Holistic Xchange, Inc.

I decided to give this place a try since they were the only place that I could find that offered a couple’s massage within the same room. Scheduling the appointment was a piece of cake and the receptionist was friendly on the phone. I told him I wanted deep tissue and a female masseuse. They even left an appointment reminder voicemail the day before.
Parking is a bit tricky at this place and one their private lot is tucked away behind their business.
Things kinda went a bit downhill from there. I kept asking my massage therapist for more pressure and at times it didn’t seemed enough. I was distracted by her sighs at times and it seemed like she wasn’t used to giving a deep tissue massage. I’ve received plenty of deep tissue massages before and my former therapists never had trouble providing enough pressure, if not even much more. The good thing was that she did focus on my legs, which were really sore after their 3-​day hike in Yosemite Nat Park. After the massage, my therapist had to shake her hands and fingers and stretch out their fingers. My boyfriend was pleased with this massage therapy.
Price was reasonable for a couple’s 1 hr massage ($ 130) and the rooms were nice and clean. but I don’t think I will go here again, especially for a solo massage.

I mainly go to Holistic Xchange for their full body massages. I have Vanessa, and she is one of their newest members for Holistic Xchange. I personally think she’s great. I’ve been going here for a few months, and it’s one of the best places to go to for massages in Merced area. The owners are very easy to work with in terms of scheduling and possibly creating a package deal to best fit your needs.
They have a good deal about rescheduling. It’s $ 10 off your next massage appointment. Plus, if it’s your first time, I would recommend the 1 hour massages to just give it a go to determine whether or not you’ll come back. And they do offer different types of massages too. You might want to check out their website or call in to see if they can offer the type of massage you’d want.
Also, a friend was telling me they have packaged deals. If you go on their website, you can see if they offer any. I would say it’s worth it.

The yoga here is just great. The two teachers I have taken classes with have very different styles, but I like them both. Misako is a true yogi, calm and thoughtful. Jane is a natural teacher and is enthusiastic about yoga. It is very inexpensive to join on a monthly basis and well worth the money. A detail that might be a downside for some is that there are not many people in the classes for the most part, but I enjoy the laid back atmosphere this allows.

This is a review for massage therapy by Dale Paxton at Holistic Xchange.
First, some background. I am a long-​term devotee of massage therapy. I am very health conscious, and believe that massage provides important health benefits. That is, when it is performed regularly and properly. In the past several years, I’ve seen many massage therapists around the world (I travel a lot for work), and without hesitation I would recommend Dale as the best practitioner I’ve encountered. For starters, he is exceptionally knowledgeable about the human body. He has a physician’s appreciation for the workings of the skeleto muscular system — how it becomes stressed and how to reduce the effects of such stress. In addition, he has the dedication of a very creative person in pursuing new levels of technical expertise.
Dale fuses science and art in massage. Through his massage therapy, he has helped me in many ways, from reducing my general experience of stress to alleviating stress-​related conditions.
Dale is a massage genius. He is also a very dedicated and conscientious practitioner of an important skill.

No longer a spring chicken, now more than ever I try to take as good as care of my skin as possible. That’s why when Sandra recommended I come in for a facial, I was totally game. She is nothing less than awesome AND a miracle worker. Using her own magic potions, she worked on my face for an entire hour — not only was it like having a fantastic massage only on the face, my skin looked noticeably healthier after the process. There was no redness, irritation or breakout and my skin was glowing. The best part? Three days later and it’s STILL glowing, and my smile lines are much smoother and less noticeable. I highly recommend Holistic Xchange and Sandra, and I’m REALLY looking forward to participating in more of the services they offer. I have found my fountain of youth and her name is Sandra :) — check her out — you’ll be happy you did.

I experienced Holistic Xchange for the first time last night. I had an amazing facial by Sandra. She did such a good job! My facial was better then some full body massages I have had. I made sure to book my next appt before I left.

Holistic Xchange offers so many things to do in one place. I have had massages, facials, reiki, acupunture (when it was offered), a chiropractic exam, taken restorative yoga classes, stretch classes, belly dancing (when it was offered), and pole fitness. WOW! They also offer capoira classes, kickboxing and other things which I have not tried yet.

Try Arielle for a holistic facial. She mixes up fresh natural ingredients just for you based upon your skin needs. Natural non caustic refreshing, feed your skin.

I am so excited to have a facility like this in Merced! After all the options I had for holistic care in Los Angeles, this was a wonderful surprise.
The Holistic Xchange has everything from Ayurveda to pole fitness, Yoga to homeopathy, Feng Shui remedies to Reiki treatments — just to name a few. All of the treatments I’ve had (and I’ve had lots) have been top quality,
All of their massage therapists are EXCELLENT (from my own experience) and they are affordable — which makes me very happy! I’ve taken advantage of Reiki treatments and totally love that too.
They have great organic spa treatments like home made (that day) body scrubs, home made clay foot detox masks, reflexology, facials (awesome), waxing (cold wax) and lots of other cool stuff.
There is truly something here for everyone and they are continually fine tuning their current services and looking for other ways to provide great services and value for their clients.
I have found my holistic home here. The owner Lisa Vaz has incredible vision and seeks out their customer’s suggestions and opinions. The «HX» is continually looking for quality practitioners of different modalities to expand the «holistic» experience for their customers. I like that they don’t just settle for «what works» but build on that and are willing to branch out to new and unique areas! I love, love, love this place!

I am about as new to yoga as it comes, so when I say it is easy take it serious. A lady actually slept in the class. Not sure about anything else… bjut there is ear candling and pole dancing.
And a large building that seems clean.

This review is only for the yoga classes. A power yoga fanatic, I went here with my fiancé to see what this studio had to offer. We were greeted at the front desk and had to sign a waiver before attending class. The first week of classes is free for new members.
I’ve been to literally dozens of yoga classes, so was not sure what to expect at this location. The studio is very small and has poles scattered around for the pole dancing class. Mats, blankets, and props are provided. Patty was our teacher.
The class was, to put it mildly, SLOW. Slow movements, slow talking, and a dim light level that almost put me to sleep. It seemed very geared toward partner yoga, which I’ve done a bit but am actually not a fan of. Also, for those of you who have done regular Vinyasa or sun salutations, this was definitely a non-​standard sequence. Patty was very nice and led an excellent meditation segment of the class at the end.
I am marking this lower than usual because this class was so modified that I feel it wasn’t any sort of workout, and because this was not indicated on the schedule. If we had known what sort of class it was, we likely would have chosen another one. This is an interesting studio that offers many classes, but I will be on the hunt for power yoga in the Central Valley elsewhere.

So, I’ve now been to Holistic Xchange for things other than massages with Barbara Hath (who is still fabulous, for the record): facials with Ruth, and 1 yoga class.
Let me talk about the facials, since I’ve had several of them. Ruth is friendly, calm, and knowledgeable. She also sells body mists, room mists, and a shake batter mix, all under the label «blue oak ayurveda.» I’ve used the room mist (the one that smells like rain) and the shake batter (i used it to coat tofu and then lightly fry it). However, the best thing about Ruth, IMHO, is getting a facial with her. I had never had a facial before, so I wanted to work with someone I felt comfortable with, and I didn’t want to end up with a bad breakout or anything.
Getting a facial with her was totally relaxing– almost like getting a massage! She gave me a gentle chemical peel once, and has done steam/​moisturizing treatments.
I’ve had one yoga class there so far, but I was so out of shape that I’ve spent 2 days recovering– will post more at a later date.