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travel
“IS THAT A JONAS BROTHER?” I whisper to my
friend, peering at the dark-haired, perfectly stub-
bled stranger walking past us in the bustling lobby
bar of the Hollywood Roosevelt. It’s late on a
Friday night, and the hotel’s three bars (The Spare
Room, a chic speakeasy with bowling lanes; the
chilled-out Library Bar; and the lounge, Teddy’s
Bar) are heating up with tourists and locals alike.
It’s too dark to tell if my stranger is Kevin, Nick
or Joe (or just a regular Joe), but it doesn’t mat-
ter. That’s the magic of L.A.—it makes everyone
feel a little bit like a star. The
Roosevelt and Hollywood have
shared a history since the hotel
opened its gilded doors on busy
Hollywood Boulevard in 1927.
The first Academy Awards were
held under its Spanish-style roof
in 1929, and countless celebrities
have called it home, including
Montgomery Clift, Clark Gable
and Marilyn Monroe. (Monroe
lived for two years in one of the cabanas overlook-
ing the Tropicana pool and its 230 surrounding
palm trees; you can rent a suite named after her for
about $1,000 a night.) After you’re done overwork-
ing your feet and wallet on Rodeo Drive, we recom-
mend kicking back in a lounge chair by the pool,
martini in hand. That’s another perfect thing about
the Roosevelt: Though the hotel is located in one of
the busiest thoroughfares in the world (L.A. hosts
some 50 million visitors a year, and Hollywood
Boulevard is ground zero for the hordes), you’d
never know it from your quiet perch on the pool
deck. EDITORS’ TIP: If you’re feeling stressed, book a
deep-tissue massage at the newly installed massage
garden located just steps from the shallow end.
Party City
SEE Lean into the campiness of
Hollywood by taking a sightseeing
tour of celebrity homes. After all, did
you even go to L.A. if you don’t know
where Brad and Jen lived during the
magic years?PACKING
LISTCarry: Polycarbonate
suitcase, Away ($375,
awaytravel.com)Read: I Used to Be
Charming: The Rest of
Eve Babitz. This memoir
tells the story of novelist
and L.A. about-towner
Eve Babitz.Listen to: The podcast
You Must Remember
This. Host Karina
Longworth’s breathy
musings (yes, she does
voices) on Hollywood’s
bygone days are as en-
tertaining as they
are enlightening. Wear: Polyester hat,
Loeffler Randall ($80, at
NET-A-PORTER.com)SPA Before your transformational
facial ceremony even begins at Beverly
Hills-based Skin Worship (Hailey
Bieber’s go-to), a crystal is placed on
your chest. It’s the first step in a holistic
ritual that covers just about every skin-
care treatment you could imagine over
the course of a so-relaxing-it’s-almost-
spiritual two hours. You lie on an
infrared mat embedded with amethyst
crystals while undergoing a deep-pore
cleanse and micro-exfoliation followed
by microneedling and brightening LED
therapy. After an additional chakra-
clearing session at the end of the
treatment, you’ll walk out feeling lighter
and with skin so glowy that passersby
will swear you’re a celeb. Pro tip: Pick
up some Body Vibes stickers on your
way out the door. They contain frequen-
cies purported to balance your system
and make you feel less stressed or, for
example, more spiritual. The science is
dubious, but they are super-cute and a
major conversation starter.