Stressed about the election results? Here are 36 ways to ease your anxiety in L.A.
We may have received election resolution far quicker than we thought we would. But that doesn’t mean the next few months leading up to the presidential inauguration, on Jan. 20, will be easy. After a divisive campaign season, about half the country is still reeling. My social media feed, at least, is an echo chamber of anger, confusion and grief.
And then there’s the uncertainty of what’s in store for our country — so much is up in the air. According to a recent American Psychological Assn. report, 77% of adults in the U.S. are significantly stressed about the future of America.
No matter what happens, we’re fortunate that L.A. is nestled between the mountains and the sea, with myriad natural escapes to find solace. Not only that, but it’s an artistic and considerate haven, brimming with creative ways to self-soothe — including somatic experiences, spiritual retreats, fitness excursions, and art and music happenings — as we wait to see how the future will take shape. Below is a robust guide for how to get started.
Escape to a dreamy oasis and drink tea at Tea at Shiloh
Filled with floor-level couches that look like clouds, moody lighting and sculptural plants, it’s a dreamy oasis of tranquility and a space to make meaningful connections — hence that special person you’re interested in. Tea at Shiloh offers daylight hours (imagine a quiet co-working space), various workshops (cooking and art classes) and late-night tea, which makes for an engaging first date. During the evening tea, which costs $35 per person and runs from 7 to 11, you can snuggle with your crush in a corner and do puzzles, paint, do tarot readings or, most important, talk for hours while you drink as much delicious tea as you’d like. Seriously, you can get unlimited refills — there’s typically two herbal teas and one with caffeine — as you listen to relaxing music from such artists as Lauryn Hill, Sault and Steve Lacy. (Here’s a playlist to help you get a feel for the vibe.) Shoes aren’t allowed in the space, so make sure you wear nice socks and leave your footwear by the door. Reservations are required, parking in front of the venue, is free. The address for Tea at Shiloh is provided only after you book a reservation; walk-ins aren’t available.
Price: $35 per person
Squirrel yourself away at a secret hilltop picnic spot
You can get to Dante’s View and Mt. Hollywood via multiple hiking routes, including from either the observatory or Hogback Trail, the latter a three-mile, moderate stretch that heads up from the Greek Theatre. At Dante’s View — which is clearly marked with a sign — follow the somewhat hidden stairs to the left, which lead to a pathway (stay to the right) and multiple small enclaves with more visible picnic tables or solo benches. Follow the path around to the left, up the wooden stairs and again farther around to the left. You’ll have to search for the secret picnic table at this point, but that’s part of the fun.
The table is hidden in a small clearing surrounded by palms, pine trees and giant flowering jade plants. It’s blue and scribbled with a little graffiti. You’re close enough to civilization so as to feel safe here — you may even hear voices from passing hikers nearby — but there likely won’t be anyone in plain sight.
Bonus: On evenings when a show at the Greek Theatre is in full swing, you may hear the concert below from your hidden perch.
Price: Free
Miles in and out (from Griffith Observatory): 3
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation gain: 587 feet
Try the art of perfume-making at the Institute for Art & Olfaction
The magic of the classes is how they encourage you to trust your instincts. Instructors ask participants to smell different scents and immediately shout out what comes to mind. IAO also invites specialists with their own perfume lines to give lectures focusing on a particular ingredient and offers online classes to help people deepen their technical and scientific knowledge of perfumes. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different combinations of droplets. You might just create something transformative.
Ice bath? Sauna? Remedy Place has got you
But unlike these exclusive spots, none of the above are requirements at Remedy Place, a Sunset Strip club where members can enjoy an array of treatments and services such as ice bath classes, cryotherapy, infrared saunas, acupuncture and cupping at a la carte rates.
Created by celebrity wellness guru Jonathan Leary, Remedy Place claims to be the world’s first social wellness club. (There are two locations in the U.S., including West Hollywood and the Flatiron District in New York.) Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Kacey Musgraves and Lana Condor have been said to frequent Remedy Place, where the cheapest membership starts at $300 per month and the highest is $2,000 monthly. But everyday folks can receive the same services and hospitality starting at $50.
At Remedy Place, you can book a breathwork ice bath class (includes a 10-minute guided breathwork exercise and six-minute ice bath) or cryotherapy session (3 ? minutes in a -160 degrees Fahrenheit full body cryo chamber) for $50. Other services that you can try for less than $100 are a 30-minute hyperbaric oxygen session for $100, a 30-minute lymphatic compression session for $100, or 60 minutes in a private infrared sauna for $80. (A larger infrared sauna that comfortably seats two people is $100 an hour.)
