Hermosa Beach, CA Spa and Massage

Choose from a botanical body scrub, salt scrub, or traditional Korean scrub to exfoliate skin until it's smoother and softer than a puppy's inner ear. For the traditional treatment, Tikkun's expert therapists use scrub mitts to slough off dead skin cells before applying organic detoxifying body polish. Those opting for the salt scrub will gently ditch zombie skin cells and fight inflammation with the help of salt's crystalline structure; the botanical scrub does the deed with plant-based products. Each treatment is accompanied by a half-hour soak in a stone tub brimming with a sweetly scented green-tea infused brew.

Balanced Bodyworks LA caters to active clients of all types—yogis, runners, cyclists, dancers—but they have one singular goal: to increase performance. Whether clients are recovering from an injury, prepping for a marathon, or learning how to buckle a heavyweight championship belt, the staff here uses sports and medical massage to instill in their clients the physical aptitude necessary to compete and succeed.

The certified therapists target pain and spur injury recovery with orthopedic sports massages, which use techniques such as manipulation and soft tissue movement to improves range of motion and overall performance. They also perform medical and therapeutic massage, each one its own unique brand of restorative bodywork. Balanced Bodyworks LA is also affiliated with acupuncturists, fitness instructors, and healing practitioners, all qualified and intent on further helping athletes prepare for their passions.

From the walls that enclose Zena Day Spa's 6,000-square-foot space, one can almost feel sun seeping from the great, rough-hewn stone blocks and murals influenced by the ancient Egyptians. Intricately woven gold speckled with authenticity-testing bite marks trims Victorian-style couches, upon which clients nip at complimentary beverages. Extremities wrapped around warm mugs or wading through luxurious carpet prepare for dips in oil, paraffin, and a warm lotion or cooling gel infused with sea salt, and beautifiers overhaul hair, nails, skin and bodies with opulent spa and salon treatments.

Organic, semipermanent makeup accentuates facial features, and bold brushstrokes paint exotic scenes behind pedicure chairs and above gleaming marble countertops. The scent of potted lilies rides waves of eucalyptus-infused steam past the strawberry-blond wooden slats that border a sauna. The spa's private showers are ideal for relaxing cleanup or tearful regrets about taking cotton candy in the shower.

An off-shoot of BE Beverly Hills—a company dedicated to eco-friendly beauty products—Blowlux shapes clients' hairstyles, nails, and faces under BE's guiding principle: making clients feel beautiful with all-natural, luxurious cosmetic services. Garnering the approval of such high-profile outlets as O magazine and Glamour, BE Beverly Hills and Blowlux focus on professional-level blowouts that achieve a variety of looks, from rolling waves to straight, smooth locks. Within the salon's purple-accented walls and dazzling white interior, aestheticians also indulge hands and feet with mani-pedis and highlight faces with makeup, creating visages more artfully composed than the Mona Lisa with the distracting dragon tattoo over her left eye.

A holistic approach to wellness underpins Finely Kneaded Day Spa's treatments, which range from back massages with scalp- and foot-rub add-ons to manual spinal adjustments by the spa's chiropractor. Exfoliation and extractions tussle with hyperpigmentation and age spots during the European-style facial, the results of which can be enhanced by the chemical kiss of a mini glycolic peel. The staff also performs such specialty services as ear coning, which reduces pressure on ear canals in an effort to relieve congestion. As a maximally tranquil haven from the perpetual hub-bub of the outside world, the spa requires that cell phones be silenced or placed in a bowl of Jell-O (not provided).