.’s voice coach and Middendorf breath practitioner Jeffrey Crockett. In addition to providing the requisite instruction on projecting and articulating, Crockett helps clients (including nonthespians who want to learn better breathing for meditation, among other activities) learn how to breathe more efficiently. His technique, says Augesen, teaches people to move in a more relaxed and comfortable way, and to undo habits that they’ve built up over a lifetime of stress. “When I leave a session with Jeffrey, I feel unbelievable,” she says. Jeffrey Crockett: 510-333-1335, jcrockett@act-sf.org
Where a funny girl gets a good rub
We already know that featured MADtv comedian and San Jose native Anjelah Johnson takes time out of her frenetic schedule for manicures—where else would she get the material for her hilarious “Nail Salon” routine, which racks up views on YouTube? But the former Oakland Raiderette is also a devotee of the nationwide clinic Massage Envy. “My favorite thing is the convenience factor,” she says. “They’re all over, and they always have an opening.” A monthly fee of $59 gets you one massage at that price, plus an unlimited number of $49 massages in varieties ranging from sports to prenatal to geriatric. When Johnson returns home to the South Bay, she favors a deep-tissue massage to release the knots that come from traveling. Massage Envy: massageenvy.com
Where a nutrition-minded doc sends her patients
Good health is all about prevention, says sought-after family physician Daphne Miller, who, in her nonexistent spare time, managed to write The Jungle Effect, the groundbreaking tome on taking nutrition cues from healthy diets worldwide. And prevention takes many forms. For a dietary makeover, Miller likes holistic nutritionist Jen Martin. “She comes to your house to help you revamp what you want and how you eat.” (That’s right, house calls!) Pantry overhauls, cooking lessons, and meals are included. To help her patients combat stress and manage chronic pain, Miller sends them to classes on mindfulness-based stress reduction at UCSF’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and CPMC’s Institute of Health and Healing. For therapeutic yoga (exceptional, she says, for those with chronic disease), Miller loves Kate Holcombe’s Healing Yoga Foundation; she also plugs physical therapist Irit Schaffer. “Irit has a great understanding of anatomy and energy medicine.” Like many other integrative Bay Area docs, Miller is also a fan of Chinese Medicine Works’ acupuncturist Harriet Beinfield. “Harriet is one of the grandmothers of American acupuncture,” Miller says. “She has a huge knowledge base and works especially well with women.” Jen Martin: 415-271-3398, jenmartin.net; Osher Center: 1707 Divisadero St., S.F., 415-353-7700, osher.ucsf.edu; CPMC: 2300 California St., S.F., 415-600-4325, cpmc.org; Kate Holcombe: 3620 Buchanan St., S.F., 415-931-9642, healingyoga.org; Irit Schaffer: 2182 Greenwich St., S.F., 415-389-9705; Harriet Beinfield: 1201 Noe St., S.F., 415-285-0931, chinese-medicine-works.com
A marathon champ’s top muscle kneader
Two-time Olympic-trial marathoner Peter Gilmore knew he’d found the right hands when he saw massage therapist Andrew Ezer. “Andrew is a big guy and has big hands,” he says. Ezer and his upper extremities have garnered no end of praise from Olympic gold medalists, as well as regular folks: They all know he’ll get to the heart of the problem—and the pain—by working tight muscles and breaking down scar tissue. “He’s not just good at fixing a specific injury,” says Gilmore, who has been seeing Ezer regularly for 10 years. “He does great maintenance work, so I can keep on running.” Andrew Ezer: 2000 Hearst Ave., Berkeley, 510-704-1505
Where a supermodel goes to get super-fit
When model Maggie Rizer recently relocated to San Francisco from New York City, she Googled every Pilates studio in town, hoping to continue her long-standing workout regime. At first, when she came across Mercury Fitness, she “was frightened,” she says, laughing. “It seemed more like a boot camp.” No wonder: The high-octane, athletic-intense hot spot calls its singular method “high performance Pilates” and offers classes with saucy names like Nice Ass Class and Upper Body Hottie. While the Cow Hollow studio attracts no shortage of Bay Area VIPs—politicos, socialites, and, uh,supermodels—its classes are surprisingly affordable (first three group mat classes for $50, 10 classes for $180). Now Rizer—who has graced the cover of many a fashion mag—goes three times a week, regularly breaking a serious sweat. “I’ve been working muscles I never knew existed,” she says. Mercury Fitness: 2904 Laguna St., S.F., 415-567-9009, mercuryfitness.com
San Francisco’s premier sexpert tells all
The Bay Area boasts an unusually high number of licensed sex therapists, but if you want something more “cutting-edge,” says Carol Queen, a staff sexologist at Good Vibrations, check out an organization called Sexological Bodyworkers. “These state-certified people combine the insights of sexologists with the modalities of bodywork,” explains Queen, who has a PhD from San Francisco’s Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality. The practice is challenging to describe, but is more physical than traditional sex therapy. According to sexological bodyworker Dr. Joseph Kramer, body-based sex educators focus on a yoga model of mindful practice in order to help people become more in touch with their sexual selves. Courses and classes are available for individuals, couples, and groups on everything from touch and conscious movement to erotic massage and pelvic release bodywork. Queen recommends San Francisco SexBod workers Linda Poelzl and Thom Grexa Phillips, and K. Ruby in the East Bay. Sexological Bodyworkers: sexologicalbodywork.com
Leslie Crawford is a freelancer who writes about health, the environment, and families.