To test the ease of Remedy Place’s a la carte services, I booked an infrared sauna online about an hour in advance on a recent Monday morning. (I got lucky this day, but for longer services like this, it’s best to book 48 hours in advance online or call that day to get the time that you want.) Upon arrival, a front desk representative greeted me warmly, asked for my name, then escorted me to my private room. The room has a full shower and an iPad to use for music or to watch various streaming services (Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video and Max). The sauna has Bluetooth speakers inside, so you can leave your airpods at home. The attendant also gave me a complimentary water bottle (you can pick still or sparkling).
After perspiring what felt like a bucket’s worth of sweat, I cooled off with a eucalyptus-scented ice towel, then hopped into the luxurious, stone-walled shower, which was equipped with Saya products (shampoo, conditioner and body wash). Once I was dressed, I plopped onto a cozy leather couch in the lobby area and poured a cup of complimentary tea. Even if you aren’t a member, you’re allowed to hang out here after your service. Some people do work on their laptops in the lobby, which is filled with posh furniture and greenery, while others mingle at the alcohol-free bar (which sells seltzers, herbal energy drinks, etc.).
The easiest place to park is in the lot next door to Remedy Place, which is $3 with validation, though this can vary.
Get some retail therapy while shopping local at Bauer Pottery Showroom
Fans of Bauer’s colorful ringware pottery will find it all here — in a combination of firsts and seconds (which have small flaws) — from coffee mugs and plates to oil jars, vases and planters. This is the place to look if you’ve got a loved one in need of colorful dog and cat bowls (choose from 17 shades) or planters for both indoors and outdoors (Bauer offers free drilling if you’d like drainage holes). In addition to Bauer pottery, owner Janek Boniecki also stocks equally colorful ceramics by Corita Kent and Russel Wright that are perfect for holiday gift-giving.
Consume vinyl and vino at a Slow Jamz listening party
Among Slow Jamz’ most popular parties is Vinyl and Vino, which Espiritu and his team started hosting in April 2023. At the event, the hosts play beloved albums such as Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” and “Dangerously in Love,” Justin Bieber’s “Journals,” Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” Kanye West’s “Graduation,” “Riot!” by Paramore and “Take Care” by Drake. Unlike the Record Club where attendees are asked to limit chatter to avoid distraction, Vinyl and Vino guests are encouraged to get out of their seats to dance and sing aloud. (In fact, the Record Club hosted its first event at the Slow Jamz gallery in February 2023.)
At the beginning of the night, the Vinyl and Vino hosts provide snacks of information about the featured album, before playing it on vinyl. The Slow Jamz sound system, which they bought at Common Wave Hi-Fi, includes Klipsch Cornwall IV speakers and Technics 1210 turntables. The party is B.Y.OB. (bring your own beverages) and typically happens twice a month.
“There’s a lot of hi-fi bars in New York and everywhere else except L.A., but it’s nice to be able to offer [this] to the people,” says Espiritu, adding that his goal is to help people make connections with others through music and nostalgia. “A lot of the magic is in the space that we’re in.”
Get perspective at NASA's famed Jet Propulsion Lab
The Caltech-managed exploration hub was founded on Halloween 1936 by seven young scientists determined to develop a working rocket. The lab would go on to launch the first orbiting spacecraft in 1958 and twin spacecrafts Voyager I and II in 1977, as well as achieve the landing of the Mars rover Pathfinder in 1997.
“All of those successes have occurred from this building, for all of humanity,” said Jim McClure, JPL’s space flight operations facility operations manager, told The Times in 2016. “It’s right here in this little town, nobody knows about it.”
Space nerds can revel in the history that was made in the Lab’s Mission Control, dubbed the “center of the universe,” where the facility’s engineers and scientists track all data from space across both NASA and foreign agencies’ spacecraft.
Tours and parking are offered for free, but reservations must be made anywhere between three weeks and two months in advance. Weekend and holiday reservations are not available but virtual tours are with advance notice. The facility’s Space Flight Operations and Spacecraft Assembly buildings also are available for touring.
Tap into your inner goddess with Espie Munoz Quintero, a spiritual life coach
Catch a live Jazz jam session by the beach at Lighthouse Cafe
Real life is more complicated. You could argue that the Lighthouse’s jazziest days were in the 1950s and ’60s, when performers included Miles Davis, Cal Tjader, Max Roach and Shelly Manne and the talent-filled filled house band was known as the Lighthouse All-Stars. Art Pepper, Ramsey Lewis, Mose Allison and the Modern Jazz Quartet recorded live albums here.
