Feel kneaded in a
KOREATOWN SPA
If you need to relax, really relax, Koreatown may be the answer. Not the barbecue joints and karaoke bars (although...). I’m talking about Koreatown’s spas, where you can sweat, shiver, shed skin and feel kneaded.
The spas in and near that neighborhood offer baths; saunas involving salt, clay, jade and ice; facials; manicures and pedicures; massages; and more. Body scrub? You’ll feel clean and tender as a piece of lumber freshly planed and sanded. A 30-minute session usually costs about $50.
Every spa does things its own way, but nudity in gendersegregated areas is a common feature. Coed and family areas are known as jimjilbang, and there’s usually a food option. The Crystal Spa (open daily, $30 a day) serves men, women and children over age 10. The Olympic Spa serves only women 18 and over. Aroma Spa & Sports includes yoga, aerobics, a big pool and a rooftop driving range. Wi Spa, a few blocks east of Koreatown on Wilshire, invites families and has a gym, restaurant, computer area, kid zone and rooftop terrace. (It’s open around the clock, charging nonmembers $30 per adult.)
BONUS TIP: Koreatown was born in the 1970s as Korean immigrants moved in along Olympic and Wilshire boulevards between Vermont and Western avenues. Its many restaurants and bars have made it into perhaps the city’s busiest nightlife zone. One dinner favorite is Sun Nong Dan, which is open around the clock and is part of a four-location chain. (If there are at least two of you, get the galbi jjim, short ribs in a spicy stew.)