Detoxing Valley Style!

Summary

Detox Retox with Tom Schwartz — “Detoxing Valley Style!”

PodcastOne | Aired: February 6, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this refreshingly laid-back episode, Tom Schwartz takes listeners on a “Valley-style” wellness day, guiding us through his favorite nature spots, restaurants, and a deep dive into Hawaiian-inspired massage. Balancing mindfulness with trademark mischief, Tom’s goal is to showcase how reconnecting with the outdoors—and a little self-care—can help restore inner balance, even amid the chaos of life and Los Angeles. Guest spots from his girlfriend Kiana and wellness practitioner Jan make for an immersive, lighthearted journey.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Opening Thoughts: Finding Calm Before the Storm

• [00:29] Tom kicks off by reflecting on the pressures of life and his preferred methods to de-stress, asking:
  “What do you guys do when you get to the point where you feel like you're gonna snap? I like to reconnect with Mother Nature.”
• He proposes a quintessential Valley day: hiking, lunch at Aroma Cafe, maybe a massage.
• References the new season of The Valley and how filming was “natural” and restorative for him.

Hiking Fryman Canyon — The Valley’s Natural Oasis

• [02:30] Tom’s go-to for zen is Fryman Canyon:
  • Not particularly strenuous (“easy, breezy, lemon squeezy”), dog-friendly, inclusive, with beautiful panoramic views.
• Shares insights about how the landscape changes after LA’s rains:
  “There’s times you almost feel like you’re in Hawaii… the hills become lush. The vibrant shades of green make you feel alive, happy, invigorated.”
• Favorite quote found on a Fryman bench:

  “Sometimes you just need to rest. The world can wait.” (Schulman Family Foundation, [02:48])

• Encourages "forest bathing" (shinrin yoku), the Japanese practice of slowing down in natural woodland environments, citing scientific and therapeutic benefits.

Nature’s Science — Forest Bathing, Phytoncides, and More

• [05:30] Introduces listeners to terms:
  • Shinrin yoku (forest bathing): Immersing in the forest atmosphere to unwind.
  • Phytoncides: Airborne chemicals from plants which purportedly benefit human immune systems.
  • Citherism (psithurism): The rustling sound of leaves, which is “like Mother Nature’s white noise”—soothing, non-repetitive, and evolutionarily reassuring.
  • Komorebi: The Japanese word for “interplay of light and shadow filtered through leaves.”
• Memorable explanation:
  “It’s like going to the beach, listening to ocean waves, right? Give your mind a fucking break.” ([09:48])

Slowing Down & Being Present

• Tom underscores the importance of “touching grass”—literally and figuratively—to disconnect from the overwhelming noise of modern life.
• Candidly shares:
  "I've tried meditating multiple times... but hiking, being in Mother Nature, it kind of does what meditation promises, but without the instructions, you know?" ([14:18])
• Pokes fun at wellness contradictions and LA living:
  “Coffee’s good for you. Oh, it’s bad for you. Wine is good for you. Oh, now it’s bad for you…”
  • Emphasizes nature’s power to reset, suggesting:

    “If you’re experiencing cacophony, go out there, nice little hike, get primitive and quiet and savor the beautiful day.”* ([15:40])

Lomi Lomi Massage — Hawaiian Healing

• [18:03] Tom visits Fred Parker Wellness on Ventura Blvd with Kiana, introducing Jan, the Lomi Lomi practitioner.

• Jan explains Lomi Lomi:

  “Lomi means massage in Hawaiian... Lomi Lomi is temple-style work... done in the temples in ancient times for healing... There's a lot of forearms, a lot of flow, some stretching... it’s very healing.”

  • Ritual begins with a chant calling in ancestral spirits and inviting the client’s intention; aims for deep peace and unity.
  • Kiana is asked to hold and release her intention, hoping for a life-changing experience ([18:03-19:37]).

• Humorous exchange:

  Tom: “Is it bad luck if she’s already confided her intentions in me? Because she told me what it is. It’s bellinis at lunch after this.” ([19:37])
  Jan: “Absolutely not. No problem.” ([19:51])

Nostalgic Eats — Arts Deli

• [20:08] Tom stops at Arts Deli on Ventura:
  • Raves about the classic, family-owned spot since 1957.
  • Orders matzo ball soup and a turkey Reuben, revels in the “massive” sandwich and atmosphere.
  • Jokes: “It’s a pity we don’t have smell-o-vision or at least video for this because this sandwich is massive.”

