hollywood and highland

Rolling Stone LA Restaurant and Lounge Set to Open

Filed under: Dining

Rolling Stone, the magazine, has grown up along with its readers. How do you translate that political edginess that's the magazine's trademark into a Los Angeles restaurant and lounge? To do that, Rolling Stone turned to designer Gavin Brodin. The result, which opens to the public on Feb. 1, is time travel adventure set in vintage industrial with an urban street vibe.

The restaurant and lounge, located at Hollywood and Highland, debuted with a private VIP party after the American Music Awards in November. This is the first time the Rolling Stone name has been licensed for a U.S. restaurant. Designer Brodin describes it as "entering a world of privilege." He called it a place where "The travel lounges of the British ruling class meet the conceptualized Paris of the 1870s -- a place and time reminiscent of the rise of Bohemia, of Edouard Manet, Jean Paul Sartre and the famed art salon once housed under the sky-high glass and steel girdered domes of the Palais Royale."

Basically, it's a 10,500-square-foot two-story space that fuses classic and modern culture. We're hoping the food is good.

Patrons enter at the second level into a lobby with cobblestone-like limestone floors and an antique floor cart salvaged from an old citrus factory that serves as the reception desk. The upstairs dining room can accommodate up to 140 diners, with another 40 on the patio. Larger-than-life images of famous musicians are hammered into the concrete walls. And antique ceilings, curved caged domes of glass and iron hang from the ceilings and the room is lit by street lamps and custom-made crystal chandeliers right out of a Jack the Ripper London scene.

There is a dedicated bar and DJ booth. The room has 80 speakers and computerized lighting.

So is this the beginning of a Planet Hollywood-like chain?

Gallery: Rolling Stone Los Angeles

Tags: hollywood and highland, los angeles, Los Angeles restaurants, Rolling Stone, rolling stone magazine

Spa Luce Offers Calm In The Midst Of Chaos

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spas

The Hollywood and Highland Center in Los Angeles doesn't exactly inspire thoughts of blissed-out spa moments but ascend from the parking lot and up to Level 5 of the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel and the world falls away a bit. Spa Luce is a beautiful and tranquil place to grab a little peace in the middle of a bustling area. The decor is modern and spare and the treatments are designed to be holistic and recharge body and mind.

Spa Luce features skincare and body care products and treatments by Red Flower, Sonya Dakar and Somme Institute as well as a signature scent created for Spa Luce by Dr. Sharon, an aromatherapist, acupuncturist, chiropractor and masseuse. One of the most extensive experiences offered by the spa is the hammam ritual. The multi-step massage ritual includes a cleansing with Moroccan mint tea and silt, a vigorous scrub with coffee, olive stones and fresh lemons, and a wrap in rhassoul clay. Finally after all that preparation you surrender to a Turkish massage with essences of cardamom, jasmine, bergamot, amber and clove. The 80-minute experience costs $180.

You can extend your Spa Luce experience by taking ample time to enjoy the facilities. Treatments include access to the eucalyptus-infused steam rooms and rooftop pool. Spa lunches can also be ordered up and eaten in the relaxation area or next to the pool. And you can also buy products to take home. Dr. Sharon's Am I Dreaming aromatherapy kit, shown above, includes an aromatherapy oil, an aromatherapy candle, the Aromatin fragrance dispenser, and an instruction booklet. It sells for $48.

Gallery: Spa Luce