Their medium is the massage

Andrew Edwards

Ex-New Yorkers Jodi Wolf and Carol Warren recently opened a new

massage business on Harbor Boulevard. But Costa Mesa residents

needn’t worry -- it’s not that kind of massage business.

Wolf and Warren’s business has more to do with strip malls than

strip clubs. The pair opened the clinic July 8 and plan to launch

future franchises in the area.

The Costa Mesa clinic is part of the Arizona-based Massage Envy

chain. Wolf said the pair purchased exclusive rights to expand the

franchise in Orange County.

Warren, a former corporate attorney, and Wolf, who worked in the

telecommunications business, shared a simple problem before they left

the East Coast for the O.C.

“We both hated our jobs,” Wolf said.

“We wanted to build something from the ground up that we would

both enjoy,” Warren added.

As of Thursday, they had hired 13 licensed massage therapists and

planned to expand their payroll to include 30 masseuses. Interviewing

new hires goes beyond the basic back-and-forth over an applicant’s

resume.

“Carol and I are not massage therapists, so we’ve had to learn all

this -- as well as get a lot of massages,” Wolf said. “Part of the

interview process is to get a massage.”

The clinic’s services include deep tissue, Swedish and maternity

massage and sports therapy.

“We’ve had a lot of people come to us who are in pain -- back

pain, neck pain, migraines. And the nice thing about us is that we

can give same-day appointments,” Wolf said. “When people are in pain

they don’t want to wait.”

The erstwhile East Coasters said they had not yet established any

business contacts in Orange County before they made their move.

Switching coasts not only required learning new tax laws but also

getting used to a more casual business climate.

“It was exciting because it was something we were looking forward

to. It was challenging making the switch from New York to California

living because everyone’s so relaxed here,” Warren said.

Though business moves slower in California than in New York, the

stereotypical laid-back Californian is a different animal in traffic,

Wolf observed. She jokingly said that New York has its share of

aggressive drivers, but “they won’t get out of the car and hit you.”

* Massage Envy is in the Costa Mesa Square shopping center at 3030

Harbor Blvd.