Article Surfing Archive

While you may never cruise down Sunset Boulevard, convertible top down and a small purse dog at your side, or shop the exclusive shops along Rodeo Drive, maybe you can spa like a celebrity. In Tinsel Town where the median age is 23 and there are more plastic surgeons than you can shake a stick at, looking beautiful and being pampered is a serious business. Check out these top L.A. day spas:

The "Pink Lady," or the Beverly Hills Hotel, is a Hollywood icon. Imagine pampering yourself like a star from yesteryear. The luxurious spa is favored by the older Beverly Hills crowd, and treatments include a 60-minute Swedish massage for $145 or really indulge with their "After Shopping Paradise," a 70-minute reflexology treatment for tired feet and a spectacular pedicure for $180.

If life (or vacation) in the fast lane feels stale, put the producer on hold and go ClubMud at the Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa in Corona. Their mud treatments of red clay are beneficial for absorbing impurities, tightening and revitalizing skin. After covering themselves with mud, guests relax in the sun or the special drying chamber, followed by a cleansing shower. Then guests can head to The Grotto for an intense body moisturizing treatment. A day-long getaway may also include a massage Under the Oaks or a dip in the mineral essential baths that made Glen Ivy famous.

For Yugoslavian-born skin expert Olga Lorencin and renowned restaurateur Christine Splichal, a French native, the concept and creation of Kinara, a skin care clinic, day spa, cafe and boutique, came naturally. The two have set new standards for the ideal spa experience. Kinara, meaning "on the edge," opened its doors 2002 in West Hollywood to rave reviews. Here exotic woods mix with warm earth tones. The spa offers a variety of facials, a milk bath, and body scrubs using Hawaiian brown sugar. A 50-minute Swedish massage runs $120.

For a little duo time, consider La Petite Retreat Day Spa, one of few spas in L.A. that offers facials and massage as same-room couple's treatments. Located on Larchmont Boulevard in West Los Angeles near Hollywood's Paramount Studios, La Petite Retreat is 2,000-square-feet of paradise. Their 60-minute Jade Stone Couples Massage is $150 each.

Celebrity skin care specialist Ole Henriksen, whose client list includes Charlize Theron and Renee Zellweger, is famous for his elaborate facials and body treatments. Located on West Sunset Boulevard, Ole's nature-based products are used in conjunction with state-of-the-art equipment. If you can't afford the more expensive treatments, a one-hour Swedish massage runs only $90.

Henriksen's treatments can also be enjoyed at the One Spa at Shutters on the Beach in Santa Monica, a 7,000-square-foot spa right on the beach. Their signature treatments include the Beach Buff, a Swedish massage and scrub and buff with a sea mineral body scrub. The treatment concludes with a Tropical Train Rince, living the skin smooth and silky.

Although it features some beachfront real estate, the Spa at La Meirgot at the La Merigot Beach Hotel also features relatively affordable spa treatments. Aromatherapy essences greet guests as they enter the doors of this lovely spa where both the hour-long Aromatherapy Massage and Classic European Facial run $105.

For the ultimate experience in luxury, call ahead to make your reservation at the Four Seasons Hotel, Los Angeles at Beverly Hills Spa to ensure your treatment at one of the most elegant spas in L.A. Created exclusively for Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles, the Cleopatra milk and honey treatment cocoons guests in a milk and honey wrap that leaves the skin feeling, well, like baby skin. Their 60-minute California cabana massage is performed in a private poolside cabana for $165. The classic Swedish massage is offered for 60 minutes at $155.