Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Giving Presence: Violet Johnson got the idea for 'Feel Good Day' from watching the Oprah Winfrey show.
Violet Johnson's Helping Hands
Spa owner and friends give the residents of a local homeless shelter tender loving care
By Michele Leung
As with most Silicon Valley residents, Vanessa Dalcourt will freely attest that life in this fast-paced corner of the world has its own amount of stress. What better way to ease her tension than to receive a therapeutic massage from Violet Johnson, a Willow Glen body specialist who owns Violet Johnson's Wellness Spa.
Except that Dalcourt is no typical spa client, she's a homeless woman who resides at the San Jose Family Shelter at 1590 Las Plumas Ave., and took advantage of Johnson's visit to her temporary home.
The free services, called "Feel Good Day," took place in two small rooms at the shelter on March 19. For five hours, Johnson, her husband William, and Linda Atencio and Robin Raymundo of Elite Image, a Lincoln Avenue salon, donated their time and services to shelter residents, doing massage, styling hair and giving away lotions and shampoos. Johnson's crew hit all the right spots.
"[William] was great. He did everything--my back, my neck, my fingers," said Dalcourt of her first massage ever.
"I see that residents feel good about themselves today," said Anna Lopez, day supervisor at the shelter.
Staff members at the shelter say that the residents face the same stress of family issues and daily living as everybody else. They carry an added burden, however--the lack of a permanent home. Staffers believe that Violet Johnson's services can go a long way. A smart new haircut might be just the push they need to look for a job and start getting back on their feet again.
"[Feeling better] gives them a better outlook on life," said Diane McGee, coordinator of volunteer services.
"With a better appearance, they feel they can accomplish something. Living at a shelter, you feel as low as possible," said Lopez.
Johnson said she got the idea for Feel Good Day from the Oprah Winfrey show. In one segment, the talk show host found cab drivers in New York City who, for a few hours one day, shuttled customers for free. Starbucks employees also gave away free coffee and even delivered it to their patrons' cars.
"Oprah Winfrey is my heroine. I love this woman," said Johnson, who tapes the show every day. "She exemplifies giving back. The more she gives, the more she gets back."
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Saving Face: Violet Johnson administers a facial to Andre LaVance during Feel Good Day at the San Jose Family Shelter.
The experience at the shelter has opened Johnson's eyes. "It's a wake-up call. I'm not wealthy by any means. But you really get smug and caught up in Silicon Valley," she said.
Her companions gained similar insight. Linda Atencio noted that many of the residents had very damaged hair and she couldn't always style it the way they wanted it. But she was happy to pamper them, nonetheless. "They feel they're not so homeless for a while," she said.
Working at the shelter was a heartfelt moment for both Atencio and the residents. "The gratitude was more emotional," she said, adding she got choked up a few times while cutting hair. In contrast, "my [usual] clients are grateful because they will look great at a dance. Almost a spoiled kind of gratitude."
For Robin Raymundo, the day at San Jose Family Shelter marked a kind of homecoming for her. She could relate to the residents, she said. Twelve years ago, she also lived in a shelter with her two children. "This is a personal thing," she said. "I have come full circle."
Performing community service is nothing new for Violet Johnson. Born and raised in England, she has a background in midwifery and nursing and a Ph.D. in public health from Cambridge University. She credits her mother for pushing her toward volunteerism as a child.
Once she settled in the Bay Area, Johnson did charity work as a member of San Francisco's Glide Memorial Church. She recalls one homeless man she saw on a weekly basis. "[Paul] held a cardboard sign, something like 'Will work for food.' We stopped and gave him a few dollars."
A few bills grew to a packed lunch and an invitation to join her and her husband at church. A few weeks later, the Johnsons called the church to follow up on Paul. They found he had become an active member of the church and was no longer unkempt.
"All people need is for someone to say, 'What is it that I can do for you?' and offer support," she said.
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Hair Today: Stylist Robin Raymundo, who was once homeless herself, gives Kenita Nalan a trim.
Despite the tangible outcomes she was seeing in San Francisco, Johnson didn't care much for the commute to the city. The short distance to the San Jose Family Shelter was perfect for her. "It's important to do localized work," Johnson said.
Johnson wasn't content to just send a check to a faceless charitable organization. "If I have a suit, it makes more sense to give it. It's more simplified to give a haircut because I can see visible results."
She has taken it upon herself to regularly contribute to the homeless, and has future toy, clothing and food drives in the works. Johnson offers a 10 percent discount to her spa clients who bring in old clothes, though she says most of them have refused to accept the discount. Furthermore, she plans on giving five-week courses at the shelter on infant massage. Her crew also has committed to return to the shelter every three months.
One driving force of her involvement is her desire to educate the community on whom the homeless are and to give them human faces. Food and shelter should be basic human rights, she says.
"You hear about people [in Silicon Valley] who become millionaires in a week," she said. "But for most average people, if they're out of work because of an illness, they can easily become homeless."
Those who know Johnson aren't surprised at her decision to "adopt" the shelter and go the full nine yards. For her, getting her toes wet in any situation isn't enough. She needs to be fully immersed.
One only needs to consider Johnson's life story. She voluntarily stretched a two-year nursing stint in the Middle East to eight years, picking up Arabic and scuba diving in the Red Sea along the way. She met her husband in Paris and was married in Saudi Arabia, where both worked. She goes to Switzerland just for a reunion with nursing friends. "She can complete something and go all the way. That's her nature," said Raymundo.
Johnson, who is getting used to life on Lincoln Avenue, has been downtown since last September. She had previously worked in Campbell and Cupertino and relocated to Willow Glen on the recommendations of some clients and colleagues. "I love it. It has an old-world feel," she said of her new location. "It feels like Cambridge, with all the little unusual shops."
At the shelter, a humble and hunched-over Joann Mahone went to William. Fifteen minutes later she woke up from the massage with shoulders relaxed. "It was great, too great. The massage was too great," she said, sporting a smile that is missing a front tooth. "And my son's haircut is excellent. I love it."
For Mahone, the stress and weariness of being homeless was temporarily banished. "I was really feeling it before," she said, "but not anymore."
Violet Johnson's Wellness Spa is at 1314 Lincoln Ave, Suite 2F. For information about Feel Good Days, call 408.297.4899.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