These days most of the jazz happens two days per week: Sunday (over brunch, all ages invited) and Monday (jam session, 21 and over). Live music on other nights is all over the map, including rock, reggae and salsa. But those who come for the jazz are not fooling around.
“This is not just a regular room. This is a serious place for this music,” guitarist Jacques Lesure told the crowd on the Monday I visited. “In 1949, they were in here, doing this. ... We’re creating in the moment and sharing. That’s what’s happening.”
Lesure, who is in “La La Land” and lectures at UCLA, has been leading the jam sessions for about three years. He shares billing with drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith, who was part of “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno’s” band for about 15 years and controls tempo with no fuss and absolute authority.
The Lighthouse is by far the beachiest bar on this list — just a few strides from the Hermosa Beach Pier — and unlike many places, it has a green room for musicians and a well-elevated stage. There’s no cover charge or minimum order on Monday nights (but of course you must order something).
Most Mondays, Lesure, Smith and the rest of the house band start by playing an hourlong set for a full bar of closely listening jazz people. Look again and you’ll see that some of those close listeners have brought instruments.
After the break, the band plays one more song, then Lesure opens the bandstand to musicians who have signed up to jam. With personnel steadily rotating and musicians often teaming up with strangers, I watched the players tackle standards like “Summertime,” “How High the Moon” and “Take the A Train.” (This A Train seemed to run a little slow, but it stayed on track.)
For anyone nervous about the future of jazz, the Lighthouse jam is a bracing tonic. The players I saw ranged from their 20s to their 60s, a mix of white, Black, Asian American and more.
The room’s capacity is 178 (with room for 46 more on the patio), and the layout includes about 15 tables and 30 stools along the bar.
The club’s role in “La La Land,” Lesure told me, “gave the Lighthouse a greater global reach. ... And it’s given it a multigenerational reach too. ... I don’t know if there’s another place in L.A. that has this history.”
Lesure, a working musician for more than 40 years, wore red glasses and a red tracksuit. During the first set he perched on a stool at the lip of the stage, alternating between rhythm work and solos on his sunburst hollow-body guitar. Besides Smith at the drums, he was joined by pianist Adam Ledbetter, bassist Weldon Scott and trumpeter Chris Lowery.
Along the way, Lesure made sure to point down to the Champagne bucket at the front of the stage. “That bucket there, that’s the musicians’ 401(k) plan,” he said.
Despite the name, the Lighthouse is more bar than cafe. Unlike many other venues on this list, the Lighthouse’s evening shows are all age 21 and over. The short bar menu includes a $16 cheeseburger and $19 codfish tacos. And you can get a beer for $8.
Get crafty at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes is one of three community hubs for PST operating throughout the festival. LA Plaza is collaborating with community partners to present free public programs that highlight the intersection of art and science. Interactive, family-friendly activities and presentations examine topics such as food sovereignty, Indigenous sciences, sustainable gardening, science exploration, photography, screen printing, stamp making and the creation of zines.
Meditate at a serene retreat in the hills??
Insight L.A. has a Santa Monica location and also holds overnight retreats through a partnership with Big Bear Retreat Center. Its Benedict Canyon location near Beverly Hills is a remote and serene hillside escape within the heart of the city.
Rodriguez, who’s been meditating since he started working at Insight L.A. more than 10 years ago, led me around the property. We walked past the lemon, apple, grapefruit, mandarin and nectarine trees he tends to; towering pines and fragrant lavender bushes; through a redwood-beamed, more-than-60-year-old home where classes are held. The living room turned meditation hall offers views of the outdoors through an enormous picture window.
Rodriguez pointed out the rising chorus of crows, sparrows and wild parrots, and the wildlife that wanders around the property.
“It puts you in another state,” he said. “You’re peaceful.”
Price: Donation-based; no one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Study the sky at a James Turrell Skyspace
Watch it turn green, pink and lavender, then fade to aquamarine, deep cobalt and black. Wait as it slowly lightens to luminescent gold. The effect is sublime.
There are only a handful of publicly accessible Turrell Skyspaces worldwide. And one of them — the only one open to the public in Southern California — is on the Pomona College campus in Claremont. Turrell graduated from Pomona College in 1965, and the architectural installation, “Dividing the Light,” opened there in 2007. The work is part of the Benton Museum of Art’s collection, but it’s situated in the college’s Draper Courtyard at 6th Street and College Way and reservations are not required.
