The Price of Peace of Mind
Marin’s businesses and stores reflect the county’s history of concentrated wealth and focus on luxury, especially those belonging to the area’s health and wellness sector. For those in Marin who have the affluence, especially teenagers, participation in wellness culture takes shape with hot yoga, acupuncture, cryotherapy, spin classes or Bay Club spa treatments.
Looking at Marin County’s decadent green juices and yoga studios, this trend is especially clear — and one that many entrepreneurs have noticed in the county of wealth and health.
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Take, for example, Joey Hoover, whose coast-to-coast practice reveals a trend of emphasizing health where wealth is abundant. Hoover attended massage school for three years and led a practice in New York City from 1993-2008. His brothers owned a set of health clubs, known as Body Kinetics, when Hoover moved to the Bay Area, and hired him as the Spa Director, a position responsible for membership management, leading tours and serving as a massage therapist for the three Body Kinetics in Mill Valley, San Rafael and Novato.
Body Kinetics started in 1990 and opened its Mill Valley location in 1998, and expanded its operations in 2007 and again in 2010. The only obstacle to Hoover's family business was the global pandemic in which the company lost over 1,000 members.
“Fitness is about comradery. It’s about people working together. Spin class is one of our most popular [offerings, as] people hang out together after, go out to coffee, [and] bring each other presents for birthdays. The business is about taking care of each other,” Hoover said.
The west’s stereotype of staying relaxed remains true in Hoover’s opinion, especially compared to his east coast training.
“[The fitness industry] is similar here in many ways, but the attitude in New York is just different. It’s a verve, there’s an excitement, there’s something else going on. Here, we’re more relaxed,” Hoover said.
This trend can also be observed in the emergence of an advanced European spa in San Anselmo. Katayoun Amjadi opened Eden Day Spa in 1999 and their original eight-room location on San Anselmo Boulevard later moved to George Lucas Park. The current location is just a block down from where she started and stands out as the only European medical spa of its kind in Marin.
Amjadi’s father was a lifelong inspiration for her. He was a dermatologist practicing in London, which inspired her to attend university on the same path. However, she married and moved to the United States before she graduated, and without her degree, pivoted her career path to become a medical esthetician (defined by the Nuvani Institute as a “a skin care therapist, spa technician, and facial specialist”). She’s been working in the United States and Germany since then.
She moved to the States about 30 years ago, where she began to work in Beverly Hills and treated some prominent names in Hollywood. Amjadi’s not the type to name-drop, but if prompted, she’ll tell you about being Brooke Shield’s facialist. In 2000, Amjadi moved to Marin after visiting a friend’s Tiburon home, and then decided to open her business further north.
“I liked downtown San Anselmo because I thought it was so beautiful and friendly and different,” Amjadi said. “Our specialty is anti-aging. I think people come here because we are the only [true] European spa.”
Her expertise is cherished within the community, and she ensures the quality of her service by personally training her staff.
“I think it’s not just the beauty; it’s also super relaxing and calming when someone else is taking care of you,” Amjadi said.
Amjadi’s professional start in Beverly Hills is evident in her preservation-focused philosophy.
“People say ‘I’m so young, I don’t need to do anything,’ but the younger you start, the better your skin stays for a longer time. With new technology, not everyone has to have a facelift; there are so many ways they can keep themselves young and beautiful,” Amjadi said.
According to Marin County’s government, “[T]he average Marin resident can expect to live 85.2 years, among the longest in the state and nation,” hinting that while the emphasis on remaining “young and beautiful” is often overly intensified, perhaps it pays off.
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