Text courtesy of Trazzler.
By Megan Cytron
Charlie Brown called it decades ago: post-modern life has a way of quickly converting good tidings and joy into debilitating stress, a tad too much togetherness, and feral consumerism that invariably leads to the Dantean experience of endlessly circling jam-packed mall parking lots. Even in Lalaland, it's easy to opt out for an escapist afternoon. This list of 11 stress-busting spots has a little bit of everything for angst-y Angelenos--bathhouses, a firing range, strip-mall comfort food, spiritual sanctuaries, a mildly masochistic spa treatment involving branches...
Relaxing in Los Angeles
Westwood is as bustling as the west side of L.A. gets. Real city buildings and serious enough suit-and-tie businesses can be a major buzz kill for those who can smell the salt water beckoning from the other side of the 405 freeway trench. The well-manicured trails that layer UCLA’s Mathias Botanical Garden are a pristine place to unload and unplug the weight of work. Over half a thousand shades of tropical and subtropical greenery were plucked from the world’s plant pockets. When the shores are too far, let the garden caress your stress.By: Alex Dweezy Dwyer | Photo: Alex Dweezy Dwyer
You're a classic type-A personality and living in LA—you know, coping with the traffic, dealing with deadlines, loathing your boss—leads your poor lil' brain to have columns of stress. So why not blow off some steam with the LA Gun Club's vast array of firearms—pistols and rifles, natch! The friendly staff can outfit and advise even the most rank amateur on what-to-do and, more importantly what-not-to-do, whilst you set your sights on the paper target 50 feet away from you. Gun rentals range from $5-$10 and no, you can't rent the ammo.**Author's Note: Seriously, somebody asked the clerk that question when I went here.By: Brian Lauvray | Photo: Los Angeles Indoor Pistol Shooting Range
For immediate and everyday respite from L.A. traffic, peel out of the fray to the Olympic Spa, a Koreatown oasis of steam and whirlpooling waters, where the unlimited “simple soak” comes at a price under $20. It’s as authentic as ladies-only bathhouses get, matrons and maidens alike performing their ablutions at the utilitarian central trough or cocooned in quilts on the heated floors of the nap room. Pay a nominal extra fee for the unforgettable Akasuri scrub: You’ll swear you’re being abraded by Brillo pads but every polished and mollified pore of your skin will thank you. Above all, don’t skip immersion in the dark, scalding vat of tea they call the Herbal Hot Pool. Smog, be gone.By: GladysG | Photo: GladysG
When the stars (including Madonna) want to get the kinks out without the pomp and circumstance of the LA's more high-brow spas, they find watery serenity at Beverly Hot Springs, L.A.'s only pure-alkaline mineral-water spa. Located in Koreatown, just a crystal's throw from Hollywood and Beverly Hills, Beverly Hot Springs takes advantage of a natural artesian well discovered at the turn of the century — and of the privacy afforded by its unglamorous location. It's the industry's local de-stress option of choice. Hot and cold pools, steam and herbal dry saunas, and massage treatments of the Shiatsu, Swedish, and deep tissue varieties are available.By: Tracie Broom | Photo: Tracie Broom
Think of strip malls and you probably picture fast food restaurants, laundromats, and video stores...but certainly not fine dining. Enter Nook, which is aiming to expand your ideas about what sort of places can be found in what sort of locations. Sandwiched into the corner ("nook" - get it?) of an asphalt-covered strip mall on an unattractive stretch of Santa Monica Boulevard, this tiny restaurant's menu offers such selections as porkbelly with tomatillo, persimmon and pomegranate salad, ribeye with a brandy mustard saute, and shitake and gruyere bread pudding. And although the cheerfully cozy restaurant unpretentiously bills itself as a neighborhood bistro, its cuisine is apparently haute enough for Michelin to place Nook on its 2009 Bib Gourmand list.By: Emily Fox | Photo: Jess Lander
The Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine boasts an unlikely address: Sunset Boulevard, a street identified less with inner peace than it is with mansions, rock clubs, strip malls, and film noir. But there's a certain beauty in finding calm where it's least expected. Established as a "church of all religions," the Lake Shrine features a wall-less temple housing a portion of Mahatma Gandhi's ashes, a chapel inside a Dutch windmill, and a courtyard dedicated to the world's five main religions. Diverse Los Angelenos stroll the lush ten acres, meditate beside their chosen idol and gaze upon the swan-filled lake. Visit the Fellowship's museum, check out one of its classes, or just relish the silence, happily forgetting the traffic on the other side of the wall.By: Emily Fox | Photo: ch00n (flickr)