The lights go on daily 100 minutes before sunrise and 25 minutes before sunset, and they stay on for about an hour afterward.
The evening I visited, the open-air pavilion was populated by a professor giving a talk about color theory and about 20 college students, who lay sprawled out on the ground by a shallow pool of water mirroring the sky.
It’s an awe-inspiring setting. And the experience, which is season-, time- and weather-dependent, is never exactly the same.
But then again, neither are you.
Price: Free.
Take a scenic (and strenuous) staircase walk along the Rustic Canyon Loop
So yes, expect some labored breathing, but it also takes you through some serene and majestically green neighborhoods, great ocean views and — quite unexpectedly — a tiny stream during our dry-as-dust summer. There are lots of stairs — at 976 steps, it’s one of the most stair-intensive — but the sights are so transporting it’s easy to forget you’re near a city center, and that makes all the effort worthwhile.
1. Park alongside the beach at Will Rogers Parking Lot No. 1, where Entrada Drive spills into Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Parking here is $9, and it’s safest to bring cash, since the machines don’t reliably accept debit cards.
2. Walk north a half block along PCH to where Chautauqua Boulevard and West Channel Road merge into PCH in one massive snarl of traffic. There are no crosswalks here, so don’t try to cross PCH aboveground. Instead, find the entrance to the Little Tunnel, descend the 17 steps and safely cross under PCH to the other side, walking up 17 steps and emerging into the sun on the south side of Channel Road.
3. Walk south on PCH, past Patrick’s Roadhouse and a gas station, along the sidewalk until you come to your first set of stairs, a colorful set of 48 steps that climb to Ocean Way. A note here: The start of this walk wasn’t nice. The traffic is thick on PCH, the sidewalk is narrow and there was a glassy-eyed man smoking a small pipe as we slipped past him on the stairs. But it gets better, I promise.
4. At the top, head left, down the hill, until Ocean Way merges with Entrada. Walk up Entrada just past 278, a tall, white modern structure with a corner so sharp it has a surreal M.C. Escher feel. Look right to find your second set of stairs. These start as a path through sprays of bougainvillea, towering eucalyptus and tropical greens to a stair that climbs 79 steps to Mabery Road.
5. Turn left on Mabery and follow the road down to East Ocean Avenue (also known as Ocean Avenue Ext. on Google Maps). Cross carefully to the other side of Ocean and head left, downhill, to the base of the 4th Street Stairs. (Note: There is a smaller set of stairs on the right just before the 4th Street Stairs, which you should ignore. The 4th Street Stairs are just past 358 Ocean, and are pretty easy to recognize since they zig and zag 189 steps to the top and have a fair number of panting, dripping athletic types running up and down them.
6. Luckily, the 4th Street Stairs have several landings along the way where you can catch your breath, enjoy the gorgeous views behind you and, in my case anyway, try to ignore the fact that the same runner has passed you three times already up and down and up again. Just be careful to hug the rails as you climb these stairs because these runners aren’t shy about asking you to move.
7. At the top, past the water bottles left by the runners as they exercise, you emerge at the corner of 4th Street and Adelaide Drive. Here are some truly breathtaking views of the ocean, Rustic Canyon and many gorgeous homes, with plaintive signs asking people to please refrain from doing calisthenics in view of their windows.
8. Turn left on Adelaide, walking uphill, and savor the views until you reach 526. There on the left are the Santa Monica Stairs, 166 weathered wooden steps, thankfully heading down. You’ll soon understand that this is a continuation of the workout regime, with some runners charging up the 4th Street Stairs and then down the Santa Monica Stairs again and again in a sweaty circle. Anyway, be sure to stay right so they can speed past (unless you are fit enough to join their ranks).
9. At the bottom of the stairs, you’re back on Entrada, where you should cross the street and turn right, heading uphill a short distance, past 525 and a tall jagged concrete wall to find your next stairs on the left, about 25 steps down to the cul-de-sac end of Attilla Road.
10. Walk straight on Attilla past Dryad Road to East Channel Road, where you turn left. This is a serenely beautiful neighborhood, full of majestic trees, quiet birdsong and children playing safely in the street.
11. East Channel Road dead-ends, becoming impassable for cars, but we foot travelers can continue forward following a path through a wide gate on the right of the road to the other end of East Channel Road. Keep walking straight, past Amalfi Drive and Canyon Elementary School, until you see a crosswalk and a pedestrian bridge crossing the Santa Monica Canyon Creek bed on your right.
