Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paola ‘Lola’ Pujols. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Paola ‘Lola’, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

In both areas of professions, massage therapy and modeling, I feel like my work has been misunderstood, even overlooked in some ways. In regards to massage therapy, I specialize in relaxation, energy work and mind/body integration. In the massage therapy world, deep pressured, therapeutic modalities, are considered the high standard for effective healing, often shaming or overlooking the benefits of other modalities such as Parasympathetic massage, Swedish, Lomi Lomi, and Reiki to name a few. I have experienced scrutiny for maintaining a lighter pressure/approach when it comes to working on the body from fellow massage colleagues. What I have found in my almost four years of working as a massage therapist at the country’s leading massage franchise, is that most people suffer from chronic tension due to being overly stressed and overly stimulated, often making it difficult for them to fully relax during their sessions. Therefore, when these same clients ask & receive for deep, therapeutic body work, more times than not they are unable to receive the full benefits of the work due to the inability to surrender to the work and allow their muscles to release the tension they are experiencing. And since they are tense, it is very likely they are experiencing some sort of pain or discomfort when receiving these deeper therapeutic modalities, causing them to tense up even more!

In my work, I blend modalities such as Lomi Lomi, Ayurvedic, deep tissue, and parasympathetic to encourage deep relaxation while simultaneously working through the layers of fascia and muscles in order to relieve tension.

I love the idea of my clients feeling good on and off the table. And I am confident my massage style accomplishes that. Throughout these past few years, I have been telling my clients, “the physical things we feel in our bodies our manifestations of the mental, emotional, and spiritual tensions we experience. Which is why, I believe a holistic approach is necessary when it comes to healing and taking care of the body.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi! I am Paola Pujols, also known as Lola and I am a massage therapist, Reiki Master, intuitive tarot/oracle card reader, Freelance model, and a Creative Director. In short, I am a creative entrepreneur!

All of these trades, in some way or form, have all fallen into my lap! My sister gifted me first deck of tarot cards when I was 18 or 19. It took me a couple weeks to work through my self-doubt and intimidation revolving them. I’ve been reading cards ever since.
In regards to massage therapy and Reiki, I did not intentionally seek them out. Traditional school did not resonate with me, so I dropped out of college after 2 years. While working retail, I was learning and exploring my interest for holistic health. My interest in holistic health is influenced by my mother. With roots from the island of the Dominican Republic, in the Caribbean, my mother raised my siblings and I on a whole food diet & medicinal remedies made from herbs & Whole Foods. I didn’t realize how my upbringing would deeply impact my career until it came time to dedicate my time to something. After dropping out of college, I started looking for holistic health practitioners programs in San Diego. Upon doing research, I found a couple of programs here in San Diego, however did not make any solid decisions on any. Fast forward about a week later, I was roaming downtown after being set free from jury duty. I was not walking anywhere in particular and yet, I found myself on the same street of one of the schools I had looked into. Next thing I knew, I was speaking to the admissions counselor of ICoHS, also known as International Knowledge of Holistic Studies. I was in awe at the synchronicity of it all. The admissions counselor at that time, Donna, was her name, was extremely welcoming and very passionately provided all the details in regards to the holistic health practitioner program. It was in that very meeting, where I found out the foundation of this program was massage therapy. I always laugh when I think back to that moment because, I remember the way I scrunched my face and said, “massage? like touching bodies? that’s kind of weird, but okay.” I laugh because I fell in love with the craft. It did not long for me to make a decision. Within a matter of weeks, I applied, received financial aid, and was enrolled to start in April 2018, shortly after my birthday. The program was a year long. At the time, I was living in Alpine and was commuting to downtown 4 days out of the week, which I mostly enjoyed as it gave me time to think and hold car concerts while in traffic. As soon as I received my table, I started offering donation based sessions. Within that year, I moved, I lost my car, twice, changed jobs, started dipping my toes in modeling, got another car that stopped turning on after a couple months, all the while was processing through personal challenges and difficulties. It was a hectic year, yet I have no regrets because I gained a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. I was fortunate to have a job with the leading massage franchise in the country, waiting for me shortly before graduating.

