The New Century Spa

The Korean bath house is a great way to get a heat in Los Angeles. There are probably six or seven really great Korean spas with top-drawer facilities. The Koreans love their heat, and they know how to do it right.

Century Spa is one such. It's a huge complex, with a netted driving range out back, a full gym, a swimming pool and probably sixty rooms of other things that I've never seen. Until recently, their Men's Spa was good but not great. For $15, you got access to a pretty beat sauna (no rocks on the stove? wood falling off the walls?), a decent steam room, cold plunge, hot tub, and clay and marble radiant floor saunas. You also got a cruisey scene due to the poor layout. But there was some charm to the place. One of my favorite features was a trough of cold water with plastic bowls that you could dip in and dump on yourself. A trough! Weird!

Anyway, those days are over. For the past year or so, while we were inhaling mildew and mold in our heat, the owners of the Century Spa were hard at work on a huge remodel. It's been open about a month, and this weekend, I was able to give it a whirl. It's a whole new day at Century.

(Note: As of today, they don't have pictures of the new facilities on their site.)

The Locker Room -- A little smaller, but the locker size is still generous. They have this weird, Korean electric lock system, however, that flummoxed me both before and after my heat.

The Facilities -- The whole place feels much more modern, but with something of a twist. It feels like 2002 or so in there. Definitely newer, but not 2009 new. The place is definitely designed to wow the target audience -- Koreans. Maybe that's why something there feels dated. It's not that it's old or out of style. It's just a style I'm not used to. The size and scale of this facility doesn't really say "relax" to me, nor does the ubiquitous music or the a little-too-bright light, but all in all, it is something to behold. And that said, I was a huge fan of the limestone walls, the skylight and the sky-and-clouds painted ceiling.

To address the problem of cruisers overtaking their schvitz, they've given the whole place an open layout -- the saunas and steam have glass walls, the radiant floor saunas are in the main hall, and the whole spa can be viewed from the resting room on the second floor. So far, the tactic is working.

The Sauna -- Good and hot. New oven, glass wall, new cedar. All great. However, the door sticks open, which is a hassle, because people don't realize that it's open and heat rushes out. But the new oven kept it cooking in there. One weird thing was that the benches and floors were covered in towels. We couldn't figure out why this was. One gentlemen ventured that they were trying to preserve the wood? I don't know, but I didn't like it. I imagine, however, that this is temporary.

The Cold Sauna -- That's right! They have something called a cold sauna! I've never in all my days seen anything like it. It's this small glass room with an air conditioner at the top and plastic flap doors. There are two shower heads that dump cold water. That's it. It's basically a cold rinse spot, but they've decided to air condition it as well. Phenomenal.

The Steam Room -- The Koreans love a good steam above all else. This steam room is really great. It's easy to get cooking and comfortably seats 20 gentlemen. A glass wall lets you see some misty shapes moving around outside.

The Mist Room: This wasn't open when I visited, but it looked lovely and was intriguing. What is a mist room? I have no idea. But I like it.

Pools: The three pools that Century boasts are a half-level above these main facilities -- a nice design choice that allows for comfortable bench seating beneath. The cold plunge is small and clean, the hot tub is directly under the new skylight and is large and hot. But the best feature and new to Century is the tea bath, which is warm (not hot) and is filled with mugwart tea. A great place to recover after a circuit of heat.

The Clay and Marble Saunas: I love these rooms. They're both provide radiant heat from the floor and are quiet and dark. In the old Century, this used to be the hot spot for cruisers, but such is no longer the case, and thank god. There is no better place for a mid-circuit sweat than the clay sauna. As you lay on your towel on the floor, you won't get too hot, but you'll sweat slowly and get a really nice spot-heat on your back. It's truly fantastic.

Though the price has gone up to $20 to get in, it's worth every penny. The place has a whole new energy about it. People are not just happy to be there. They're happy to see a transformation gone right.

City Spa - The Best Heat in town

It’s hard to beat the experience at central Los Angeles’s CITY SPA. A two-story mecca of feeling good in the body, this place has it all and does it right. And yes, the heat is incredible.

Here's a not so quick run-down on what you need to know about the best schivtz in Los Angeles.

Parking: Street parking only, and it’s fairly easy to come by, provided it’s not a street cleaning day. But even then, a couple turns around the block ought to do the trick.

Entrance: If you’re short on bania amenities (cap, broom, robe), this is a great place to stock up before you take your heat. They’ve got good quality gear for the serious sweatsmen.

A gentleman will sign you out a key and assign you a locker. Friendly folks, these, and happy to answer any questions.

You’ll pay when you leave, but it’s $25 if you come before 1 pm and $35 thereafter. Memberships are available.

Be aware that Men’s days are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday; Monday, Wednesday and Saturday are co-ed days and bathing suit required. Please forgive the fact that I’ve never visited on a co-ed day and can’t quite explain how it works. The women’s facilities are upstairs, and though much smaller than the men's, I've peeked in there and they are clean and comfortable.