12. Across the bridge you emerge on Sage Lane, where you should walk straight until Sage bends left and you spot your next stairs on the right, rising 14 steps and then turning right up another 64 steps through what appears to be a tall grove of bamboo.
13. At the top, you’ll emerge onto Amalfi Drive. Turn left, and stay left when Amalfi runs into Sumac Lane.
14. Follow Sumac about a block, until it curves to the right. On your left, at 323 Sumac, you’ll find another set of steep stairs, 124 steps climbing straight up to Amalfi again, where you turn left, past just one house, and take a semihidden set of stairs along a steel fence that plunge you down again — without handrails — a very steep 124 steps to Mesa Road.
15. Turn right on Mesa, heading uphill to 475, a stark, hyper-modern-looking home built in 1937 by Harwell H. Harris for John Entenza, editor of Art & Architecture magazine. This 850-square-foot house looks like a circle attached to a square with some very cool (and private) steps leading to a rooftop patio. We must, however, carry on to our public stairs just beyond 491 Mesa, a few doors down on the left.
16. Be careful as you descend because the 61 steps are uneven and broken in places. At the bottom, you’ll emerge onto West Rustic Road, my favorite part of this walk. It’s so quiet, green and yes, rustic, it feels magical, especially when you cross the bridge in front of you, over Rustic Creek (which actually has a small trickle of water) and follow West Rustic Road to the left.
17. At the first corner, turn right on Hillside Lane and follow the narrow street as it bends left, so quiet it feels like a deserted movie set of tall, lovely homes. Just as Hillside bends left again, look straight ahead for your final set of stairs, 85 steep, narrow steps that climb up through green shady yards to Vance Road at the top.
18. Turn left on Vance, walking downhill past the magnificent mosaic of a guitarist and dancer at 390, straight and then right, as the road curves back, alas, to civilization. Along the way, there are some fine views of Santa Monica and Rustic Canyon, a small consolation. Suddenly, far too soon, you’re back in the real world amid the jarring traffic of Chautauqua Boulevard.
19. Turn left on Chautauqua and follow the road down to where it converges with West Channel Road at PCH. The traffic is fierce here, so use the crosswalks from Chautauqua to the south side of Channel to get back to the tunnel that will take you down 17 steps to cross under PCH and then back up 17 steps to your car.
Find your flow at Ethereal Yoga
Float in a saltwater tank at IntoMeSea
Float tanks — a.k.a. sensory deprivation tanks — are often small, dark and claustrophobic-feeling, which can defeat the purpose if you’re there to relax. At IntoMeSea, each of its three tanks is in its own private suite. One includes a eucalyptus aromatherapy steam room; the other two, a “fire and ice” setup for cold plunging and infrared sauna-going. They all include showers and dressing areas.
The tanks themselves are almost blindingly clean and roomy, with 7-foot-high ceilings. They contain 22 bags — about 1,200 pounds — of Epson salt each (more salt per gallon of water than the Dead Sea). Buttons inside the tank allow you to adjust the lighting (I chose pitch black), the sound (I chose meditative music) and the intensity of the twinkling stars on the ceiling (I chose full, because why not?). The spa also provides earplugs and tubes of petroleum jelly, the latter to keep salt out of the eyes.
Lying there in the dark, with the water at 98 degrees, roughly body temperature, felt more like floating in space than on the water’s surface. I thought it impossible to be any more relaxed, but then came the postfloat lounge, with chilled fruit water and herbal tea, a salt chamber and a two-person infrared sauna.
Just beware of the bean bag-like moon pod chairs, as IntoMeSea calls them. I fell asleep in mine while listening to music, and there went a chunk of the afternoon.
Price: $88 for a one-hour float with 30 additional minutes for steam room and suite time.
Eat chilaquiles and shop organic groceries at Alma Backyard Farms
As soon as you enter the urban farm, which sits on a half-acre lot behind St. Albert the Great Elementary School, you’re bound to see children playing together on a large grass field. Married co-founders Erika Cuellar and Richard Garcia often circle the farm to greet new and returning customers as if they’ve known them for years. And while they pass out food samples, kids from Alma’s youth program are eager to drop facts about the farm.
Alma (which means “soul” in Spanish) hosts its farm stand every first and third Sunday of the month from 8 a.m. to noon. It sells an array of organic produce including carrots, beets, a variety of greens, radishes, fava beans, tomatoes, corn, cucumbers and more. The farm also offers baked goods, fresh flower bouquets, CBD creams and homemade jams and salsas. You may even spot some unexpected finds here, such as heirloom Peruvian black corn, as the farm sometimes plants seeds provided by its customers. It’s typical for the farm stand to sell out as early as 10 a.m., so it’s best to get there when it opens. Alma hosts monthly brunches as well, which sell out just as fast. Mouthwatering chilaquiles are a specialty.
