A family outing to PASADENA-- a healer, shop, happy hour spot and perfect restaurant
Our Dad is in town for Thanksgiving this week and had heard about a "Master Healer" in Pasadena. Master Hong has published a book and tended to the likes of Cameron Diaz, Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts. He came highly recommended by a friend, so the three of us made the trek to Pasadena to see what all the hullaballoo was about (book your appointment in advance). The Master's office is located in very humble surroundings- on the third floor of a strip mall and the office itself was cold and all the doors were open during sessions which resulted in an un-private feeling. The Master himself is soft spoken and although you fill out a form indicating your ailments, he doesn't really even look at the sheet, but rather right at you and then begins to tell you where the blockages and issues lie in your body. He also pinpoints each person's unique emotional challenges and gives suggestions for overcoming them. After a discussion, you hop up on the massage table and the Master points out the physical manifestations in the body that he had moments before described while just looking at you.
The next part of the session was highly unusual and uncomfortable and it was a part of each of our sessions. The Master asks you to sit on a Chinese stool, bare your lower back and lean forward. He then basically "spanks" you, very hard for a several minutes. After our sessions, the three of us discussed that we were all sitting there being smacked and wondering if this was all just ridiculous.... Post spanking, you lie face down with a heat lamp on the affronted area and then Master Hong applies an herbal poultice/bandage to your lower back.
Nutrition is the next topic of business and each one of us had different foods, nuts, berries, and teas to incorporate into our diets to remedy our particular situations. Then Lynn, Master Hong's colleague, led us each individually in various exercises and poses that would help alleviate blockages and improve our health. With the session completed, we made a field trip to the Chinese grocery store with our list of the items we needed (Goji berries, red dates, Longpan to name a few). It was a cultural experience indeed! We'll keep you posted on how we feel following the Master's prescriptions! So far, no dramatic changes...
After our sessions, we headed into downtown Pasadena. We had heard about a store called Gold Bug that sounded bizarre in a good way and randomly parked right in front of it.
The store is full of "curiosities" from the beavers above, to ostrich eggs, to stunning framed butterflies, in addition to jewelry, candles, housewares and some odd clothing. Definitely a cool shop.
After browsing, we crossed the street to Dish for a glass of wine and appetizers. Lucky for us they were offering "Happy Hour!" The high ceilings, exposed brick walls and illuminated candles make for a chic space. And the grilled oysters were delicious! Would like to return for dinner another time....
For dinner we headed to The Raymond Restaurant. We actually drove by it once as we couldn't imagine the historic cottage built at the turn of the century could be situated amongst the massive power plant.... But turns out it is! And you would never know it once you enter the property which was once the caretaker's cottage of the historic and now gone Raymond Hotel. The restaurant is charming and cozy-- they have preserved the look of the early 1900s to a tee.
The fireplace was roaring and the service was impeccable-- David our waiter was friendly and professional and his recommendations were spot on. The braised short ribs were divine and the wine, a Selene Cabernet Sauvignon was the best we've had in a long time! We lucked out as we were told that Tuesday was half off wine night!! The chocolate ganache dessert was also delicious and the most artistic and beautiful dessert. The Raymond just soft-opened a very cool bar two weeks ago in the back room called 1886 which serves both cocktails from the era for which it is named and modern variations. It feels similar to Varnish downtown which isn't a shocker as it was opened by the same folks....
Cheers and hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!!