Bellinis & Reflections — The Front Yard

• [22:05] Post-massage, at The Front Yard (The Garland Hotel), Tom and Kiana wrap up their valley wellness tour over Bellinis.
• Kiana shares her Lomi Lomi experience:
  • “Very relaxed,” “a little less anxious,” and appreciated the unique spiritual element.
  • “There was a chant at the beginning…never had that before for a massage. But I liked it. I was like, okay, this means it will be powerful.” ([22:15])
  • Did it change her life?
    • “Too soon to tell. Was it day-changing? Yeah, it was day-changing, which, with the butterfly effect, could be life changing.” ([23:05-23:15])
    • “If I don’t have anxiety tomorrow, that’s life-changing.”

Final Thoughts

• Tom rounds off the episode with a Valley bucket list:
  • Fryman Canyon, Aroma Cafe, Fred Parker Wellness, Arts Deli, The Front Yard—and a gentle reminder to balance detox with occasional retox.

  “I know it’s a detox episode. Back off. This is a light drink. We’re having one anyways.” ([23:25])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Go out there and touch some grass. I don’t mean that in like a sarcastic, snarky way... Helps you be more present, you know what I’m saying?” — Tom, [13:38]
• “Forest bathing... comes from the Japanese practice of shinrin yoku... just involves immersing yourself in a nice, relaxing forest atmosphere to chill out, wind down, reduce stress, and just give yourself an effing break.” — Tom, [06:18]
• “It’s a sound that exists only in the moment. And you can really, like, not only hear it, but you can kind of feel it... Like a little whisper, a sweet little whisper from Mother Nature.” — Tom, on citherism, [09:33]
• “I chant in the beginning to ask for the client’s ancestral spirits to come in and mine to come in to help bring peace and unity and wholeness to the session.” — Jan, on Lomi Lomi, [18:38]
• “Was it day-changing? Yeah, it was day-changing, which, with the butterfly effect, could be life changing.” — Kiana, [23:05]

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Key Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Topic | |-----------|----------------------------------------------| | 00:29 | Opening reflections; prepping for Valley day | | 02:30 | Hiking Fryman Canyon & forest bathing intro | | 06:18 | Science of “forest bathing” and phytoncides | | 09:33 | On “citherism” and the sound of leaves | | 13:38 | Presence, hiking vs. meditation | | 15:40 | Life’s cacophony & decompressing outdoors | | 18:03 | At Fred Parker Wellness: Lomi Lomi explained | | 20:08 | Lunch at Arts Deli | | 22:05 | The Front Yard: post-massage Bellinis & chat | | 23:25 | Episode wrap-up, Tom’s Valley bucket list |

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Episode Takeaways

• Nature as Therapy: The Valley’s hiking trails offer more than exercise—they’re Tom’s medicine for chaotic times.
• Wellness is Both Science and Ritual: Concepts like forest bathing, phytoncides, and ancient bodywork show that wellness is both backed by tradition and science.
• Small Rituals Matter: Whether it’s a hike, a sound bath, a special massage, or even a nostalgic sandwich, mindful rituals can be day—and maybe life—changing.
• Permission to “Retox”: Balance is key, and Tom encourages the occasional (responsible) indulgence as part of a happy, harmonious life.

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For listeners looking to recreate a “detox day” Valley-style, Tom’s guide is playful, earnest, and packed with practical gems—plus, a few words for your next game of Scrabble.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

It's now time for your weekly detox with Tom Schwartz.

[A]

It feels good to be home. It's always the calm before the storm.

[B]

There's only so much I can take.

[A]

Before or I snap. You know what I'm saying? We've all been there. What do you guys do when you get to the point where you're ready to snap? What do you think of the new teaser season three of the Valley? Pretty good, huh? Pretty juicy. I love the Valley, the show and the location. And I had so much filming this season. I felt lucky. It felt like as natural a transition as possible. I laughed a lot and we lived it up. Oh, my God. I live, laugh, loved. Oh, my God. The holy trifecta trinity. But, yeah, what do you guys do when you get to the point where you feel like you're gonna snap? I like to reconnect with Mother Nature. And I was thinking we'd go on a little hike. You know, maybe some lunch at Aroma Cafe to Hunga Village, then maybe a little wellness massage. What do you think about that? Are you in? You ever heard of Fred Parker Wellness on Ventura? We're gonna get a Lomi Lomi massage. I don't even know what that is, but I think it's rooted in Hawaiian culture and it sounds fabulous. So if you guys are cool, do you want to come with? Yeah. A nice restorative, little reconnect with Mother Nature. Are you guys in? Okay. It was really breezy. Oh, it's real breezy. See? Told you.

[B]

Easy.