Cuellar and Garcia started the organization in 2013 to help formerly incarcerated people “reorient their lives as caretakers of community” by growing food through Alma’s job training program. Alma also offers educational workshops and a summer camp program for kids to learn about gardening and farming. Adults can participate in volunteer days once a month. A mural at the farm explains their mission perfectly: “We feed the soul, and then we rise. We nourish the body, and then we rise. We educate the mind, and then we rise.”
Discover a secret wildlife habitat amid art at Hauser & Wirth
Spaces that hint at the natural world are few to none in the Arts District, but you can find respite in the garden here, a hidden gem that is a certified wildlife habitat recognized by the National Wildlife Federation. Raised beds of herbs and vegetables are maintained for Manuela; a coop is dedicated to chickens; native plants flourish. If you’ve been walking around all day, the courtyard and garden are an idyllic place to rest.
Certainly, you should visit the exhibits, which recently have included works from artists such as Mike Kelley, Louise Bourgeois and Harmony Korine. But the bookstore, courtyard, garden (and chickens) also beckon.
Totally let go during a sound bath at the Calming Spot
You don’t need to bring anything with you to this sound bath: Pillows and blankets are arranged neatly on the mats, and the room is so dark there is no need for an eye mask. On a recent Tuesday evening there were eight other people in the room (the space can hold 23). Sara Sofia Bousiali, who founded the Calming Spot in 2022 with her husband, TR Gourley, said Mondays and Tuesdays are generally the quieter days. Weekend sound baths often sell out and it’s best to make a reservation ahead of time on the website. There’s free two-hour street parking outside the studio.
The actual sound bath is a departure from most you’ll find in L.A. Bousiali played the usual crystal bowls, gongs, chimes and ocean drum, but prerecorded music played over a speaker system the entire time, and I couldn’t always hear her instruments over it. She also wore a headset microphone and led participants on a guided meditation throughout the hourlong experience. If you’re looking for a straight bowls-gongs-chime sound bath, this may not be the one for you. But if you find your mind wandering during silent meditations, you might appreciate Bousiali’s gentle guidance and find that the recorded music helps focus your mind. I definitely felt relaxed at the end.
You can also check out the Calming Spot’s outdoor sessions, held on Sunday on the beach from the end of spring through fall. Located near Lifeguard Station 24 at Santa Monica Beach, they include mats, blankets and wireless headphones through which the music is transmitted.
Price: $35 for indoor sound baths, $55 for beach sessions.
Burrow in Himalayan salt in a glowing cave
The caves here are man-made. But with walls of luminescent Himalayan salt bricks, a hand-sculptured ceiling mimicking that of a natural cave and pink salt crystals on the floor, along with a gurgling waterfall, the 14-person community room feels otherworldy. Certainly soothing.
The Woodland Hills spa pumps microparticles of pharmaceutical-grade salt into the air through a vent. Owners Warren and Kari Shulman believe that dry salt therapy — halotherapy — aids with chronic respiratory and skin conditions, among other things. “It’s like a toothbrush for the lungs,” Warren Shulman says. Research suggests there may be some truth to that, to varying degrees.
Whether or not that’s true, I can say that snuggling in one of Valley Salt Cave’s cool, amber-hued caverns, wrapped in a blanket on a zero-gravity chair under a ceiling of twinkling blue lights, is an excellent way to unwind.
Bonus, there’s a 10-minute recorded guided meditation at the start of every 45-minute session, followed by time to sit there, breathe deeply and just be.
Price: Community room, $35 per person; private room, $45 per person for up to four people.
Sift through the crates at High Fidelity Records
Pay a visit to the Runyon Buddha
Throw pottery on a rooftop at sunset
Bitter Root offers plenty of classes for beginners, which include a demonstration followed by a hands-on tutorial. The combination of the pond’s rushing waterfall, the amber-hued clouds dotting the horizon and the whirring of the wheel head make it easy to slip into a meditative state.
Don an apron, grab a lump of cream-colored clay and sponge water onto your workspace. Let the slippery clay ooze through your fingertips. And ignore all those ceramist influencers filming themselves nearby. Your iPhone is … well, what iPhone?
Price: $95 for a two-hour class.
