City Spa & Health Ctr

05/23/07

the best getaway in town

by heinke at Citysearch

i love going to this spa because i feel like i have left the country. vladimyr is the best therapist in the world. i love the sensuous rocky feeling in the spa, the food is great, and i love the pool. it has such a vintage los angeles feeling. i wish i could go all the time. the massages are amazing and strong. i highly recommend one trying this place for a special experience.

• Pros: ambience, the therapists, food, tubs, pool, steam ,price
• Cons: too far from my house

01/24/05

Expect vigorous massages, brutally hot saunas and tremendous people watching--but don't expect to be pampered.

by Randi Schmelzer at Citysearch

The Scene
Modeled after NYC's legendary Lower Eastside shvitzes (bath houses), the main spa plaza is a cross between an Eastern European men's club and a 1970's YMCA. Heavy with chlorine, eucalyptus- and sweat-scented steam, men wrapped in thin towels lounge around chatting, mostly about the heat. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, women are invited to join in--but this is no Burke Williams: Guys will ogle, and a sign on the spa door deftly sums up the atmosphere: "No spitting."

The Services
The multi-tiered Russian rock sauna (said to be a SoCal rarity) is a big draw: Patrons easily sweat out toxins, thanks to its 200-degree temperature. Six clean but no-frills private rooms are available for a variety of body treatments; hulking massage therapists specialize in their own combinations of deep tissue, Swedish, reflexology and whatever other styles come to mind. The result? An almost feral experience, complemented not by scented candles and mood music, but spine-cracking and more sweat. Soothe muscles and release toxins with an invigorating Plaitza massage. A therapist rubs you down with eucalyptus and oak branches soaked in hot water, a traditional Russian spa treatment.

The Details
Swimming pool (indoor), whirlpool, cold plunge, steam room, saunas, quiet rooms, exercise equipment, tanning bed, sun deck, cafe. Massage, body treatments, wet treatments, facials, manicures, barber services.