travelerconfidential

If you’re looking to supplement a “fun-in-the-sun” beach day with some spa time, healthy eats, or just a great cleanse, look no further than Manhattan and Hermosa Beaches. Besides the weather and prime real estate, these South Bay beach cities are full of some of the best health and wellness spots around. Both tiny enclaves are filled with inns, boutiques, cafes and surf shops. But if you look a little more, you’ll also find plenty of healthy eating establishments and wellness spots to recharge the mind, body and soul.

Here are seven top spots:

SunLife Organics

SunLife Organics is the prime location if you’re looking for a filling smoothie, hand-crafted date and nut chocolate truffles, cold brew infused with super foods or a bomb açai bowl. The place is rocking with good vibrations and an atmosphere that encourages positive interaction (minus your cell phones) with customers. After chatting it up with some fellow beach-goers, I hungrily sucked down The Mystic smoothie I ordered. I was pleased with just how filling and healthy it was!

Trilogy Spa 

If getting a massage or a fancy facial sounds a bit tempting to you, head straight to Trilogy Spa! The pampering game here is next level. Your options are plenty. From micro needling therapy and HydraFacials® to CoolSculpting® and massages. This place has it all. You can begin with a private consultation to discuss your beauty and body needs. After checking in, you’ll go up a lovely wooden stairway. At the top of the stairs, candles and dim lights adorn the hallways on your way to the changing rooms. And there’s more. There are private bath-tubs and a sauna. And get this; they also have a sun deck. You can soak up some sun, read a magazine and even picnic with your own snacks while waiting for your massage. Your sunshine and spa therapy await! 

Pressed Juicery

Pressed Juicery is a humble looking juicer. But don’t let that fool you. They’ve got a whole collection of cleansing and tasty juices. Some of the juices target particular health benefits, and even though some taste better than others, the best thing is that you know what you’re putting in your body will benefit your overall health. If you try a wellness shot, made with ingredients such as ginger or cayenne, they’ll give you a tasty chaser from one of their milder and sweeter juices. You can also ask to sample any juices you have a hankering for.  

Club Pilates

There is nothing better for your health and well-being than keeping yourself physically fit.  Pilates is always a prime choice for muscle toning and strengthening. It allows you to focus on muscle groups you may have forgotten you had. It also helps to develop mind/body coordination. One of the best places in the South Bay area is Club Pilates. As a fitness instructor myself, I appreciated their professionalism and the fact that the studio is clean and kept in pristine shape. The instructors know how to push you past your comfort zone, while also keeping your body safe. During my free intro class, I was happy to see that the instructors were well versed in classical Pilates warm ups, and held a reverence for the history of this particular exercise form. One thing that sets Club Pilates apart from other studios is their openness to interconnect Pilates and other fitness techniques such as TRX Suspension Training.  If you want to book a FREE, 30-minute introductory class, you can do it online. Be sure to bring some socks with grips on the bottom. Or you can buy a pair when you sign in at the front desk! 

The Pilates Room 

If you are the type of person who likes a little more privacy when getting your workout on, The Pilates Room is a great choice for you! The Pilates Room is a privately owned boutique Pilates studio just a short walk away from the Hermosa Beach strand. The maximum number of reformers is four, meaning that any group session you take, you are sure to get an individualized workout with direct attention from your instructor. They also offer GYROTONIC® classes, which serve to elongate as well as strengthen your muscles. The Pilates Room offers a variety of group packages that include group, semi-private, and private sessions. You can also individually schedule a private lesson with their yoga instructor. The most exciting part of being linked with The Pilates Room community is that they also take retreats. Participants can sign up to travel with their The Pilates Room counterparts to places like Bali and Indonesia. The next retreats will be held in those two locations in June 2019. While visiting Hermosa’s The Pilates Room, be sure to ask to see who signed up for the retreat, because the person on the reformer next to you might just be your next travel buddy!

The Spot 

This little hole-in-the-wall restaurant, located in Hermosa Beach, gets its name from being the spot to eat if you want to try some of the best vegetarian comfort food in the area. You know you can trust the quality of these tried and true recipes because The Spot has stayed in business since 1977. It was one of the very first vegetarian restaurants in the LA area. A haven for vegetarians, it offers gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan fares. It even has organic beer, wine and a selection of kombucha, as well as fresh-squeezed juices. When you’re ready to move on to a sweet treat after dinner, the establishment has tasty desserts sweetened with agave. And boy are they satisfying and scrumptious healthy alternatives to your usual desserts. This is a great place for a cozy date or small affair. 

The Source Cafe

The Source Cafe is one of my favorite places to hunker down for a killer piece of avocado toast and a fancy turmeric latte. They also have smoothie bowls all of which are gluten free, vegan and paleo smoothies, fresh-squeezed juices and a killer list of teas and lattes. On the “edible garden” portion of the menu, they have a mouth- watering list of toasts (one is actually a toasted yam with yummy toppings). Breakfast and lunch plates include gluten-free granola, paninis, soups and salads. The Source Cafe won’t disappoint if you’re looking for a quaint place to grub on something healthy, right near the Hermosa Beach pier. Your body and your taste buds will thank you for it!