Stretch inside a former Buddhist meditation center at Roam Yoga
I took a Level 1/2 class with Beatrice Buenaventura, who was thoughtful about her flows and offered good insights into students’ techniques (especially when she offered an adjustment when I did a headstand incorrectly). Many of the students knew one another, which gave the class a friendly, welcoming energy.
Roam offers a good spread of levels, so you can find a more challenging class if that interests you. There are several classes a day, from as early as 7:30 a.m. to as late as 7:30 p.m., and livestream classes are available online. If mindfulness interests you, Nick Thurston offers guided and silent meditations on Monday evenings, which seems fitting for a former meditation center.
Single class, $25. Livestream class, $13 with new student and Class Pass discounts.
Picnic among native plants at Lewis MacAdams Riverfront Park
Entrances are at 2999 Rosanna St., 2944 Gleneden St. and 2960 Marsh St.
Get a celeb-worthy facial at OSEA Skincare Studio
On a recent visit, an aesthetician named Christina gave me something called a cranial wave facial, which started with an assessment of my skin (including a gentle reassurance that my pores, which I believed to be freakishly large, were in fact normal). From there, it was a gentle, almost tender series of steams, slathers and serums interrupted by the occasional pinch of extraction and scrub of exfoliation. From time to time during the 50-minute treatment, Christina cradled my head in her hands and gently kneaded my neck (craniosacral therapy is based on these kinds of manipulations). The result? I left with a glow and a notecard with a detailed daily skincare regimen I could follow to keep putting my best face forward.
Venture out to Millard Canyon Falls
Park at the Millard Canyon campground. A craggy, tree-lined ravine anchored by a creek leads hikers up on a gentle climb toward a clearing. Here, the breathtaking swoosh of a 50-foot-tall waterfall will fill your eardrums; the recent storms have given this wash a healthy wallop of fresh water. The water is icy, but that won’t deter an occasional visitor from taking what looks like a soul-cleansing dip, even in winter. That said, novice hikers and families, be warned — with the creek full, water is currently reaching its bordering boulders and canyon walls, forcing you to cross the creek in a constant zigzag, on smooth rocks and loose logs, to reach the waterfall. Avoid creek tragedy by employing hiking sticks, waterproof shoes or water shoes.
Stroll through a zen Japanese garden in Van Nuys
The garden’s winding paths and quiet nooks are perfect for one-on-one conversations. The east side of the park is currently closed for construction, but there are still plenty of open pathways along the west side, offering full views of the entire garden. To keep the atmosphere tranquil, the park requires free reservations that generally fill up three to four days out. Though at the time of writing, the reservation system is down indefinitely, meaning no booking is required.
Still, it’s always best to call ahead since the park has slightly finicky hours. (In addition to being closed from noon to 1 p.m. daily, the garden’s website warns that the grounds are “closed Friday through Sunday; closed on all Federal & City of Los Angeles Holidays; and closed within 24 hours of rain.”) If you do happen to get shut out, don’t head home — the Sepulveda Basin has plenty of other watery wonders nearby, including bustling Lake Balboa and the marshy Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve.
Stock up on weed in high style at Green Goddess Collective
On top of that, it’s simply a beautiful space outside and in; one exterior wall is covered by an immense Hans Val?r mural of a flowing-haired woman holding a seedling in her cupped hands (I’m gonna take a wild guess that’s the goddess). The interior vibe is more Art Deco apothecary than 21st century dispensary thanks to architectural elements like parquet floors and ornate light fixtures including a ballroom-worthy chandelier hanging over a curved glass case full of flower jars and tubes of prerolled joints (the latter of which are particularly popular here, a budtender told me recently, on account of the brisk tourist business). As if things couldn’t feel any more classy, there’s also free 20-minute validated parking across the street for dispensary customers who’ve made a purchase.
Center yourself at Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens
The stone labyrinth that features the same design as the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth is the main attraction here, and one of the docents will instruct you on how to walk its path and share the purported benefits of doing so, including reduced stress. As you explore the property, you’ll see sculptures and a Japanese garden with a koi pond and streams, plus tucked-away benches for reading or meditating. Peace Awareness Labyrinth and Gardens is open Wednesday, Friday and Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. One-hour reservations must be made in advance online.
Get grounded on Elysian Park West Loop Trail
What is perhaps most charming about this hike is the commingling natural and urban elements. The sounds of sparrows, ravens and crows mix with Latino music from a nearby birthday picnic and intermittent cheers from a pickup soccer game in the park, for example. Meanwhile, the scent of fuchsia-flowered gooseberry, California wild rose and purple sage blend with wafting barbecue smoke.
The trailhead, off Stadium Way in Elysian Park — just minutes from downtown L.A. — is easily accessible and yet, as you wind around the cityscape, ensconced by coast live oaks, California walnut and spindly palm trees dotting the hilltop, you feel completely transported. This is why we live in L.A.
Soak in therapeutic waters at Tikkun Holistic Spa
Tikkun garnered both fame (and ridicule) when Goop reported on its V-Steam for women, an ancient vaginal steam therapy. (Men, or those without the V, can enjoy an accompanying A-Steam.) This story has made the spa popular with tourists seeking Goop-approved spa experiences that are approachable. However, the V-steam isn’t the only signature treatment. Locals travel across the city for its range of services that have a more holistic bent than straightforward body scrubs.
This spa is for you if you’re looking for some frills — at Tikkun, you’ll get pampered and can enjoy the Santa Monica scene. A treatment includes time at the spa, which features the usual jacuzzi, steam room and Hwangto Clay Room and Salt Room saunas. However, the latter rooms are equipped with far infrared technology, purported to intensify the health benefits of sauna use with deeply penetrating light and heat.
Free parking for up to 90 minutes is available at the adjacent parking garage at Lot 5 off 4th Street, or it’s a five-minute walk from the downtown Santa Monica Metro station.
Price: A day pass is $50. Treatments start at $75.
Stroll through the Velaslavasay Panorama?gardens
By appointment only, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, $7.
Discover your next beach read, amid cats, at Small World Books
Speaking of cats, the bookstore has two in-house fursters — Franny and Malcolm — whom you’re likely to find prowling the aisles as you browse. What could possibly be better than a well-curated beachside bookstore that comes with its own cats? One that comes with all that and a free half-hour of validated weekday parking (at the corner of Market and Speedway) in a part of town where such things are all but nonexistent.
Take in the scent of roses at Virginia Robinson Gardens
The display garden, just across from a tennis court where Hollywood stars like Charlie Chaplin used to play, is still maintained according to Virginia’s original design, with an emphasis on her favorite color. See if you can guess what it was as you browse the 34 different rose varieties, including blushing Mon Cheris, pastel Sweet Surrenders and Virginia’s personal preference, a Barbie-bright hybrid tea rose called Eiffel Tower.
High up on the house’s outer wall, you can even spot a historic climbing rose that was planted during Virginia’s lifetime and still explodes in yellow and white blooms every year. On the other side of the tennis court (which has a few more historic rose plants clinging to its borders), the sloped cutting garden spills down a hillside of blossoms. “Virginia loved to entertain and would decorate with roses that matched the color of her dress that day,” Diane Sipos, superintendent of the park, told me on a recent visit. Like I said: opulence.
In 1977 the estate was handed over to L.A. County, which now runs reservation-only tours along with a number of on-site classes and programs. (Events are posted about a month out and tend to fill up quickly, so it helps to check the official website regularly for new dates.) If you want especially Instagrammable lighting, try a Golden Hour tour, which showcases the gardens at sunset. Wellness classes — including sound baths and meditative walks — offer a chance for even more mindfulness on the grounds. And for a hands-on experience with the roses themselves, look out for the annual pruning class in January, when master gardeners give lessons in the cutting garden.
Hours: By reservation only.
Admission: Adults $15, children (5-12) $6, students $11, seniors (62+) $11.
Mosey along the 6th Street Viaduct
It also happens to make for a great walk in and of itself, since the bridge spans about two-thirds of a mile, with wide, protected footpaths. You could start the loop on either side, but I like to begin and end in the Arts District, since it has the best options for post-walk snacks.
Parking isn’t the easiest around here, but you can sometimes grab a street spot on South Santa Fe Avenue or nearby cross streets (like Jesse Street). Otherwise, try one of the pay lots around 6th and Mateo streets. Then walk onto the viaduct via the ramps on Mateo or the staircase at Santa Fe. As you cross the river, be sure to look south at the 7th Street Bridge and north to the 4th Street Bridge — two of the most beautiful L.A. River bridges of the early 20th century.
When you reach Boyle Heights, cross the street at Whittier Avenue and South Boyle Avenue before heading back to the Arts District side. There, you’ve got your pick of culinary delights, including turmeric lattes at Zinc Café (580 Mateo St., Los Angeles, CA 90013) or combo platters at Chuy’s Tacos Dorados (1335 Willow St., Los Angeles, CA 90013).
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