Meliza Mokrani Built the Healing Space We All Needed and Called It WORTHY
Interview by Heather Anderson
Meliza Mokrani is the founder of WORTHY, a Berkeley-based wellness studio designed to help people feel safer, steadier, and more at home in their bodies—especially in seasons of stress, grief, transition, and recovery. Grounded in trauma-informed care, hospitality-level service, and a neuroscience lens, WORTHY offers modalities like infrared sauna, cold plunge, red light therapy, lymphatic compression, natural esthetics, and now a movement space across the street: WORTHY Breath + Body.
Before WORTHY was a business, what was happening in your life that made you crave the kind of healing space you couldn’t find anywhere else?
I was deep in the journey of trauma healing and grief after losing my mother. I was learning a lot about the nervous system, and how I had lived my life in a constant state of fight-or-flight.
As I started leaning in with intention, I found myself drawn to modalities like infrared saunas, cold plunging, red light therapy, and lymphatic compression. And I started noticing a massive shift in my body, in my mind, my spirit, my mood.
But honestly, I was frustrated because I had to travel all over the place to get these services. I live in Oakland, and I was going as far as Walnut Creek and Danville and San Francisco. I couldn’t understand why they weren’t all in one place.
I was also often taking my son with me on these excursions, and at the time he was about three years old. I kept thinking, we should have access to something like this in one place.
That was really the seed of WORTHY. Creating what I personally needed, and realizing the community needed it too.
You’ve said WORTHY is a “sanctuary built with compassion.” What does that look like in real life when someone walks in the door?
For us, it starts with operating in the spirit of service, and staying rooted in our shared humanity.
So many people come to us for different reasons. Trauma healing. Injury healing. Perimenopause and menopause transitions. Chronic stress. Some are biohackers who simply want to feel better and function at their highest level. Underneath it all is one shared thread. We can relate in so many ways.
WORTHY is fed by empathy, but also compassion. At the root is a simple truth. You’re a human being who is worthy of feeling good in your body. We are here to serve.
We try to make that tangible the second you arrive. You don’t have to perform here. You don’t have to prove anything. You don’t have to be “fine.”
Okay, but practically. How do people start? Do they book something first? Can they come in and you’ll help them figure it out?
Yes, and we built it that way on purpose, because it can feel like a lot when you’re new.
We have intro offers for different services. You can try an introductory session for an infrared sauna, cold plunge, or red light therapy for $35. That includes a tour of the space plus trying one of those services.
We also have an intro offer for esthetics. Natural esthetic treatments for $199, including a consultation and an introductory session.
And if you truly don’t know where to start and it all feels overwhelming, you can schedule a complimentary consultation. We’ll give you a tour, educate you on what we offer and our approach, and help you find the best route for you.
I want people to feel supported, not pressured.
WORTHY serves people from “all walks of life.” Who do you feel most called to support right now, and what are the most common reasons they come in?
First and foremost, we’re a trauma-informed space. So anybody who has experienced trauma, we really love supporting folks on that journey.
But the people I feel most called to support right now are women. Women of all walks of life who are going through a transition phase.
That can be perimenopause or menopause. It can be a career change. It can be a change in identity. From single woman to wife. From not a parent to a parent. From married woman to single. Or from a parent with kids in the house to empty nest. That one is huge.
What I see over and over is that women are carrying a lot. They’re trying to hold it together. Their nervous systems are asking for support, sometimes loudly, sometimes quietly.
For someone who’s never done “intentional self-care” before, what’s the easiest, least intimidating way to start at WORTHY?
Our easiest entry point is the WORTHY Welcome Offer.
It gives you a chance to try three services, or three sessions of the same service, for $111. You can do them as separate visits, or all in one visit. It gives you access to red light, a guided cold plunge, or an infrared sauna.
A lot of these services are things people have never done before. The offer is designed to help you feel supported by our staff and get a real taste of what it feels like to be at WORTHY.
And I’ll add this. These services are most impactful when done consistently. That’s where the real nervous system shift happens.
Some people feel intimidated by a self-care studio. What do you wish first-timers knew before they ever book?
I want people to know we exist to help people become more resilient to stress.
Stress affects all of us. People may be surprised by how remarkably impactful these services can be. Not just in improving one aspect of wellbeing, but your wellbeing as a whole person.
This isn’t about being “a wellness person.” It’s about being a human.
“One of the easiest ways to tell you’re dysregulated is that you want to snap. We’ve all been there. I’ve been there. And instead of beating yourself up for it, it can be an opportunity to acknowledge your humanity—and recognize you need a reset.”