Locker Room: The locker room feels more like what you might find at a country club that at a bania, a comparison that’s warmly welcomed. A nice plush carpet, wide benches situated in front of lockers large enough to easily hold a large gym bag and a messenger bag. (More on why you might need all these things in Suggestions.)

On my last visit, the towel, sheet and sandals was a serve-yourself operation, which was deeply appreciated. Sometimes you need an extra towel and you feel like a heel about it. Allowing gentlemen to take what’s needed shows a level of respect.

The Facilities: This is really where City Spa is unmatched. They have everything, it's all in pretty good shape, and natural light and fresh air abound.

The Rock Room here is without a doubt the hottest rock sauna I’ve ever been in. It has two massive, open ovens and it’s three walls of benches could easily seat thirty gentlemen. And because this bania is frequented heavily by Russians, they keep it dry as a bone. Early in my days, I made the mistake of bringing in a bucket of cold water to dump over my head as I’ve done in every other rock room I’d been in. The splash of water on the ground was met with a chorus of fiery Russian and it was made clear that the only water allowed in that room was the water used for a plaitza.

I happen to like the experience of rinsing off while still in the heat, and to me, that’s one of the reasons for having a rock room, but it’s been explained that drier equals hotter, and these dudes like it hot, so there you go.

Cold Plunge and Swimming Pool: The best reason not to complain about the absence of water in the rock room is due to it’s abundance in the rest of the facility. The cold plunge is right outside the rock room, and it’s both deep and cold. However, I, like many gentlemen here, forsake the cold plunge and go straight for the swimming pool, just a few feet away. The pool is about 50 feet long, maybe 20 wide. Not big enough to swim laps in (not that you’d want to) but certainly big enough to float around and get loose. It’s nice and cool, too, so you’re able to stay in quite a bit longer than you would in the cold plunge. The effects of this can be extremely heady, so exercise caution here.

The Wood Sauna: You’d think with as fantastic as the rock room is, they’d skimp somehow on the wood sauna. But you’d think wrong. It’s clean – old planks are replaced regularly – and it’s hot. Though not nearly as big as the rock room, this is a comfortable sized sauna. One of my favorite features of this sauna is it’s antechamber. This allows gentlemen who want just a good warm to hang out in comfort, and it also helps keep the sauna hotter by letting out less heat each time the door opens.

The Steam Room: This isn’t the kind of steam you find at the gym. It’s a gentle, warm steam. The guys here know that there’s no point in sweating in a steam heat. (In fact, most good sweatsmen find that notion kind of gross.) But it’s quiet and warm and alive with the smell of eucalyptus and an all around wonderful place to breath and relax after you’ve done a circuit of heat.

The Hot Tub: Not only is there a hot tub, but it’s located directly under a gigantic skylight and surrounded by potted plants and Corinthian columns. I know. It’s almost too good to be true.

Showers are located right in this facility, and offer the common trio of body product. There are wee little columns with shower heads and a mirror in front for shaving, and there are stone and tiled benches all throughout this main area.


So now you’ve had your heat and a steam and a rinse. Time to head upstairs to the sundeck to dry off as God intended: nude and in full sunshine. Retire to the shade and have a snack or write a review of the City Spa, as I am doing.

If you’re so inclined, you can lift some weights in the full gym they have up here (no elliptical machine, but Stairmasters and treadmills and lots lots of weights). Also on the second floor is the smoking room and the television room, both of which have never been in use whenever I’ve been here, and are good places to read, write, discreetly partake of a jazz cigarette, play cards or whathaveyou. There’s something called “The Bullshit Room” downstairs which is more or less the same thing.

There is a sleeping room upstairs, and it’s got three sort of daybed things. The light streams in gently from the windows and it’s quiet and peaceful. I’ve fallen asleep here by accident for a good spell.

The Café is the last thing to touch upon. It’s a nice feature, though eating in the café itself is kind of oppressive – but only in comparison to the peacefulness of the rest of the facility. I’ve had the borsht, and it was delicious. Beer is available.

Suggestions: Whenever I come to the City Spa, I’m going to make a day of it. Even at $25, it’s still a little pricey (and for me, a little far) for a quick heat, so I make sure I’m fully prepared with all my sauna accutremont as well as a book, my computer and a packed lunch.

I like to get in two good circuits, which go something like this:

• 5-10 minutes in the rock room (it’s hot, I tells ya)
• 5 in the swimming pool
• 15 recovery and watching the walls melt
• 15 in the sauna, or enough to allow a good, solid sweat
• 5 in the swimming pool
• 8 in recovery
• 10-20 in the steam room
• 3 in the hot tub
• Shower
• Respite

The café isn’t always open and apparently, not entirely in service (I've heard they're preparing food in some other kitchen and walking it over). I think it's easier to bring a sandwich and eat it on the rooftop in peace. They say you can’t bring in outside beers, and that’s a rule I respect, though I see it flaunted fairly regularly. After you eat, make sure you allow enough time to digest before your second circuit of heat.

It’s the best heat you can get in Los Angeles, unquestioned. Go, make a day of it, and enjoy.

5325 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90019
(323) 933-5954