This massage alternative will make you rattle and hum.

Every now and then, something makes us say, "This could only happen in California."

Lying in a sage-scented room, surrounded by giant gongs, tuning forks, healing stones and oils, we were bathed in sound.

Sound healing, we learned, is meant to release "stuck" emotions, "clear" the body of negativity and raise consciousness. We entered the session frazzled, irritable and wired, thinking we'd be lucky if we remembered to breathe.

But from the moment Jamie Bechtold struck the gongs and the sound rumbled and washed over us, our cares seemed to flow away. We breathed in aromatherapeutic mist as Bechtold held vibrating tuning forks to points on our body. It felt like a light buzz that kept humming after the forks were removed. Bechtold shined golden lights on us, and played a huge, quartz "singing bowl." Stones were placed on us for crystal healing.

When the hour-long session ended, we were so calm that we didn't mind the afternoon traffic.

And that never happens in California.

Jamie Bechtold, Los Angeles, (323) 839-6251 or email here