In these past 4 years of being a massage therapist, reiki practitioner, intuitive reader, and model, I have learned the importance of self acceptance, self care, and compassion. My experience and my abilities have allow me to cultivate a space for my clients to feel safe, not only during our sessions, but in their communion with self as well. I specialize in relaxation, mind/body integration, and identifying challenge areas for my clients. We live in a society where we are overstimulated, overworked, and bombarded with information, so one of my main goals while working with my clients is to facilitate a space where the feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable, feel safe, and feel at ease within themselves. While simultaneously providing additional techniques and insight on how to continue caring for self with intention and care. I am most proud of the connections I am able to have with my clients, as well as witnessing the growth in those who are able to receive my work on a consistent basis. There is a belittling stigma, in my opinion, when it comes to modalities such as reiki, Swedish or relaxing massages, often associated with the idea that those practices are not effectively therapeutic, and that is simply untrue. Before receiving any kind of deep work, one must first learn and/or learn how to relax… how to be receptive… how to gauge their boundaries. All of which, my blend of modalities enforces. My business, my craft revolves around teaching and facilitating those practices.

As a model and an overall creative, these principles apply in relation to expressing confidence in my creativity. I started modeling while I was a few months into massage school. The compassion that was emerging from learning and working on the human body, I began applying to my photos. I have had an affinity for taking photos since I was a young girl. I love being in front of the camera! Behind the lens on a good day. I have grown to see the connection between understanding Self and creation. Honoring the body as a work of art, a masterpiece by hands of the divine, I aim to embody that appreciation in my photos as I continue to grow creatively.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I am currently in a time of pivoting. Since mastering my skills and abilities, I have not given enough time nor energy to marketing my brand/business. Marketing is the thorn in my toe. If I could just do my job and not have to worry about the admin aspects of running a business, I would be the happiest gal in the world, haha! Considering the type of work that I do, I have had an aversion to sharing my work via social media. Though, I value the privacy and the sacredness of my practice, I have allowed that same value limit the expansion of my business. As of late, I have been in the process of building alternative methods and systems to market my services. Word of mouth is extremely effective, however it can not be the sole method of bringing in clients. Recently, I started working alongside some amazing practitioners and has pushed me to revise the way I market myself. I am no stranger to working events as a service provider, however since joining The Rope Collective, the manner in which I show up these events and how I provide my services are shifting for the better.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I currently have 3,257 followers on Instagram. In a time of social media stars and influencers, that can be considered relatively low, however imagine being in a room with 3,257 people? I am proud of the following that I do have because it is all organic growth! Most of the people who follow me are people I know, people I have connected with (in person & online), or people who genuinely enjoy my content. Before Covid, I was attending A LOT of events here in San Diego. Generally, events and experiences that piqued my interests or events that were curated by anyone in my network circle. I think there are 3 stable rules to follow if you are in the process of building your social media presence.

1) Start Posting!! Forget about the aesthetics and post the things that you want! I know that goes against what the brand strategists are advising, however people love raw personality, creative, and FUNNY posts. We are in the time where people want to invest in who you are as a person as well as your passions. So don’t be shy to share whatever you feel comfortable sharing.

2) Go out & Network! It is easy to get caught up in the virtual world, however networking at different events that pique your interests, give you the opportunity to connect with likeminded individuals. Staying connected via social media is a great way to expand your network, while building genuine engagement. Networking is essential for brands/businesses! You never know what kind of opportunities you may receive or create by putting yourself out there.

3) Engagement! It is important to have genuine engagement in order to maintain rapport with your followers, as well as gain new ones. Comment on your favorite artist posts. Share your thoughts on controversial topics. In this case, it is okay to talk to strangers. Maintaining a healthy and positive virtual relationships leads to genuine interaction for you and your followers!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @lolaxlachiva
• Linkedin: Paola Pujols
• Twitter: @lolaxlachiva

Image Credits
1st, black dress- Steve Cooper, @stevecooperlifestyles, The Black R.A.C. Fashion Show 2nd, yellow pants, Jarvis, @twelve_vision 3rd, holding red mask, Frank Martinez, @xplr_est82 4th, massage, Damonique Kovu, @damonique_kovu 5th, pink butterfly dress, Blaine Dean, @blainedeanmedia 6th rope w/ toni, Damonique Kovu, @damonique_kovu 7th, rope, Frank Martinez, @xplr_est82 8th, Pink dress, Bao Phan, @baotqphan 9th, body paint, iPhone photo, Bodypaint by Monisha McNeely 10th, yellow backless, Loyde Cordero, @bigshotzstudio 11th, red glasses, Marcus Booker, @mb3production