10 Celeb-Approved Wellness Hotspots to Visit in West Hollywood
Updated: Apr. 29, 2019
The best of 48-hours in West Hollywood.
The general consensus among my colleagues and friends is that this past winter was the longest winter ever. (Don’t we say that every year?) Like many, I’ve found that the only cure to those late winter blues is a trip south. So, in late March, I headed to West Hollywood for a mid-week getaway with my husband. Here are the highlights from our itinerary.
West Hollywood Wellness: Day 1
Check in to La Peer Hotel. The newly opened property is nestled between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue in the West Hollywood Design District and offers a luxe place to rest during downtime. (The bathroom, with its massive shower and soaker tub, is my version of heaven.) An outdoor bar and patio lets you enjoy the Cali weather, which is usually dry and sunny (save for this year which has seen a lot more rain than usual). If it’s warm enough, I highly suggest a dip in the heated pool. And, be sure to check out the hotel’s wellness calendar for events and activities that change monthly. Think: wine tasting, salsa dance, live music, yoga, and more.
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Next, head out to explore and pick up some essentials from The Detox Market on Beverly Blvd. (The West Hollywood store is one of three locations in California.) Browse topical serums from green beauty veterans like Indie Lee and Odacité, bath treats from goop and Pursoma, and ingestible beauty powders from Moon Juice and The Beauty Chef.
Later that afternoon head to the Hollywood Hills. Thanks to a view of the Hollywood sign, Runyon Canyon Park is a popular hiking trail for tourists. For a less crowded hiking experience, check out Franklin Canyon Park where you’re more likely to cross paths with California locals and celebs.
For dinner make a reservation at the Conservatory on Santa Monica Blvd. There’s a street-level cafe for quick bites during the day, while the main dining room is a grand yet cozy space complete with a dramatic fire wall. When it’s time to order, you can’t go wrong with the Fall Squash Bruschetta and Roasted Chicken. (I also still think about the Seared Ahi Crudo. So. Good.)
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After filling your belly, be sure to relax and wind-down before bed. Take a dip in your suite’s soaker tub and make use of those bath salts you picked up earlier at The Detox Market.
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West Hollywood Wellness: Day 2
Take advantage of the hotel’s poolside gym and circuit classes offered by resident trainer and fitness expert Marco Reed. Boredom is one of the biggest obstacles to any workout and Reed knows how to keep it fresh, even when you feel anything but. He’ll keep your heart rate up while you’re in-between strength training sets thanks to a blast of cardio in the form of kickboxing drills or salsa dance. Celeb clients include Courtney Cox and Amanda Peet, as well as some other notable names he can’t disclose.
Centre yourself around mid-day with a visit to Unplug Meditation’s new West Hollywood location on Melrose Avenue. Everyone’s an equal inside the walls of this meditation studio, no matter what your occupation – or your bank account balance. During my visit, the Sound Bath class attracted everyone from filmmakers and housewives to business professionals and flight attendants. The one thing we were all seeking? The benefits of a regular mindfulness practice.
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After you awaken with a new sense of self, grab a coffee or cold-pressed juice at Moon Juice, and explore the shops along Melrose Place. My suggestions: Glossier, Mansur Gavriel (their Melrose Pl shop is even more stunning than the NYC Soho location!), The Row, and luxury beauty boutique Violet Grey.
Next up is your second sweat of the day but this one requires a lot less effort. Shape House is an urban sweat lodge offering FAR infrared therapy. Purported benefits include stress relief, better sleep, a faster metabolism and glowing skin. Once you arrive (and sign the standard waiver), you’ll change into a cotton shirt, pants and socks, and an attendant will tuck you into a sleeping bag-like-sac where you’ll spend the next 50 mins sweating as you lie back and watch Netflix while sipping alkaline water. The temp is almost comfortable at first and gradually creeps up. With 20 mins to go, an attendant popped in to apply a cool lavender compress on my forehead – “to help push through” the final sweaty stretch, I was told. I left feeling good – gross and sweaty – but good, if that makes sense. While scientific evidence supporting the benefits is limited, celebrities like Lea Michele and Selena Gomez are devoted fans. (Already sweating more than normal? This could be why.)
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Tonight, dine at Gracias Madre located just a 5 minute walk from La Peer Hotel. The menu is an all-vegan take on Mexican, and it’s surprisingly so filling. My meat-loving husband ordered the Chef’s Tasting Menu and had trouble finishing it. I opted for the Jackfruit Tacos and they didn’t disappoint. (The Mezcal Mule, a tequila variation on the Moscow mule, was also on reorder at our table. Cheers!)
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West Hollywood Wellness: Day 3
The Spa by Joanna Vargas at Sunset Tower Hotel is a must if your goal is red-carpet worthy skin. New York-based celebrity facialist Joanna Vargas opened the West Coast outpost because she was travelling back-and-forth so often during awards season (Mandy Moore and Elisabeth Moss are just two of her many clients). I indulged in the Sleeping Beauty treatment, which is an incredibly efficient 30 minute head-to-toe service. The treatment starts with facial microdermabrasion and oxygen-serum application. After that, you’ll move to a second room for a 20 min snooze in an LED light bed. When I first saw the light bed it looked exactly like the tanning beds I regretfully visited in my teens. But unlike tanning beds which emit UV light, the LED light bed isn’t damaging to skin. Quite the opposite actually; LED light therapy was originally used by NASA to speed up wound healing. The skin care industry took notice of those regenerative effects and it can now be found at both professional spas and in at-home skin care devices.
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Before packing up and heading to LAX for the trip home, make one final stop at Cha Cha Matcha, located just down the street from La Peer Hotel on Robertson Blvd. The trendy cafe is a pink and green haven where you can lounge and take in the health benefits of matcha. Order a Matcha Latte or Purple Drink (a CBD and lavender matcha blend), and don’t forget to Instagram it.
Next, discover 8 ways to rejuvenate after a night out in Miami.