To get as far from city life as you can without leaving town, disappear into Mandeville Canyon, a lush haven off Sunset in Brentwood. At five miles, the remote community calls itself the longest dead-end road in Los Angeles. Explore its ridges and trails by bike, horse or on foot. As a gateway to the Santa Monica Mountains, the canyon is a great spot to access single track mountain bike trails such as Sullivan Canyon or popular running spots like the Hollyhock Fire Road.By: Tiffany Hawk | Photo: Mandeville Canyon
On the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles, a funky neighborhood bar called Tony's beckons those in the know. After you step into the shadowy bar, you're greeted by a huge longhorn head overlooking the room. While an eclectic mix of music blares through the speakers, you scan extensive chalkboard lists of whiskey and other spirits. Throughout Tony's you notice shrines to the late, great Hunter S. Thompson, whose thirst for whiskey was legendary. As an homage, you order Stranahan's Colorado Whiskey, made by Thompson's neighbor. You're tempted to shoot some pool, but instead you relax out on the patio, where a lively game of ping pong has broken out under the lights from nearby lofts.By: Daniel Djang | Photo: Daniel Djang
The Slavic theme and Elle Décor design—think Pskov by way of Hollywood—offer a decadent indulgence with a unique cultural element you won’t find this side of Estonia. Birch creased walls; arched wood truss ceilings and futuristic plasma TVs are some of the unique touches here, while the Russian banter lends an air of authenticity to the scene. Voda offers a one-of-a-kind platza treatment, an all-encompassing massage where you’re smacked around with oak and birch branches to stimulate circulation. After, a splash in the light drenched pool, a spell in one of the Russian banyas, and specialty vodka from the cafe will make you forget about El Niño.By: Robert Ellsworth | Photo: Voda Spa
The world ends with a boundless ocean, stretching to the point where blue meets blue, and heaven and earth are indistinguishable. A winding road passes by waves crashing against jagged cliff lines, and it leads up to a little chapel made of glass on a hill overlooking the sea. Across the sweeping bay from Wayfarers Chapel, the forever-expanding city of Los Angeles seen far below does the impossible: it halts, where the water begins. A calm in the denseness of infinity is the song of birds chirping in trees around the surrounding footpaths and benches, one note at a time.By: Sami | Photo: Sami
There are surprisingly few options for beachfront dining in Malibu, but Moonshadows Restaurant fills the bill quite nicely with its large oceanfront deck outfitted with full-size futon beds and sunshades. Reclining on a bed in the sunshine, sipping a cocktail, noshing on ahi tuna tartare, and watching the waves roll in, one realizes that if one were to turn on one's laptop, the whole luxurious afternoon could be written off as a business expense.By: Tracie Broom | Photo: Moonshadows Restaurant
Respite. Sanctuary. These words come to mind as you stroll through the gardens of the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. The fountain behind you bubbles as water splashes playfully into the pond below; water lilies bloom to life. A hummingbird flutters by on its way to the bougainvillea—a cascade of fuchsia against the crumbling stone. Here, in the heart of Orange County, time stops. A haven for photographers and an inspiration for painters—this destination holds something for everyone. Even swallows. Each spring, the Mission welcomes these tiny birds with a festival celebrating their return. For the crafty, the Mission offers looming and spinning demonstrations, as well as basket weaving. You can also view the ruins of the Old Stone Church, destroyed by an earthquake in 1812. Find more history inside the Serra Chapel that houses a baroque retablo, or altarpiece, from Barcelona, Spain, estimated to be over 400 years old.By: Greta Petty | Photo: Greta Petty
A note about Trazzler's slideshows: we don't do top-tens or best-of lists. Nor are we so morbid or presumptuous as to tell you where you must go before you shuffle off this mortal coil. The world is far too big and fascinating to encapsulate in any kind of definitive list. We simply chose the places that our writers have contributed that make us think, laugh, dream, and, in this case, experience a vicarious vertiginous thrill. --Megan Cytron, Editor of Trazzler
Want to write for us? Enter one of Trazzler's writing contests or check out our freelance writing jobs page.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages.