Press Reviews of our Los Angeles day spa

As seen in American Spa Magazine

When one thinks of visiting a day spa in Los Angeles, one doesn't imagine being able to leisurely walk there. But for visitors of Le Petite Retreat, it's just another factor that makes the spa stand out. "Even clients who drive here can have a more pleasant experience," says owner Lysa Kustek, whose vision for the 2,000-square-foot spa located in a residential pocket of the city was to create a holistic environment where her clients would feel safe and nurtured.

Designed by Roy Shabla; Fung Shui Master, the $300,000 renovation transformed a former art gallery into the day spa. Six treatment rooms (one outfitted with a copper tub, four for facial and massage, and one manicure/pedicure room) provide Kustek's clients with soothing and balancing body treatments utilizing the products and chromatherapy (color and light therapy) technology of Phytobiodermie. Kustek notes that Le Petite Retreat is the only spa in California that is using the line, which has created a niche for her spa. In addition to the treatment rooms, there's a wooden deck in the back with plants, where clients can relax before or after a treatment and even get a pedicure.

Because the spa does only natural nails, there is no acrylic nail odor in the air, furthering Kustek's aim of keeping the atmosphere holistic. "A lot of [day] spas in our area are mostly salons, and that sets us apart," she says. The customers are responding favorably to their natural approach.

Opened in July 2001, Kustek had arranged for the spa to be visited by Tibetan monks on September 13 for a private spiritual cleansing and blessing of the space. Then the events of September 11 unfolded; Kustek went on with the scheduled ceremony, feeling that it would certainly help bring about healing in the aftermath. When asked, Kustek recommends either the spa's California Dream, a 75-minute nurturing massage in the Esalen style (a combination of Swedish techniques and personal sensing work), or the Luminescent Lift, a non-surgical treatment that uses lymphatic drainage to remove toxins and lift the face through the vibrations of color light. Customers notice "a euphoric feeling several days afterwards," says Kustek. "It affects them spiritually." Kustek would have it no other way.

- Julie Sinclair