If this is your summer to get healthier, you need look no further than you own neighborhood. “Upper Larchmont,” as we’re calling Larchmont Blvd. north of Beverly until it ends at Melrose, is filled with all manner of healthcare providers, exercise practitioners, physical therapists, spas, acupuncturists, meditation consultants, counselors, therapists, medical doctors and dentists…who have all made Upper Larchmont a destination for health and wellness.
We spent some time on Memorial Day with three different professionals who inspired us to start a series we’re calling “Upper Larchmont: A Place of Wellness,” which will feature the work of many of these long-time practitioners.
Hillary Malloy
To get started, we met with Hillary Mallory, a relative newbie to the street but a fourth generation Larchmontonian who knows everyone and wo recently opened the Larchmont Meditation studio. Malloy’s roots in the neighborhood go back to both her maternal great grandparents and her paternal uncles. She grew up coming to Larchmont Blvd., and was thrilled to find a studio space in the back of the bungalow that houses Larchmont Traditional Medicine at 435 N. Larchmont.
Malloy, a certified Intuitive Energy Healer & Reader, Reiki Practitione, and Certified Yoga & Meditation Instructor, offers private sessions at her studio on Larchmont.  She also runs the Children’s Yoga program at Snooknuk Arts Studio at 506 N. Larchmont Blvd., and conducts Meditation & Reiki Workshops at dr pilates Studio (shown above). Malloy told the Buzz she is grateful to be practicing the healing arts on Larchmont, a community she was born and raised in, and one that she has seen evolve into a serious center for holistic culture in Los Angeles.
“As a certified Energy Healer and Reiki Practitioner, I believe that we are our most powerful healers,” Malloy told the Buzz.
Malloy said she began her exploration into energy healing because of chronic back pain from an accident years ago, “shifting one’s energy in life is something we often do, without defining it,” she explained.
Malloy employs Reiki Healing, a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that also promotes healing.
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“We are able change our vibrations, much more than we realize,” Malloy explained. “We feel high vibrations, for example, when we experience gratitude, which is one of the highest vibration’s similar to humor. Shifting the vibrations in another direction and guiding them to a place of elevated state is much like the feeling one would get from a great laugh or an overwhelming sense of gratitude.”
Malloy also uses meditation, yoga, guided visualization, music and vibration in her energy practice, to help bring on a deep meditative state to promote self-healing.
“Energy healing, when done right, is a journey of self-healing,” explained Malloy. “The practitioner is only there to help guide. By raising the vibrations Reiki, has been known to strengthen the immune system, remove toxins, enhance meditative states, clear blockages and reduce stress.”
Malloy teaches her clients learn the tools of mediation and self-healing so they can develop a daily practice offering stress reduction and a path to a more healthy lifestyle.
dr pilates
Doug Riccio, founder of dr pilates at Larchmont, opened his studio because he felt it would fill a void in the offerings on the street. (The “dr” in the name refers to his initials, though people sometimes think it means “doctor.”) Like Malloy, Riccio changed careers after an injury, and found wellness and healing from Pilates. The studio offers hourly classes, so everyone works on a “reformer,” the machines in his studio, and with an instructor.
“We have nine reformers so the classes are small and it’s very safe,” explained Riccio. “I wanted to offer a studio where clients could take a class every hour instead of having to work around a weekly schedule. We also have private sessions.”
We took a class, just to get a feeling for what you do. Everyone works at their own pace, following the instructions provided by the instructor, who was exceedingly patient with this first-timer. Riccio has 25 instructors, so there’s bound to be someone for everyone to click with. There’s even a mini-locker room with showers. Riccio also sells a line of CBD products that he has found helpful, and other very useful items like socks with grippers on the bottom, so you can work safely on the equipment with your feet covered.
Larchmont Traditional Medicine
Just across the street we met Jim Bloomfield, an acupuncturist at Larchmont Traditional Medicine at 435 N Larchmont, who has been practicing on the street for almost 14 years. Even before his opened his practice on Larchmont, Bloomfield moved to the neighborhood years ago and worked as a film editor. After completing his training and licensing, he was delighted to secure space for his practice in one of the bungalows once used by Charles Schultz’s animation studio.
“Many of our patients come to our office seeking better results or a more personalized approach, so we focus on providing just that,” explained Bloomfield, who works with his wife J. Jeesin Lui, also a licensed acupuncturist. Bloomfield explained that he often sees patients who are looking for an alternative to western medicine. His training in eastern medicine focuses on helping the body to heal itself by removing the root cause of the problem.
Bloomfield is also active in the Larchmont community and has organized the talent show at the annual Larchmont Family Fair every October. Like Malloy, he’s thrilled to be part of the healing community that developed on upper Larchmont.
The Buzz hopes to write about all the services offered on the street. We welcome your comments and suggestions.
Purely Pilates above Bricks and Scones is also a terrific Pilates Studio! The space is lovey, open, airy, and they have all the machines, reformers, and equipment you need, plus their instructors are top notch. It is a hidden gem for health and fitness on North Larchmont!
dr pilates has the most amazing stretch instructor. He is so talented along with all of the dr pilates instructors. Amazing now that they have 2 locations! Excellent studio with the nest people out there!