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Welcome to the second iteration of Vogue’s global spa guide, an index of the 100 best spas in the world, built from the expertise of our global editors and trusted contributors. There is a lot to choose from in the world of wellness, and no matter how far you’re planning to travel—from a subway ride to a trans-Atlantic flight—we want to make sure it’s worth the journey. Whatever your path, let us be your guide.
Why go here?
There’s a famous story about the Hotel Bel-Air that involves all four members of the Beatles checking in separately sometime during the height of their fame without even realizing that the rest of their bandmates were there as well. Once you step foot on the 78-year-old hotel’s grounds, you can see how this could be true. The Bel-Air is spread across 12 acres, with charming little hideaways tucked between sprawling, majestic trees and all kinds of other greenery, making an excursion to the hotel’s spa feel pleasingly off-the-grid.
What’s the vibe?
The hotel’s signature pink exterior and blooming bougainvillea might make for perfect selfie backgrounds, but the Bel Air’s sumptuous spa is far from your typical influencer-infested Hollywood hot spot; its canyon-set locale makes accessing the spa–which is conveniently located across from the hotel’s stunning saltwater pool–feel like a vacation in itself. This isn’t the kind of spa where employees avoid your eyeline or won’t greet you in the hallways for fear of interrupting your inner peace, and this genuine friendliness comes as a welcome surprise in the often-intimidating heart of Hollywood. Everyone I met at the Bel Air spa seemed genuinely dedicated to trying to improve my experience.
The history?
It’s hard to find any LA institution that doesn’t come with a complex backstory, and the Hotel Bel Air is no exception. The now-grand locale was originally founded as a riding stables and office space in 1946, then converted into a hotel. Scores of Hollywood stories have taken place at the hotel over the years: Grace Kelly visited so often that a suite was named after her; Marilyn Monroe did her very last shoot for Vogue there–just six weeks before her death. After an extensive renovation, the Hotel Bel Air reopened in 2011 and has been doling out equal amounts of Old Hollywood glamour and present-day LA wellness-culture comfort ever since.
What should I try?
I tried the “Bel-Air Bliss” massage, which lasts 60 minutes and includes an extremely LA rubdown with CBD, lavender, and avocado. I’m a naturally tense person who has trouble really and truly relaxing for a whole hour without longing to check my phone (a depressing sign of the times, I know), but the intense pressure of this massage mixed with the dreamy, oh-so-Californian use of CBD left me feeling more physically rested than I have in months.
I’ve become depressingly accustomed to not fitting in even the roomiest of complimentary hotel and spa robes, but the Bel-Air’s robes and towels were deliciously king-size and seemed to keep the plus-size customer in mind (a little detail that goes a long way, especially in luxury accommodations where the clientele often skews very much straight-sized). I’m also used to massages that are mostly silent affairs, which made the massage I received from a therapist named Nadia additionally special; we chatted the whole time, although I got the vibe that Nadia most definitely would have respected the choice of silence. (This being Bel Air, you’re likely to hear of some big names that have graced the massage table if you do indulge a little chitchat.)
What else should I know?
The Hotel Bel-Air tends to get quite understandably busy, so if you’re not a guest, making a spa appointment well in advance of its 7 p.m. nightly closure is probably a good idea. That said, the spa has seven treatment rooms, making it unlikely that you’ll even run into another soul during your stay. (You could be the last person on earth! But not in a The Last of Us way!) It would certainly be a challenge to book the spa’s signature Bel-Air Couple’s in time for Valentine’s Day, but getting to enjoy a candlelit “private aromatic bath” with your sweetie before a bespoke couple’s massage sounds like possibly the most ideal way to celebrate true love, L.A.-style.
Booking details for Hotel Bel-Air
Address: 701 Stone Canyon Rd, Los Angeles, California, 90077
Read more from Vogue’s Global Spa Guide.