Additional reporting: Renae Hurlbutt, Erin Korsmo, Casey Madden
Good witch Glinda (Kendra Kassebaum) swears by former Rockette and Pilates master teacher and trainer Helena Hultberg-Talman to get her through eight bewitching performances a week. Bad witch—OK, very misunderstood witch—Elphaba, aka Teal Wicks, relies on two people to help her power through her physically demanding role: physical therapist Gina Giammanco, at Red Hawk Physical Therapy (“She has the strongest hands and can get to the root of your problems”), and Pilates instructor Greta Schroeder, who teaches at YogaWorks and the Jewish Community Center (“She’s both nurturing and challenging”). To protect her skin from all that gunky makeup, Wicks relies on aesthetician Pearl Dworkin, at Optimum Skin Care. “Her deep-cleansing facials get the green out that never seems to go away,” Wicks says. Helena Hultberg-Talman: 949 Guerrero St., S.F., 323-252-0605; Gina Giammanco: 580 Market St., S.F., 415-788-2100, redhawkpt.com; Greta Schroeder: YogaWorks, 1823 Divisadero St., S.F., 415-292-5600, yogaworks.com; The Jewish Community Center, 3200 California St., S.F., 415-292-1200, jccsf.org; Pearl Dworkin: 2660 Gough St., S.F., 415-310-9465, skincarebypearl.com
Two Mythbusters guys on how they do it for free
It’s no surprise that Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage, two of the show’s six hosts, aren’t taken in by stay-healthy fads. Hyneman, in fact, relies on good, old-fashioned science to direct his fitness efforts. “There’s a lot of evidence that certain levels of aerobic activity enhance brain function,” he says. His “mind-body” regimen is to work out on a treadmill while solving design and engineering problems. Savage, on the other hand, takes his cues from basic common sense. “Spending time with my family and getting enough sleep are two of the best things I’ve done for my health,” he says. He did manage to lose 16 pounds recently, despite being a total foodie, but he did it the no-gimmick way: He ate less.
Where a cycling real-estate exec gets fit—off track
As the chief operating officer of Trulia.com, as well as an Ironman Hawaii top 100 finisher, Sami Inkinen can’t dash away for a 25-mile ride during lunch. So he stops in at Velo Collective, a high-tech cycling fitness center in the financial district and one of the best-kept secrets (until now) for competitive cyclists and triathletes. “It’s extremely time-efficient,” says Inkinen, who regularly gets a 90-minute workout with a professional trainer. (An Ironman champion, Tyler Stewart, is a favorite instructor. “She’s a tough cookie,” says Inkinen.) Plus, riding can be lonely, so Inkinen welcomes the chance to train with other cycling junkies. Velo Collective: 747 Front St., S.F., 415-398-4999, velocollective.com
A PayPal cofounder on his gonzo personal trainer
It turns out CEOs and elite athletes have plenty in common: They’re focused and highly motivated, and they settle for nothing less than the highest achievement. This explains why Max Levchin, chief executive of Slide.com (and former CTO of that little startup PayPal) and longtime cycling buff, sought out trainer-to-the-athletic-stars Matt Dixon, founder of Purplepatch Fitness. A former professional triathlete and exercise physiologist, Dixon coaches top execs, world-class endurance athletes (including Ironman champs Chris Lieto and Linsey Corbin), and serious weekend warriors, all of whom appreciate his unique amalgam of science-based fitness and ultrapersonalized training. “Thanks to Matt,” says Levchin, “my performance is 50 percent better.” Not a bad return. Matt Dixon: 231 Scott St., S.F., 323-481-3401, purplepatchfitness.com
Where an Ironman contender goes to pick up his step
As a seven-time Ironman finisher, Jeff Block had been around the block, seeing no end of coaches, trainers, and physical therapists to improve his stride and solve a chronic hamstring problem. Then he attended UCSF’s RunSafe assessment program, where, for $160, he was given a video analysis that immediately revealed the cause of his hamstring issue. He also saw a nutritionist, an orthotist, and another physical therapist. “The tools they had to identify my problem were so impressive,” says Block, who is beginning to run comfortably again. (This month, the price goes to $199, but it’s still a real bargain. Most of the clinic’s services cost that much by themselves.) RunSafe is part of UCSF’s new Human Performance Center testing lab, where anyone from ballerinas to golfers can get state-of-the-art exercise physiology, biomechanics, oxygen consumption, and lactate threshold testing. UCSF RunSafe Clinic and Human Performance Center: 1500 Owens St., S.F., 415-353-7896, UCSFhealth.org
A chinese acrobat’s pick for getting needled
Contort, flip, and leap for nearly 20 years, and you’re bound to end up with some kind of pain, says Wayne Huey, head of Red Panda Chinese Acrobats. Huey was plagued by aching hips and a sore midsection for years—until he discovered acupuncturist Sanjin Vicky Li, at Serenity MedSpa. “Vicky trained in China, and she’s very caring and attentive to details,” Huey says. “She’s also wise in the ways of preventative medicine. She reminds me that I might want to leave some of the things I’d love to do to the younger generation.” Sanjin Vicky Li: 77 Maiden Ln., S.F., 415-990-9571, serenitymedspa.com
A prima ballerina’s secret for deep healing
After hip-resurfacing surgery, dance instructor and former principal Lines Ballet dancer Maurya Kerr saw a chorus line of massage and physical therapists to help her with rehab. By far the most effective treatments were her weekly sessions with biodynamic craniosacral therapist Alison McCauley, who works on everything from migraines to infertility. This complex therapy is difficult to describe in a phrase, but “a subtle form of energy work that focuses on the skull and spinal cord to resolve a range of physical and emotional problems” is close enough. “I’ve felt huge shifts happen with Alison,” says Kerr, who was a craniosacral skeptic until she experienced its healing powers firsthand. Alison McCauley: 415-710-0156, ali.energy1@yahoo.com
A bestselling author on how he keeps scoring goals
Po Bronson isn’t just a prolific author (most recently of NurtureShock, reviewed in San Francisco’s October 2009 issue)—he’s also a soccer addict. But when his cast was removed after a broken wrist finally healed, he was still in work- and sport-compromising pain. Naturally, he called his “miracle worker,” massage therapist Ron Spinhoven, of Interactive Healing Arts, whose soft-tissue, neuromuscular work speedily resolves Bronson’s game-day ailments. Spinhoven’s devotees, many of them tied-to-the-computer-screen business types, credit him with vanquishing everything from persistent migraines and RSI to back and joint pain. Ron Spinhoven: 2425 Fillmore St., S.F.; 6315 Bodega Ave., Petaluma; 415-297-0160
EcoMom CEO’s top choice for chemical-free beauty
You don’t get to look this good just by eating your organic blueberries. EcoMom chief executive Jenny Orser says she saves face with high-end, Berkeley-based natural beauty line Marie Veronique Organics. “The products actually improve my skin,” says Orser. “Even my dermatologist told me I’m glowing.” Her favorite Marie Veronique offering: one of the two tinted sunscreens that double as a daily moisturizer. It was chosen by the Environmental Working Group as one of the top five moisturizers with SPF. Marie Veronique Organics: Marie Veronique, 1790 5th St., Berkeley, 510-655-1543, marieveronique.net; Clary Sage Organics: 2241 Fillmore St., S.F., 415-673-7300, clarysageorganics.com
Where a top doc goes to stay on her toes
For 30 years, you’ve been delivering babies left and right—often in the middle of the night—and seeing a never-ending parade of patients. How do you stay in shape? The not-so-obvious answer for Dr. Joanne Hom, a San Francisco magazine reigning pick as one of the top Bay Area ob-gyns, is Marin Dance Theatre’s adult dance classes. “I thought, ‘I want to age gracefully and graciously,’” says Hom, whose several-times-a-week tutu habit has given her greater flexibility, better balance and posture, and a strong core. “Ballet is my happy medicine,” she says. Marin Dance Theatre: 1 St. Vincent Dr., San Rafael, 415-499-8891, mdt.org
Who helps a beauty queen avoid the flu
Always busy Splendora chief Gina Pell follows a regular fitness and massage regimen for one main reason (well, two): She has a pair of toddlers who bring home sniffles from school and the playground, and she wants to avoid being flattened this season. Personal trainer Rachel Rodriguez, at Aim Fitness, in the financial district, is the “driving force behind my physical strength,” Pell says. “When I started with her, I couldn’t do one push-up. Now I can do 50.” And Pell thinks Therapeia is, hands—or shoulders—down, the best massage place in San Francisco. All the therapists there “just have the right touch,” Pell says. “I now consider massage a way of preventing injury. I’m hunched over a keyboard a good 12 hours a day, which means that my shoulders are usually up by my ears.” A visit to Therapeia gets them back where they belong. Rachel Rodriguez: 215 Fremont St., S.F., 415-512-1800, aim2bfit.com; Therapeia: 1801 Bush St., S.F., 415-885-4450, therapeiamassage.com
Where a zen painter goes to zone out
Tokyo-born sumi-e artist Drue Kataoka is a master at applying ancient Japanese brush painting to modern American life, and she’s lucky enough to have found healing qualities in her work. The time she spends grinding ink before each session in the studio provides a meditative escape that awakens her mind and helps her get into creative mode. Although Kataoka believes you can meditate in any calming environment, she says the sprawling Arizona Cactus Garden on the Stanford campus, which was cultivated in the early 1880s and still contains some of its original plants, is one of the best. “It’s a well-kept secret and an otherworldly spot of calm and beauty.” Arizona Cactus Garden: Stanford University, Palo Alto, 650-723-3050
A theatrical star on who fixed her breathing
Ever since American Conservatory Theater core actress René Augesen had disk surgery on her neck, she has suffered from chronic pain. That’s no small matter when you’re projecting to a full house, night after night. Enter stage right: A.C.T.’s voice coach and Middendorf breath practitioner Jeffrey Crockett. In addition to providing the requisite instruction on projecting and articulating, Crockett helps clients (including nonthespians who want to learn better breathing for meditation, among other activities) learn how to breathe more efficiently. His technique, says Augesen, teaches people to move in a more relaxed and comfortable way, and to undo habits that they’ve built up over a lifetime of stress. “When I leave a session with Jeffrey, I feel unbelievable,” she says. Jeffrey Crockett: 510-333-1335, jcrockett@act-sf.org
Where a funny girl gets a good rub
We already know that featured MADtv comedian and San Jose native Anjelah Johnson takes time out of her frenetic schedule for manicures—where else would she get the material for her hilarious “Nail Salon” routine, which racks up views on YouTube? But the former Oakland Raiderette is also a devotee of the nationwide clinic Massage Envy. “My favorite thing is the convenience factor,” she says. “They’re all over, and they always have an opening.” A monthly fee of $59 gets you one massage at that price, plus an unlimited number of $49 massages in varieties ranging from sports to prenatal to geriatric. When Johnson returns home to the South Bay, she favors a deep-tissue massage to release the knots that come from traveling. Massage Envy: massageenvy.com
Where a nutrition-minded doc sends her patients
Good health is all about prevention, says sought-after family physician Daphne Miller, who, in her nonexistent spare time, managed to write The Jungle Effect, the groundbreaking tome on taking nutrition cues from healthy diets worldwide. And prevention takes many forms. For a dietary makeover, Miller likes holistic nutritionist Jen Martin. “She comes to your house to help you revamp what you want and how you eat.” (That’s right, house calls!) Pantry overhauls, cooking lessons, and meals are included. To help her patients combat stress and manage chronic pain, Miller sends them to classes on mindfulness-based stress reduction at UCSF’s Osher Center for Integrative Medicine and CPMC’s Institute of Health and Healing. For therapeutic yoga (exceptional, she says, for those with chronic disease), Miller loves Kate Holcombe’s Healing Yoga Foundation; she also plugs physical therapist Irit Schaffer. “Irit has a great understanding of anatomy and energy medicine.” Like many other integrative Bay Area docs, Miller is also a fan of Chinese Medicine Works’ acupuncturist Harriet Beinfield. “Harriet is one of the grandmothers of American acupuncture,” Miller says. “She has a huge knowledge base and works especially well with women.” Jen Martin: 415-271-3398, jenmartin.net; Osher Center: 1707 Divisadero St., S.F., 415-353-7700, osher.ucsf.edu; CPMC: 2300 California St., S.F., 415-600-4325, cpmc.org; Kate Holcombe: 3620 Buchanan St., S.F., 415-931-9642, healingyoga.org; Irit Schaffer: 2182 Greenwich St., S.F., 415-389-9705; Harriet Beinfield: 1201 Noe St., S.F., 415-285-0931, chinese-medicine-works.com
A marathon champ’s top muscle kneader
Two-time Olympic-trial marathoner Peter Gilmore knew he’d found the right hands when he saw massage therapist Andrew Ezer. “Andrew is a big guy and has big hands,” he says. Ezer and his upper extremities have garnered no end of praise from Olympic gold medalists, as well as regular folks: They all know he’ll get to the heart of the problem—and the pain—by working tight muscles and breaking down scar tissue. “He’s not just good at fixing a specific injury,” says Gilmore, who has been seeing Ezer regularly for 10 years. “He does great maintenance work, so I can keep on running.” Andrew Ezer: 2000 Hearst Ave., Berkeley, 510-704-1505
Where a supermodel goes to get super-fit
When model Maggie Rizer recently relocated to San Francisco from New York City, she Googled every Pilates studio in town, hoping to continue her long-standing workout regime. At first, when she came across Mercury Fitness, she “was frightened,” she says, laughing. “It seemed more like a boot camp.” No wonder: The high-octane, athletic-intense hot spot calls its singular method “high performance Pilates” and offers classes with saucy names like Nice Ass Class and Upper Body Hottie. While the Cow Hollow studio attracts no shortage of Bay Area VIPs—politicos, socialites, and, uh,supermodels—its classes are surprisingly affordable (first three group mat classes for $50, 10 classes for $180). Now Rizer—who has graced the cover of many a fashion mag—goes three times a week, regularly breaking a serious sweat. “I’ve been working muscles I never knew existed,” she says. Mercury Fitness: 2904 Laguna St., S.F., 415-567-9009, mercuryfitness.com
San Francisco’s premier sexpert tells all
The Bay Area boasts an unusually high number of licensed sex therapists, but if you want something more “cutting-edge,” says Carol Queen, a staff sexologist at Good Vibrations, check out an organization called Sexological Bodyworkers. “These state-certified people combine the insights of sexologists with the modalities of bodywork,” explains Queen, who has a PhD from San Francisco’s Institute for Advanced Study of Human Sexuality. The practice is challenging to describe, but is more physical than traditional sex therapy. According to sexological bodyworker Dr. Joseph Kramer, body-based sex educators focus on a yoga model of mindful practice in order to help people become more in touch with their sexual selves. Courses and classes are available for individuals, couples, and groups on everything from touch and conscious movement to erotic massage and pelvic release bodywork. Queen recommends San Francisco SexBod workers Linda Poelzl and Thom Grexa Phillips, and K. Ruby in the East Bay. Sexological Bodyworkers: sexologicalbodywork.com
Leslie Crawford is a freelancer who writes about health, the environment, and families.
Additional reporting: Renae Hurlbutt, Erin Korsmo, Casey Madden
Thanks for sharing Eco Mom's love of Marie Veronique Organics. Marie writes a blog where she rants and raves on nontoxic beauty at www.mvorganicsblog.com, http://mvorganicsblog.com/san-francisco-magazine-how-to-get-the-healthy/
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