STANDOUT SPAS
The City's Newcomers Aim To Set Themselves Apart
With spa treatment menus growing longer than Spago's and facialists using the same publicists as their superstar clients, newcomers have to do something to distinguish themselves from the pack. Here are a few of the city's latest pampering places with their own way of doing things.
BLUE: MEDICAL SPA WITH TECHNO BEATS
For those who are torn between clubbing and Botox, the juxtaposition gods have your back. Blue, a new Valley uber-spa is part day spa, part medical office and neon-lit club. Even the reception desk has discothèque energy, having modeled after the glowing pillars at LAX. Owner Ronda Hawara parlayed her successful cosmetic surgery business, Light Speed Laser, into a lively day spa atmosphere that screams youthful behavior. A row of custom-made manicure/pedicure chairs line the front room, allowing you to soak your toes and gossip with your neighbor while spying new makeup options at the nearby Nars counter. Get loose with spa libations at the tiled Elixir bar. Forego a Cosmo for the herbal high of a Mango Mate tea. Then, roll back the years at the hands of a registered nurse with Botox, scar removal or laser hair removal, all with a backdrop of major beats.
BLUE MEDICAL SPA 14622 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks, 888.955.BLUE
As featured in Angeleno, May 2003
by Laura Schooling
