A Thai Diamond in West LA's Rough

If you look carefully around Los Angeles, you can find some the city's most precious gems tucked away in the unimpressive surroundings of its mini-malls. Wat Po is no exception. Located on the second level of a West LA strip mall, Wat Po was started recently by Tammy and Noi who defected from LA's hottest Thai massage establishment, Pho Siam.

Tammy greeted us warmly and led us into a dimly lit room with Thai pop music playing quietly in the background. On the ground was a thick mat covered in crisp sheets and pillows. We were given a pair of clean, comfy pants to change into. For a Thai massage, you are expected to wear pants, but no shirt or bra. They tend to keep you covered up, but if you're shy, you might want to wear a tank top.

Tammy wiped our feet clean, and then used a combination of assisted stretching, Swedish massage, deep tissue, acupressure and reflexology. She walked on our back, dug into knotted muscles and lifted, pulled and stretched our body into all sorts of positions. If you have never had a Thai massage, we recommend asking for "soft" because Tammy and her fellow therapists are far stronger than they look. In fact, after the massage, we felt less like we'd been at the spa, and more like we'd spent an hour at the gym. But a few days later, our nagging upper back and neck pain had all but disappeared.

Other great things about Wat Po: It's open until 10pm. There is plenty of parking, either in the lot or on the street. Even without a discount, massages cost half of what you would pay at a typical spa. It has rooms that can accommodate individuals, couples and even groups of six, making for a unique date, bachelorette or shower idea.

Review originally published 9/21/2006.