[A]

Easy squeezy. Easy, breezy, lemon squeezy. As you can see, I was gonna do the whole episode up there. I thought it'd be nice. The birds chirping, sun shining. But, like, it was just the audio. Quality with the breeze was too much. So I'm back at the crib, snuggled up with the pups. Rooftop sun is setting. The vibes are way up, way up. And yeah, Fryman is a vibe that's like one of my favorite hikes in all the valley. Instead of therapy, I usually just go to Fryman. I know should be the best of both worlds, but, like, it's a great location. It's not too strenuous. It's like two and a half miles I think the loop, dog friendly, lots of people, always feels pretty safe. Gorgeous, sprawling views of the valley, surrounded by the hills, the stars, and man, it just feels cool there. You know, back in 2012, got voted best running trail by LA Weekly. Yeah, but I go there for less of a workout. I don't want to flex on you. I don't say it's pretty easy, but for me it's more therapeutic, relaxing. But it's challenging enough to where you do get a little workout, you get a little sweat, and it's one of my happy little places. I was looking at one of the tree people's benches, and there's a little quote on there. It says, sometimes you just need to rest. The world can wait. And that was donated by the Schulman family Foundation. But yeah, I'm taking that rest so you can wait world Chill out while you breathing down my neck World. Okay, sorry. But it's like my favorite hike to clear my head in the valley. So you guys check it out. If you go on a little valley tour, especially after it rains in la, the hills become lush. There's times you almost feel like you're in Hawaii. Is there a Hawaiian theme under Hawaiian Undercurrent on this episode? But yes, the vibrant shades of green. Go check out my Instagram. They just make you feel alive, happy, invigorated, birds chirping, people laughing, sun shining bright. Parts of it are canopied. If you're feeling adventurous, you can venture off. Once you get to the top of the loop in the cul de sac, which is like this idyllic little neighborhood, but on the right side, you can go up if you're up for the challenge. And it's beautiful. You feel like you're deep in the Santa Monica mountains, even more gorgeous. And. And lots of trees. By the way, there's a term for this, the term for breathing in fresh air around trees and plants. It's forest bathing. Well, that sounds kind of sexy. I like it. I need more forest bathing in my life. Yeah. So it comes from the Japanese practice of shinin yoku. I think I'm pronouncing that right. Shinin yoku. And it pretty much just involves immersing yourself in a nice, relaxing forest atmosphere to chill out, wind down, reduce stress, and just give yourself an effing break. Yes. Shinrin yoku. I think it literally translates to forest bath. So, yeah, you go out there and you just bathe in Mother Nature's greatness. Boost that immune system while bathing in the forest, and you inhale Phytosocit. Wait, stick me with me on this one. I've never pronounced this one before, but I think I'm pronouncing it right. Does that sound right to you guys? Phytoncides. Yeah, phytoncides. So essentially, when you go out there and you're hiking and you're surrounded by all these beautiful plants and vegetation, you inhale phytoncides, which are airborne chemicals emitted by plants and trees, especially evergreens. You know the smell. But yeah, they emit these chemicals to protect themselves from insects and diseases, but apparently these compounds can help boost your human immune system. That's right. So there's health benefits to this, Aside from just being effing relaxing, it's just. Yeah, man. Lower that blood pressure, lower that cortisol, lower the cortisol levels, improve your mood, and just vibe out. Give yourself a nice break. I think technically, when you're, you know, forest bathing, you don't want it to be a strenuous workout. It's more like laid back, gentle, like I said before, easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Mindful rather than rigorous. But, I mean, it can be the best of both worlds. Yeah. By the way, if you go to Freimon and you think it's kind of hard, I hope I didn't insult you. Don't be like Schwartz. Fuck. That was kind of hard, man. I'm just, like, so used to it. It seems like second nature. Cruise control. Zen helps me be present up there. It's a great place to go after filming another season of reality tv, which felt like a healing season for me. I mean, don't worry, there's plenty. Again, plenty of drama. Hi, Jinx. It's a good one. It's a doozy. I definitely channeled some vintage sloppy Schwartz at times, but overall, it felt fucking good to be back filming with friends. I love in the Valley, hitting some iconic spots, perhaps a few trips together and. Yeah. But back to the hike. Can you guys hear that? The rustling of the leaves? See, it sounds like shit word for that. There is a word for that. I think it's your ism. Citism is the word. You guys want to spell it for you? Okay, so it's P S I T H U R I ESM Citherism. Ooh. I like the way that rolls off the. The tongue. It's almost. It's almost like an onomatopoeia. Right. It sounds like the breeze rustling the leaves, but way sexier. And, yeah, it's kind of like Mother Nature's White noise, non repetitive, low frequency. Just kind of gives yourself, your brain, something soothing to latch onto without demanding too much attention, you know? It's like. It's like going to the beach, listening to ocean waves, Right? Give your mind a fucking break. Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you. I was more towards myself, but, yeah, man, from an evolutionary standpoint, those gentle. Those sweet, sweet, gentle leaf sounds mean no immediate threat. One of my favorite white noises. But, yeah, like, if you're walking in the forest and it's just completely silent, that's kind of scary. Especially if you hear a baby cry and it's just you out there and it's midnight. No, but, yeah, something about hearing the leafs rustle takes you back to your. Your childhood, when life felt a lot slower and way less chaotic. You know what I'm saying? It's like. It's a sound that exists only in the moment. And you can really, like, not only hear it, but you can kind of feel it, you know? You can feel yourself just reconnecting with nature, touching grass, touching the proverbial grass. Your nervous system naturally drops, dialed in. Now. It's almost like a little whisper, a sweet little whisper from Mother Nature. Hey, everything's gonna be okay. Almost like intimate. All right. I took it too far. I don't want to make it. I don't want to sexualize this. This moment. But, yes, it really does. It really does. Like, it's just that soft little rustle. I guess it. I don't know, it reminds me to just take a moment and pause, slow down, be present. We're part of something larger. We're human beings. We're not cogs in the machine. Right. I love that word, though. Should we say it one more time? I like it. Sith arism. Let's lock in with that one. We gotta memorize that one. That's a good one. Oh, I got another one for you guys, which I also saw today. This is one of my favorite words. Words. It's also. It's a Japanese term. It's comorebi. Say it with me. Comorebi. Yeah, so it's like essentially light shining through trees, but I should make it sound sexier than that. It's like. It's like the interplay of light and shadow created by sunlight filtered through the leaves of trees. You know what I'm saying? Like light just dancing or cascading patterns through the tree onto the ground. It's like. It's like a little light waterfall, right? Like little. Little, like streaks of light leaking through the trees. How cool is that? Add that one into the repertoire. Comorebi. But you guys, there's a point to this. Just remind yourself to slow down a little bit. Give yourself a break, you know what I'm saying? Soak up some of those fighting sides, you know? I'm full of those right now. And also it was so loud and rustly that I had to go back to the crib. Like I said, I'm cuddled up with the dogs on the rooftop releasing that sweet love hormone. Okay, that sounds weird. The cuddle hormone, some oxytocin. Listen, alright, the point being is it's a full on detox day. I'm fully sober, but I'm high on life. Valley life, okay? I am high on valley life. These hikes for me, they just. Okay, I've tried meditating multiple times. We're gonna get there. But hiking, being in mother nature, it kind of. It does what meditation promises, but without the instructions, you know? And it's just so easy the way it watches over you. I always get a fresh breath of perspective when I go on a hike, you know what I mean? Kind of makes not only you, but your worries of the day seem small. Not to diminish your guys's worries, okay, I know they're big, but just, just a reminder, get out there and touch some grass. I don't mean that in like a sarcastic, snarky way. It's a reoccurring theme on here. Helps you be more present, you know what I'm saying? The constant hyper overstimulation, my phone, my TV ads, bills, mortgage, rent, taxes. Coffee's good for you. Oh, it's bad for you. Wine is good for you. Oh, now it's bad for you. Heavy metals in our food. Heavy metal in my head. Not like in the cool rock and roll, Metallica sort of way, but like a cacophony. I haven't said that word since, you know, when my trip to Mexico, sorry, Katie, just popped in my head. But yeah, if you're experiencing cacophony, go out there, nice little hike, get primitive and quiet and savor the beautiful day. Hopefully it's beautiful in the woods and yeah, man, go out there and hike and go get a nice little run, lunch in the Valley. Go to Aroma Cafe. You know what? We're gonna get a massage now if you guys are down. I've never heard of this. Okay, I think, yeah, Fred Parker Wellness and I've been there, it's fabulous. They do sound baths, all kinds of different massages, but we're gonna get a Lomi Lomi massage. I don't know what that is. Sometimes I like going in. Kind of ignorant and learning. So hopefully Jan can just give us a Little Lomi Lomi101. We're gonna pick up there at Fred Parker Wellness. Yeah, we're treating ourselves today. Treat yo self. Okay, I'll pick back up in a second. If you've been feeling like it's the same week on repeat, congrats. You're celebrating Groundhog's Day emotionally and that's okay. Thankfully there's a gummy for that. Also, if you live in la, kinda feels like every day is Groundhog's Day. 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And don't forget to fill out a little survey when you order to support the show. Thank you guys and as always, enjoy responsibly. And a massive thank you to indycloud for supporting our show. This episode is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever find yourself playing the budgeting game? Well, with a name your price tool from Progressive you can find options that fit your budget and potentially lower your bills. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law. Not available in all states. Okay, I'm on the iconic Ventura Boulevard with my beautiful girlfriend Kiana and Jan at Fred Parker Wellness, a spot I love. I got a lymphatic drain massage here. Jan, can you tell us just a Little bit. What a lomi Lomi massage is.

