Tomoko Spa, Beverly Hills
The best couple’s massage experience!
Tomoko Spa is hands down the best spa in existence in Los Angeles. It is a little piece of Japan tucked away down the street from Rodeo Drive. I booked a birthday treat for my best friend a couple times at the spa, with their famous couple’s massage. Pro tip: include yourself in gifts to friends! We even tried it before it was featured on the first season of Bling Empire. You can read about the spa’s press features here. When you call to book the treatment, you are given paperwork in advance to select focus areas and intensity of the massage and stretching. You can already tell ahead of time the attention to detail in providing the most amazing massage experience!
When you walk into the spa, you are immediately transported to Japan. Being half Japanese, I always love experiences that are very authentic to Japanese culture. You are given slippers to change into immediately, and offered (the first of many) cups of organic tea. There are no locker rooms, as you are shown to your own private suite with a closet, massage beds, foot bath area, eating area, rose petal ofuro (Japanese bath), and shower. Upon changing into beautiful kimonos, there are buttons under the heated massage beds to signal for your massage therapists to come.
The treatment starts off with a Ashiyu foot soak and reflexology, which is truly heavenly. The massage therapists are so skillfully trained, and perform each movement in complete unison. Everything is so thoughtfully executed, you are truly witnessing an art form. The massage is absolutely divine, blissful, heavenly, etc. etc. etc. With the paperwork filled out prior customized to your own preferences, it seems as though your therapist intuitively created the most perfect massage experience you could think up! You can read about the fabulous owner, Tomoko Kurono, and her integration of Qi energy healing into massage techniques here.
The treatment ends with a beautiful spread of tea, Sugarfish, and Japanese specialty desserts in your private room. I mean just look at the presentation! The meal is very Instagram worthy, and the zen ambiance somehow makes the Sugarfish taste even better. It comes with a cute paper crane decoration, which I always love to take home with me (Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes was one of my favorite books growing up).
You are given time in the room to eat your meal and leisurely enjoy the rose petal ofuro and shower. The ofuro is also very Instagram worthy, you can get some inspo from Stassie Baby here. In total, you are given about four hours for the total experience. Beautiful chopsticks, chocolates, and tea are thoughtfully sent with you in a goody bag home. This experience is the most perfect celebration to spoil a friend or loved one. Whenever I am able to splurge on a spa experience, Tomoko Spa always comes top of mind!
P.S. Don’t forget to take your Japanese fan with you. I love to decorate my apartment with them! XO
