Need a vacation but can't afford to get away right now? Spend the day at Voda Spa instead. West Hollywood's newest destination spa offers an indulgent escape from the daily grind with its ultra-luxury spa facilities, café and lounge. The word "European" is bandied about quite a bit in the spa world, but with Voda the across-the-pond influence is evident in everything from the innovative treatment offerings to the meticulous Russian-inspired décor.
"Voda" means water in Russian, and the name fits; the spa is home to a large, heated indoor pool, a roomy Jacuzzi and a cold plunge. Voda also features a Turkish-style steam room, Finnish-style hot sauna, and two traditional Russian saunas, called banyas, where clients can receive the platza, a rigorous massage performed with a bundle of birch branches.
While the platza sounded intriguing, we opted instead for a luxurious Black Sea Clay Scrub. We arrived early to have plenty of time to swim a few leisurely laps and soak in the hot tub (while enjoying some fresh-squeezed O.J. from the adjacent juice bar) before our session. The 50-minute treatment began with a massaging and exfoliating application of detoxifying clay, followed by a cleansing eucalyptus wash, a warm shower and another massage with a subtly but beautifully scented oil. Our therapist Julienne recommended five to ten minutes in the Turkish steam room afterward, and we were happy to comply. To say that we felt renewed afterward would be an understatement.
We were sorry to leave this newfound pampering oasis, but our workaday responsibilities were calling. We vowed to return to Voda the next time we needed to pretend we were on vacation. Review originally published 11/15/2007.
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Cool co-ed spa option, Sunday, 07 September 2008
Written by rachelsuzanne
This place is very cool...mainly because of the great pool/spa/sauna area. Depending on what day you go, it's either all female, all male or co-ed allowed in the pool/sauna areas. Yes, it's annoying if you really want to go on an all-male day (I'm a woman), but it's the only place I think of where I can go with my husband and enjoy the facilities together rather than spending our "spa days' separate. They have multiple saunas of different temps, and a steam room and various plunge pools all in a very cool, well designed atrium/pool area.
