Public transportation, third spaces, and rest
When I first arrived in New York, the rushed city life felt entirely overwhelming. Seas of speed walking people, constant honking cars, a go-go-go atmosphere. This massage therapist felt out of her element! And while I know not every part of NYC is like that, I wondered how people don’t feel exhausted all the time.
But as I familiarized myself with public transportation and spent more time on the subway, I noticed the amount of resting that people do in between stops, and something clicked. In “Rest is Resistance,” Tricia Hersey speaks on finding small moments of rest throughout the day, whether that’s a few seconds or a few minutes. This was exactly I was seeing. Accessible, public transportation being used as a time to put the phone down, rest your eyes, and breathe with the rocking of the subway. It didn’t matter that the trip might take longer; it was a natural moment for a reset in the midst of chaos.
Along with this, I was struck with the sheer amount of third spaces in the city. Areas where people can just exist- without paying, without looking a certain way, without needing to be productive. There seems to be an inherent community standard of care that exists in NYC, and it’s very comforting.
In Sacramento, more and more third spaces have been popping up, which is wonderful (shout-out to public libraries and A Seat At The Table Books). And while it is wonderful, I also feel that Sacramento’s permits and zoning laws inhibit the potential for third space growth and accessible community care.
For example, Remedy’s Wellness Room: a space I intended to be open for clients to use even if they didn’t have an appointment that day, with comfortable seating, books, tea, yoga mats, etc. I learned the hard way that permit and zoning laws are ultra-strict about massage therapy, when the city inspected Remedy earlier this year and then issued an immediate three week shut-down. Remedy is no longer allowed to have student externs (a service that helped massage students practice on the public and a free service for people in need), host our free monthly Chronic Pain and Chronic Illness Support Group, or have anyone else inside Remedy besides myself, my current client, and their care-taker if needed.
*I want to acknowledge that massage regulations are necessary, especially for Sacramento where there are many cases of human trafficking via massage parlors. And I also believe that there must be better ways to navigate small business regulation, especially when it comes to community care.*
While this small example is just one of many, and I certainly don’t have all of the perfect solutions on hand, I know that Sacramento could learn a lot from these aspects of NYC. Public transportation and third spaces prioritize people over profit, offer community care, and can encourage rest in a world filled with very tired people.