When someone is stuck in chronic stress mode, what are the early warning signs you see that their nervous system is begging for support?
A big sign is being easily triggered. Toward anger, outbursts, or emotional flooding.
And dysregulation can come from so many things. Lack of sleep. Financial distress. Work distress. Family distress. It all piles up.
One of the easiest ways to tell you’re dysregulated is that you want to snap. We’ve all been there. I’ve been there. Instead of beating yourself up for it, it can be an opportunity to acknowledge your humanity and recognize you need a reset.
Other signs include difficulty sleeping, or not feeling rested from your sleep. Your mind racing. Anxiety. Mood dysregulation. Inability to focus. Your stress levels are just too high to access clarity.
So finding a way to down-regulate is critical. In essence, hit the reset button.
If you could give every busy mom one recovery practice she can do today, what would it be?
I have a free 12-minute meditation that I love recommending.
There’s compelling neuroscience showing that 12 minutes a day of focused prayer or meditation can increase neuroplasticity and have systemic effects on your nervous system and the health of your body.
It’s a recording, so you can do it anywhere. There’s a little bit of breathwork incorporated. It’s a free tool, and we share it pretty far and wide.
And we also have free resources in the WORTHY Self Care app, where people can do three-to-five-minute breathwork sessions with me. They’re recorded videos.
Sometimes the best “self-care” is simply creating a small daily pocket where your body learns, we’re safe right now.
What’s a misconception you hear all the time about “self-care,” and what do you want people to understand instead?
One misconception is that self-care is indulgence. That it’s luxury, face masks, bubble baths.
But self-care is really about tending to yourself and maintaining your nervous system hygiene.
We take a shower every day. We brush our teeth. We don’t call that self-care, but it’s maintenance. The type of self-care we offer at WORTHY is the same idea. Anything that helps keep you in a balanced state so you can operate as the wonderful, functional, good human that you are.
Another misconception is that it has to be expensive and exclusive. The gatekeeping I see in the wellness industry is deeply disturbing to me.
One of our core values is this. Everyone is worthy of feeling well in their body. For that to be real, wellness services have to be accessible. They can’t be out of reach.
So we have a model where if you can pay full price, you pay full price. We also offer sliding scale programs. People on those programs are often social workers, new therapists, public school teachers, clergy, and nonprofit employees.
We also have a nonprofit path for people who are active recipients of social services. If someone can show they’re an active recipient of two services or more, like Section 8, CalFresh, EBT, Medi-Cal, HUD, then we set them up with a free membership.
Those programs already require invasive, dehumanizing disclosure processes. We don’t pile on. If you’ve already been subjected to that, we honor what’s already been verified.
You clearly run a values-driven, high-service business. What are the behind-the-scenes standards that make WORTHY feel so cared-for?
We have a relentless commitment to service, and that comes from my background.
I have a hospitality and high-end restaurant background. I grew up in Napa Valley where both of my parents were chefs and ran fine dining establishments. My director of operations also has a high-end hospitality background.
So we do a lot of training on attention to detail and psychology. Understanding human behavior through a trauma-informed lens. Being sensitive to the nuance of how people show up.
And we incorporate neuroscience into every component of the service experience, including the physical space.
Our studio is intentionally beautiful. I love beautiful spaces, yes, but there’s also a concept called neuroaesthetics. Being around beauty is calming to your nervous system.
We touch all the senses.
When you walk in, it smells beautiful. We burn clean, organic, hand-rolled palo santo imported from Peru. The space is full of grounding colors. There are live plants everywhere, so you feel inside and outside at the same time.
There’s specific music playing to help down-regulate the nervous system. We train our staff on tone and language, so we communicate safety, kindness, and trust.
We serve beautiful teas and dates, which are an homage to my North African heritage. I like to think of it as an added touch of sweetness. Even the temperature in the studio is carefully maintained to help the body feel safe and at ease.
So yes, we really do hit all the senses. That’s not accidental. It’s deeply informed by neuroscience, and by my belief that healing happens when people feel seen, soothed, and supported.
You’ve partnered with local movement studios because you felt people weren’t being educated about recovery. What do you wish every fitness-focused person understood about recovery and regulation?
I wish people understood that athletic recovery is, at its core, nervous system regulation.
When we exert ourselves, we activate the sympathetic nervous system. Athletic recovery is what helps the body shift into the parasympathetic state. That’s where repair actually happens.
