> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Rubbed out for good - URL: https://www.smdp.com/rubbed-out-for-good/ - Published: 2007-08-22T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-24T02:37:07.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Business, Downtown, #archive-import *Days of free massages ends this weekend* DOWNTOWN Rising rents in downtown have claimed another victim. This time, the pain can really be felt. The days of free massages are coming to an end now that Ceragem International Inc., one of the largest providers of thermal massagers using Far-Infrared Radiant heat, is closing down its Second Street store Saturday because its landlord is asking for a significant bump in rent, said store manager Terry Choi. No longer will people like Ashtra Miller, a grandmother from Jamaica, be able to walk in and test out the massage beds for free, something which is going to take a big bite out of her pocketbook if she decides to go to a chiropractor for continued treatment, or purchase one of the massage beds, which go for around $3,000. “It has worked wonders for me,” Miller said of the free, 40-minute treatments she receives three times a week at the store, situated just south of Wilshire Boulevard. “I have numbness in my foot, back pain and Psoriasis, and these massages help me walk better and has taken away a lot of my pain. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without them. Oh boy.” The high cost of rent in downtown has been an issue of concern for some merchants and their long-time customers. There is a fear that the cost of a lease will be so high that the only ones who can afford it are major chains, such as those found on the Third Street Promenade. Rob York, a consultant for the Bayside District Corporation, which helps City Hall promote and manage downtown, said rents on the promenade can be as much as $10 a square foot, depending on size and location. Space just off the promenade is going for anywhere from $4 to $5 per square foot. “With retail, it is normal to have a lot of turnover, and that may be tough, but there is a healthy side to that,” said York, who believes that downtown has a healthy mix of restaurants and retail that represents both major chains and entrepreneurs. “Sometimes we lose someone we really like, but as long as there is an overall vibrancy, you are going to have other options. If the area is stagnant, you are going backwards and will see a lot of vacancies and maybe the replacements will be lest desirable than what went out.” Choi said the company, which also has offices in downtown Los Angeles and Thousand Oaks, has no plans of reopening in Santa Monica. The company generally will open up shop in a city and when the market is saturated, move on to another. Rent increase is a big reason why the company is leaving, but also, it feels that it has made its mark in Santa Monica, he said. “The company has been here for four years and we’ve helped so many people in that time,” Choi said. “The response from the community has been remarkable, but it’s time for us to close shop.” Ceragem does offer opportunities for entrepreneurs to buy into the franchise and operate their own showrooms, according to Choi, and in the next few days will be offering an interest-free financing plan for customers to purchase their own beds. Debra Garlak was thinking of doing just that following her free massage session. The Venice resident said she has been visiting the center since she was hurt in a bad bicycle accident roughly two years ago. She learned about the free massages from a friend, as Ceragem does not advertise, allowing the beds to sell themselves. “This place is great, and it’s not just because of the massages,” Garlak said. “You meet so many different people from all backgrounds here. It’s one of the most diverse places in Los Angeles.” A look around the showroom confirms Garlak’s description. There are seniors from all walks of life, young urban professionals and a few teens every now and then. All seem to be attracted to the healing powers of the beds, which use jade to increase the effects of Far- Infrared Radiant heat, which is supposed to stimulate healing, oxygenate and increase blood flow, reduce swelling and help cleanse the body of toxic acid waste. Choi said the beds work so well that a client once told him that after using the bed just three times, he coughed up a dime that had been stuck in his body for most of his life. Choi said the man could not afford an operation to have the coin removed, but once he used the bed, it came right up. For others like Garlak and Miller, the beds haven’t produced any money, but they have saved them quite a bit of change since they do not have to go to a doctor for treatment. With Ceragem leaving Santa Monica, some customers said they will travel to Thousand Oaks and continue their treatment while others said they would take advantage of the financing deal being offered by the company. “They’ve helped a lot of people get over their aches and pains, so I have no hard feelings about them leaving,” Garlak said. “I’m going to miss them. I think they are a representation of a lot of the unique businesses that we are losing here and in Venice to some of the bigger chains. “It’s a shame, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes.” *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 22, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/082207.pdf?ref=smdp.com)