Massage practitioner finds joy in working from home

Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

Nestled in the Gird Valley area with beautiful oak trees and a stream sits a welcoming home that is also the place to unwind, relax and find peace with Craig Lozzi, a holistic health practitioner.

The long-time Fallbrook resident previously operated two traditional massage establishments in the center of town but felt called to remodel his home into a place to both live and operate Transcendent Touch Healing Massage.

His reasoning for the move came 11 years ago, when he became a single parent. His daughter Emma was 2 years young at the time and Lozzi wanted to be able to both work and have her nearby. He also wanted to better use and enjoy the home and property he's lived on for 30 years now.

Building permits and remodeling/construction have taken much more time than he expected, but the finished product is something you would see featured in an architectural magazine, with plenty of open space, tall ceilings, perfect lighting, exquisite paintings, and a fireplace that also serves as an oven.

It's also practical, with the home and business separated. It's apparent that Lozzi has the gift of design.

"I wanted something that was beautiful but not ornate, something peaceful," he said during a recent interview. "Space is sacred."

The original house was practically demolished to create the new home/business.

The new home and practice incorporate many green building practices, including using wood milled from four huge oaks that fell on the property about 14 years ago. The fallen trees have turned into doors, tables and more.

The huge fireplace in the center of the great room provides heat and is a central focal point, with the nearby kitchen giving Lozzi the opportunity to showcase two of his passions, cooking and poetry.

Lozzi said he plans to have poetry readings and plant-based cooking classes starting soon.

Currently, clients enter his front door, which gives the opportunity to walk through the home to the waiting room, office and massage rooms. Eventually a separate driveway will be completed to let clients enter directly to the waiting room.

His daughter, Emma, is now 13 and happy to be with her dad. Lozzi said she enjoys helping set up the massage room for the next client. She and a friend are also handling the wrapping of 100 Christmas presents for his clients.

She's able to see her dad's work and has commented, "You're always helping people," Lozzi said.

Lozzi began practicing in the early 70s, first as a personal interest. He studied several modalities, working on family and friends. He found it fulfilling to help others.

"My body therapist suggested I undergo formal training, and in 1978 I enrolled in a comprehensive 3-year training at the Polarity Health Institute on beautiful Orcas Island in Puget Sound," he shared. "After completing this holistic-based course that included bodywork, nutrition, herbs, exercise and counseling skills, I assisted in the school's teaching program and began practicing massage and bodywork professionally."

He opened the Fallbrook Wellness Spa on Alvarado Street in 1996 with his wife at that time. After a decade of managing that business with multiple employees and maintaining a robust practice, he sold his share and began to work alone.

"I would work like crazy, constantly with 30 or more hours of massage a week, plus the management," he said. "Working solo is so much simpler. I still do 35-40 hours of massage a week, but it's a true joy and my practice has been re-born."

The holistic health practitioner has been doing massage for 43 years, so he has his own methods and has studied many other modalities. He routinely uses heated stones, which not only feel wonderful, but quickly dissipate superficial muscular tension, making the result deeper and long-lasting.

Lozzi is also able to offer more than physical massage, he said, by being a good listener: "As is the case often with a bartender or hairdresser, a massage therapist finds themself in a position to listen to their clients' stories. People will confide in you. It is not only an honor to touch someone, but to hold the space for them to share what's in their hearts and minds."

And he's been known to offer spiritual support with his experience as a licensed Prayer Practitioner at the Hilltop Spiritual Center.

When Lozzi designed the home 11 years ago, he included a second massage room because he realized someday, he would need to mentor someone to take over the business. He didn't anticipate it, but that someone turned out to be his older daughter, Laurel.

"She called five years ago, proposing to fly once a month from her home in Colorado and work four days each month here for training and to build a practice in Fallbrook. I said if she would commit to that schedule for a year, I would also promote her. Laurel had been pursuing an art career and now her work can be seen – along with others – on the walls of the "family business."

Laurel became certified in massage shortly after high school, practiced for fun in college and then continued professionally in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Colorado before joining her dad full time over two years ago.

"Laurel is an excellent massage therapist and life coach," Lozzi said. "She offers her own unique skills and insights to our clients. It is a joy to share this healing work with her and continue to both learn and grow from each other's perspective.

The most common reason people schedule an appointment is for relief from chronic pain or injuries, Lozzi said. Some come as a last resort. He gets referrals from physicians, acupuncturists, physical therapists, chiropractors and other professionals.

"Other clients come for relief from the stress of modern life," Lozzi said. "There are also people who integrate massage as a part of their health care and it pays great dividends in their overall sense of well-being!"

Income and the ability to pay should not hold people back from scheduling a visit.

"Pay is not as important as a person's need," he said. "I'm not motivated so much by money now. Of course, it allows us to move through life with more ease, but I've learned when I focus my efforts more on serving, greater financial rewards naturally come my way."

Lozzi can be reached at [email protected] or call 760-533-3505.