The Five Self-Maintenance Appointments in Los Angeles I Swear By

There are five people in Los Angeles who keep me feeling my absolute best, and it would be a shame not to share the wealth. For most of my life, I saw these things as a frivolous waste of money. I rarely sought outside help when I could Google an at-home solution or buy a quick fix at Sephora or Whole Foods. But my body, skin, and needs changed as I ticked over from 30 to 31 and you know what? There’s no shame or harm in asking for a little help.

If you’re in Los Angeles, I highly recommend the following five self-maintenance appointments. (And if you’re not in LA, I hope this inspires you to find the best in your area, too! It takes trial and error, but you’ve got this.) 

WEEKLY

1 - Regular chiropractic adjustments with Dr. Brook at The Life Center Chiropractic.

I saw a chiropractor weekly as a teenager for cheerleading and dance-related injuries, and I continued regular adjustments throughout college. Once I moved to LA, however, several years went by without adjustments and sure enough, the pain followed. 

I started seeing Dr. Brook last year when I noticed my left shoulder was significantly higher than my right, and I experienced constant pain and tension in my upper back, shoulders, and jaw. Over the course of 12 weeks, I saw him three times a week. He took X-rays before and after, and let me tell you, the difference is night and day.

Now that I feel generally great every day, I have to remind myself to stay on top of my appointments. Ideally, I see Dr. Brook every week (but I have been slacking!). I notice a huge difference in my posture, back, hips, sleep, stress levels...pretty much everything. We underestimate how connected the mind and body truly are. 

EVERY OTHER WEEK

2 - Light chemical peels with Maddie at Corrective Skincare in Santa Monica.

My skin drastically changed when I went off hormonal birth control in January of 2019. At first, everything was fine, but about three months into my BC-free journey, deep, hormonal acne started popping up on my chin. Aside from it being painful, it was also frustrating. I’ve always been diligent with skincare, but no matter what I tried, it just wasn’t working. 

I fully switched my skincare routine when I started seeing Maddie at Corrective Skincare, which you can read about here in another post. But as any new experience goes, you learn as you try. Something both Maddie and I learned is that my skin hates extractions. Like, break-out-in-welts hates it. It’s too disruptive for my extremely sensitive skin, which is where regular light chemical peels step in. 

When Maddie first mentioned “chemical peel” to me, I had visions of Samantha Jones attending Carrie’s book party with a raw, red face. She assured me, though, this peel is nothing like that. Every other week, I go in for a cleansing, very LIGHT extractions if anything is ready (like...five very separate pores at a time and no scraping), and a light chemical peel made of lactic and salicylic acid. I leave the office with it on my face, let it sit for 2-3 hours and then rinse it off with water. I make sure not to work out after my peel both day-of and the following day. For the following four nights, I forego putting ANYTHING on my face before bed. I just remove makeup, wash my face, run an ice cube over my face and that’s it. 

What happens is that the top layers of skin gently peel off over those days (the exfoliation and extraction steps I need to prevent acne) and bright, clear, less inflamed, less scarred skin is revealed. I don’t personally notice the peeling; I’ll only have a couple of dry spots on my chin for a day or two and then it’s over. I’ve found optimal results by going every other week. 

3 - Lymphatic drainage massage and bodywork with Tracy at World Fusion Wellness. 

I have talked about this on my Instagram Stories only a few times, but about two years ago, I started to get swelling in my neck that then caused pain in my throat, chest, sides, and stomach. It came out of nowhere, happened almost monthly, and knocked me out completely for about 3-4 days at a time. After seeking the help of several doctors, allergy specialists, ENTs, rheumatologists, gynecologists, and having several scans and tests done, I still had no answers. Like many people who reach this dead end, I took matters into someone else’s holistic hands...literally.

I found Tracy at World Fusion Wellness based off a recommendation of a friend. I first saw her in the middle of a swelling episode. My stomach was painfully distended, my neck was swollen, I was miserable, uncomfortable, and depleted. I explained my symptoms to her and she performed her lymphatic drainage massage on me. When she worked on my stomach, it was some of the most excruciating pain I’ve ever experienced. There were moments I thought I was going to pass out. 

She explained to me where lymph nodes were stuck, trapped under other muscles, not flowing, and where my body was holding fluid. When I got dressed, my previously too-tight jean shorts buttoned without hassle and hung loose. My overall swelling dissipated by the end of the following day.

I still have swelling episodes, but they are farther and fewer between. What is the biggest help of all is the relief of knowing someone is paying attention to my body and giving it what it needs. It gives me peace of mind and when I do have an episode, I know I have someone who will help relieve my symptoms. 

When I don’t do lymphatic drainage massage, Tracy performs bodywork on me, which means she focuses in on anything in my body that’s tight, hurting, or that I feel needs attention. For instance, we recently did lymphatic drainage for half my massage time and used the other half for my shoulders and jaw. I could not be more thankful for Tracy. Zach sees her regularly now, too!

MONTHLY

4 - Balayage, highlights, and/or toner with Michelle at Michelle L Hair Studio.

I went into great detail about my hair health journey in this post, and it’s worth repeating here. Michelle has changed the health of my hair overall. She doesn’t let me go too blonde and is a master at blending roots. We recently took my hair from balayage to full highlights, so I’ll need to go in more often to freshen it up. 

On a monthly basis, though, I like to go in for a quick toner touchup. It helps keep my hair bright and shiny without having to constantly color it. 

SEMI-ANNUALLY 

5 - IRL FaceTune with Trista at RR Aesthetics in Beverly Hills. 

NOW, let me be clear. This is a nice-to-have, not a necessity, and is still classified as frivolous, in my book. I also recognize the dichotomy of being someone who believes in natural beauty, organic food, working on oneself from the inside out versus...injections. Bottom line: I believe that it can all coexist and that you should do what makes you feel good. 

Again, this is not a necessity, but I wanted to try lip injections since I was 16 and I finally did it in 2019. It’s something that makes me more confident (and actually makes me not obsess over my lips). Trista does the gentlest, most natural lip fillers. She really guides me throughout the process and doesn’t push me whatsoever. She asks me what I’m going for, and I always say, “I love my natural lip shape, I just want a little more of it.” I’ve now seen Trista three times and I fully trust her. 

My body has a CRAZY swelling response to anything (a bug bite, see extractions above, stress, food, hitting my knee on the corner of a table) and lip injections are no exception. I am swollen not just for the 24 hours after, but for a good 5-10 days. That’s my body’s individual response. Once that’s over with, I have subtle, slightly fuller lips and I love it. 

I haven’t yet dabbled in Botox for forehead or eyes, but I have tried it in my jaw for TMJ. We started extremely conservatively to see how I’d react and it didn’t do a damn thing, which means I’ll be going back soon. 

My lip fillers last 6-8 months and I don’t use the whole vial, which means I can use the remainder of it for a top off in a few months. 

I’ve included links for all offices and studios. Please feel free to reach out to me via email or DM for any additional details or questions!

Ciao for now,
Kailey