If you clicked over here looking for a pumpkin spice massage, I have some news for you. It doesn't exist. So the only pumpkin spice in the room will be the latte you're holding when I show up at your door.
But what I do bring might be the nicest thing you do for yourself between now and New Year's.
The Holiday Season Is a Lot
Let's be honest. Most places, it doesn't start until November. Here, we get going into full-on holiday mode for Halloween, LA's favorite holiday. The time now through January is wonderful and exhausting, and often in the same afternoon.
In the American Psychiatric Association's most recent holiday poll, 41% of adults said they expected more holiday stress than the year before. Younger adults felt it the most.*
The biggest stressors might sound familiar:
- Grieving or missing someone (48%)
- Affording and/or finding the right gifts (46%)
- Tricky family dynamics (32%)
- Feeling lonely (31%)
And that's before you factor in the traffic on the 405 the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.
What Stress Does to Your Immune System
When you're stressed, your body releases the hormone cortisol. In short bursts, cortisol is helpful. One of its jobs is keeping inflammation in check.
The trouble begins when the short bursts become an everyday thing, like when stress drags on for weeks. Maybe it's a difficult project, maybe an election, or perhaps just packing up and flying across the country to see family. Stress has a way of getting comfortable and overstaying its welcome, like Aunt Nancy.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon found that people dealing with a long-running stressful situation became less responsive to cortisol's signal, you remember, the one to help lower inflammation? When those same people were exposed to a cold virus, they were more likely to get sick, and their bodies produced more of the inflammatory chemicals that show up in us as cold symptoms.**
Sleep Is the Quiet Hero of Sniffles Season
The same research group gave us another eye opener, so to speak.
In a 2015 study, people sleeping under six hours a night were more than four times as likely to catch a cold after being exposed to a virus, compared with people sleeping more than seven hours a night.***
Holiday parties, red eye flights, wrapping gifts at midnight. Sleep can be the first thing to go, and it's the one thing your immune system really needs.
So Where Does Massage Therapy Fit In?
Here's the part I know you've been waiting for.
A study from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, right here in Los Angeles, compared a single 45 minute Swedish massage with a light touch session. After massage, people showed:
- A small drop in cortisol
- A large drop in arginine vasopressin, a hormone involved in the stress response
- An increase in circulating lymphocytes, the white blood cells that do a lot of your immune system's heavy lifting****
Now, an honest caveat, because you deserve one. That was a small, preliminary study. A larger review found massage's effect on cortisol is usually smaller than wellness headlines make it sound. That same review also noted massage has well established benefits for anxiety and pain, even if cortisol isn't the whole explanation.*****
So I'm not going to promise a massage keeps you cold free all winter. What I can tell you from nearly ten years of massage therapy:
- People get off my table calmer, softer and breathing deeper
- Most of my clients tell me they sleep better that night and for a few days following
- An hour where nobody needs anything from you is a real reset for a stressed out nervous system
What Your Session Actually Looks Like
You might be searching for "Swedish massage" or "deep tissue massage" right now. Both are great words and might get you what you need. But call me crazy: I just don't think your body reads labels.
Every session I do is a custom therapeutic massage. I pull from Swedish, deep tissue, sports massage and myofascial techniques based on what your body needs that day. On our first session, I always start with an intake, so we're on the same page before you ever lie down.
During the holidays, that might look like:
- Slower, calming Swedish work when your nervous system is fried
- Focused deep tissue work for shoulders that crept up to your ears around Thanksgiving
- Sports massage techniques if you ran a Turkey Trot and your calves are filing a complaint
Want the deeper science on this? I wrote more about it in The Science Behind Massage and Stress Relief and Massage and the Immune System: Can It Reduce Sickness?
The One Rule I Won't Bend: Never Get a Massage When You're Sick
I love having you on my table. I don't love having you on my table with a fever or cough.
If you're feeling ill, please reschedule, no hard feelings or penalties! A massage while sick can actually make you feel worse. Here's why:
- Your body is already working hard to fight off the infection, and a massage asks it to do even more******
- A fever is a firm no for massage, full stop******
- Lying face down with a stuffy nose tends to make congestion worse******
- Colds and flu spread through close contact, and protecting everyone I see this season matters to me
My rule of thumb is simple. If you'd call out of work, call me too. Just let me know and I'll find you a new time once you're feeling like yourself again. No guilt, no awkwardness.
Your Holiday Self-Care Wish List
A few small things that really add up.
- Guard your sleep. Aim for at least seven hours, even on party nights.
- Take a real walk. My favorite reset is a long loop around Lake Balboa with my husband and our dog. Fresh air does wonders.
- Say no to one thing. Just one. Notice how good it feels.
- Put yourself on the calendar. Book your massage now, while you're healthy, instead of waiting until you're running on fumes.
- Give it away. Know someone who needs this more than you? Give me a shout to grab a Gift Certificate.
Not sure how often you should book? Here's my take on how often you should get a massage.
Why In-Home Massage Makes the Holidays Easier
The best part of mobile massage? You don't have to go anywhere. I battle the streets of LA so you don't have to.
I bring everything with me: the table, sheets, a cozy blanket, oil and music. All I need is about an 8x8 foot space. No driving, no parking, no merging back onto the 101 when you should be melting.
When the session's over, you stay right where you are. Couch. Sweats. Maybe that pumpkin spice latte after all.
I spent my first four years at Equinox in Beverly Hills and West Hollywood, and these days, as a solo male massage therapist, I bring that same level of care straight to your living room. I travel to clients in Santa Monica, Brentwood, Calabasas and all over Los Angeles.
First time with in-home massage? Here's what to expect from your first in-home massage.
Let's Get You on the Table
No pumpkin spice. No props. Just you, a warm table and an hour that actually belongs to you.
Book your holiday session here and I'll bring the calm to you.
See you soon,
James
References
* American Psychiatric Association. Healthy Minds Monthly Poll, conducted by Morning Consult, November 4 and 5, 2025 (2,203 adults). Reported in Psychiatric News: "More Americans Express Anxiety About Holidays While Still Looking Forward to Them."
** Cohen S, Janicki-Deverts D, Doyle WJ, Miller GE, Frank E, Rabin BS, Turner RB. Chronic stress, glucocorticoid receptor resistance, inflammation, and disease risk. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2012;109(16):5995-9. PMID 22474371. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1118355109
*** Prather AA, Janicki-Deverts D, Hall MH, Cohen S. Behaviorally assessed sleep and susceptibility to the common cold. Sleep. 2015;38(9):1353-9. PMID 26118561. https://doi.org/10.5665/sleep.4968
**** Rapaport MH, Schettler P, Bresee C. A preliminary study of the effects of a single session of Swedish massage on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and immune function in normal individuals. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2010;16(10):1079-88. PMID 20809811. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2009.0634
***** Moyer CA, Seefeldt L, Mann ES, Jackley LM. Does massage therapy reduce cortisol? A comprehensive quantitative review. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. 2011;15(1):3-14. PMID 21147413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbmt.2010.06.001
****** Massage contraindication guidance: National University of Health Sciences, "When It's Not a Good Idea to Get a Massage," and Integrative Healthcare, "14 Massage Contraindications: When to Avoid or Modify Treatment."