Fitness is a cycle of stress and recovery. If we don’t build in intentional recovery, we’re more likely to get injured, burn out, or plateau. But when recovery is integrated, we can continue moving, growing, and feeling strong in our bodies for the long term.
And I always say this. If you work out, you are an athlete. You don’t have to be a professional athlete to deserve proper recovery.
WORTHY Breath + Body is now open just across the street from your original studio. How would you describe the space itself to someone who hasn’t been yet?
I’d describe it as warm, grounded, and very intentional.
The space is inspired by my North African heritage. The walls are lime-washed in a beautiful clay tone, similar to the clay used in homes in the Atlas Mountains. There are real plants and greenery throughout, so it feels like you’re inside and outside at the same time.
We imported handcrafted brass light fixtures from Egypt, and the textures and textiles throughout the space reflect that same cultural influence. It’s not sterile or neutral. It’s designed to feel earthy, calming, and alive.
The temperature ranges from about 80 to 92 degrees, depending on the class. Most classes are heated, because warmth supports muscle readiness and lung function. The only exceptions are meditation, breathwork, and sound healing classes.
Everything about the space is meant to help people feel safe and supported as they move.
What gap are you filling with nervous-system-friendly, infrared-heated movement that you weren’t seeing locally?
We’re bringing intention and neuroscience into movement in a way that looks at the whole human.
What I saw missing was a deeper awareness of how movement affects someone beyond the studio. Not just how hard you work in class, but how you feel when you leave. How it impacts your nervous system when you go back into work, family life, and daily stress.
This approach considers how movement supports your relationship with yourself, not just your muscles.
We’re also bringing the same access-centered business model from WORTHY Self Care into Breath + Body. Our goal is to make this type of movement and care sustainable and available to more people, not just a select few.
For someone curious about Breath + Body but unsure where to start, how should they choose their first class?
I always recommend choosing a class that aligns with your experience and what you’re drawn to.
If you’ve practiced yoga before, I Am In Flow is a great place to start. It’s a heated vinyasa flow class.
If you’re interested in Pilates, I Am Aligned is a heated mat Pilates class that connects breath to movement in a low-impact, functional way.
If you want strength training and community, I Am Powerful is a functional circuit-style strength class that’s great for building connection while getting strong.
I Am Sculpted is ideal for people who enjoy sculpt-style formats. It’s vinyasa-based yoga with weights.
And I Am Cosmic is one of my favorites. It’s breathwork, meditation, and sound healing, and it’s perfect for people who struggle to practice those things on their own. It’s a deeply calming way to down-regulate and learn how to breathe and rest.
The ethos of WORTHY is deeply tied to social justice. How do you hold that inside a wellness brand in a way that feels real and not performative?
At its core, social justice is about recognizing our shared humanity.
Many injustices are rooted in dehumanization. So for us, every interaction starts with humanizing people and meeting them with dignity.
We hold that through our business model by prioritizing access. Many people who need healing spaces the most are often excluded from them. Our sliding scale programs and nonprofit work make accessibility part of our foundation.
This includes people from marginalized communities, immigrants, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people experiencing financial hardship, people living with chronic illness, or those navigating divorce, estrangement, or major life transitions.
Making space for those people isn’t an add-on to our mission. It is the mission.
If someone has been putting themselves last for a long time, what do you want them to hear right now, and what’s one small next step you’d invite them to take this week?
I want them to hear that they are worthy of feeling good.
Self-care is not something you have to earn. It’s a fundamental right of being human.
When you put yourself last for too long, it eventually affects your health, your energy, and your ability to show up for others. Chronic stress contributes to inflammation and impacts longevity.
Every small action matters. Going for a walk. Doing a few minutes of breathwork. Booking an infrared sauna session. Each one is a deposit into your wellbeing.
Tending to your body and your nervous system is not selfish. It’s part of living a joyful, purposeful life.
Looking ahead, what’s your big vision for the WORTHY family of brands?
My vision is to expand WORTHY so we can support more people in more places.
I want to open additional WORTHY Self Care and WORTHY Breath + Body locations across the Bay Area, and eventually beyond. The goal is to scale this work while maintaining the same depth of care, intention, and accessibility.
At the heart of it, I want WORTHY to be part of a broader cultural shift. One that sees healing, regulation, and compassion as essential, not optional.
Want to explore WORTHY or take a next step?
Connect with Meliza Mokrani on Facebook or Instagram.
You can also find Meliza Mokrani on The M List, The Mamahood’s searchable database of mom-recommended resources, or connect and collaborate with Meliza Mokrani inside The Club membership for women Founders.