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Although Los Angeles is famous for its Korean bathhouses, the older and more expensive Russian bathhouses are receiving renewed attention from celebrities, immigrant communities, and social media.
In Korean Spalos angeles It is quite popular and some spas have very enthusiastic customers. But besides Korean saunas, there are other spa options. Russian-style baths have a decades-long history and are more expensive than Korean saunas. They are an upscale bathing and leisure destination that is particularly popular among people of Eastern European descent.
Historic bathhouses like City Spa and Voda Spa have been serving Los Angeles’ Eastern European community for decades.social media Russian banya culture is being promoted to a wider audience, and Bathhouse, a popular New York bathhouse chain, plans to open a large flagship store in the next few years on the site of the original Amoeba Records on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles.
Russia There’s an old saying in bathrooms: There’s no better place to tell your secrets than a Russian sauna (banya). Because here you can be sure that no one will listen to you. Leah Feigin said, “There’s a gang culture in the bathroom world, and you can’t be harassed in a sauna.” She runs a Substack blog called “Fluid Form”, which specializes in featuring bathroom culture.
While Korean saunas dominate the Los Angeles bathhouse scene, Russian saunas also have a low-key history in the city. For decades, establishments such as Voda in West Hollywood and City Spa on Pico Boulevard have been gathering places for people of Eastern European descent and popular among immigrants. Today, thanks to social media, this tradition is slowly spreading outside the community.
City Spa on Pico Avenue was founded in 1955, when it was originally a social club for Eastern European immigrants who moved to the Pico Avenue area. For more than 70 years, the bathhouse has been a gathering place for immigrants and has attracted celebrities including John Belushi, Kobe Bryant and Joe DiMaggio. Indeed, after Marilyn Monroe’s death in 1962, DiMaggio reportedly went to the spa every day to mourn his lover.
This isn’t City Spa’s only connection to Hollywood. In a 1996 Los Angeles Times article, a writer described City Spa as an unlikely gathering place for Hollywood’s elite, with regulars like Jeremy Piven and John Travolta as well as agents wearing togas and huddling around televisions trying to close deals.
Rolling Stones legends Mick Jagger and Keith Richards also visited here before their concerts. In 2004, rapper Shifty Shellshock described it as “like a Sopranos set” in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. (Of course, depending on who you ask, in the 1950s and 1960s the spa was rumored to be a stronghold of the Russian mob.)
In addition to these shining stars, City Spa owner Daniel Besharat said the bathhouse has always been home to immigrants of all kinds. “It’s always been a gathering place for immigrants from Eastern Europe because saunas are part of their culture.”
In City Spa, Eastern European immigrant groups include Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, Chechens, Armenians, and more. Many speak Russian but retain their native language and traditions – chatting in the sauna while listening to Lakers games. “They speak Russian, but they also have their own mother tongue. This is their only community center,” Besharat said.
At City Spa, customers span generations and professions. “We had people bringing their kids, and then their grandparents came, and then people of all ages came,” Besharat said. Recently, the spa’s oldest customer passed away at the age of 106. Another regular customer, now 90, has been coming to the spa since the 1950s.
Furthermore, spas promote a low-key culture that attracts celebrities and common people alike. Mobile phones are prohibited in the store, allowing guests a break from social media – and in the case of celebrities, avoid the hassle of fan selfies, paparazzi shots or exposure on social media platforms like Deuxmoi. Besharat said of his movie-star clients, “These old Russian guys don’t know who they are. They can totally enjoy being alone.”