[B]

So lomi means massage in Hawaiian. It's a Hawaiian traditional Hawaiian bodywork. And anything that they say twice is like us saying very. So Lomi lomi is like temple style work. It was done in the temples in ancient times for healing, and they would work on you for however long they needed to work on you until you were well. So there's a lot of forearms, it's a lot of flow, there's some stretching. I do work on energy fields as well, and it's very healing. Traditional Hawaiian bodywork. I chant in the beginning to ask for the client, in this case Kiana's ancestral spirits to come in and mine to come in to help bring peace and unity and wholeness to the session. I ask the client, in this case Kiana, to, in the very beginning, to hold her intention for what it is she wishes for from this session. That's between her and herself. And then I ask her to let that go. Then I do a chant which is calling in the ancestors to come and help to bring peace, to bring healing, to bring unity to our work, and then we go for it. And at the end, I'm hoping that it will be somewhat of a life changing experience for her.

[A]

Okay. That was beautiful, Jan. Thank you so much. Can I ask, is it bad luck if she's already confided her intentions in me? Because she told me what it is. It's Bellinis at lunch after this.

[B]

Absolutely not. No problem.

[A]

Okay. Thank you so much. Thank you so, so much. I'm gonna let you guys do your thing. I'm gonna go get some coffee at Bluestone and I'll be back in a little bit. Thank you, Jan. It's so nice to meet you.

[B]

Nice to meet you, Tom.

[A]

Thank you. So I snuck over right across the street to an iconic spot, an institution. It's been here since 1957. Family owned, the real deal Arts delicacy. I'm looking at their dictionary with basic Yiddish on their massive menu, and I think I'm doing a little Nakias. Nakias, which means lunch at Arts. And I'm getting their famous matzo ball soup. I got a Reuben on the way. Turkey instead of pastrami because I'm a basic. But so far, it's lived up everything I hoped it would be. You can just feel the history in here. Right outside. Yeah. Venturella Boulevard, the Palm Tree Line streets. I got my sandwich coming right now, so I'm gonna shut up and. Oh, my God, that looks amazing. It is right oh, my God. Wait. It really is a work of art. Thank you. You guys. Okay. It's a pity we don't have smell O vision or at least video for this because this sandwich is massive. I'm gonna do my best to tackle it, but if you get a chance, come check it out. It's the real deal. Yeah. Again, family owned Arts delicacy, Venture Boulevard. Love this place. You've probably seen a few movies filmed here. All right, I'm gonna shut up and eat my pastrami. Okay. Okay. We're at the front yard. It's located in the Garland, which is my favorite hotel in the Valley. It's got cute little gift shops. We finally got those Bellinis. I'm with Kiana post Lomi Lomi massage. And this place is significant because we've had many meetings for vanderpump rules and the Valley here. So I thought it'd be a fitting way to end the episode with the Bellinis. Kiana, how was the Lomi Lomi massage?

[C]

It was wonderful. I was very relaxed. I set my intention to get Bellinis at lunch after, and my intentions were met. I'm kidding. When I. There we go. So corny. That wasn't me. The intention I set actually was to feel a little bit less anxious, and I left feeling a lot less anxious. It was different than any other massage I've ever had. It was a little bit more. Hmm. Felt like there was intention. Felt like there was a spiritual element. Like she said, there was a chant. There was a chant at the beginning, which never had that before for a massage. But I liked it. I was like, okay, this means it will be powerful. I don't know. Was excited for what would come from that.

[A]

Was it life changing?

[C]

Was it life changing? Too soon to tell. Was it day changing? Yeah, it was day changing, which, with.

[A]

The butterfly effect, could be life changing.

[C]

And I did set my intention to rid of my anxiety. And I have no anxiety right now. And if I don't tomorrow, that's life changing.

[A]

You guys, thanks for joining us. Another episode. That's it. Detox Retox. Check out Fred Parker. Check out Arts delicacy. Check out Aroma Cafe. Check out Fryman Canyon. Check out the front yard and maybe have a Bellini. I know it's a detox episode. Back off. This is a light drink. We're having one anyways. Love you guys. Check out the teaser, the new season of the Valley. And I'll see you in the Valley. Detoxification complete for the haters.

[C]

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