A massage in Los Angeles for every budget

Escape to Bali at this Santa Monica day spa. Beyond the mint green fence, enter a lush landscaped property where East meets West. Change into a cotton Thai top and pants in the bare-bones locker room and start to unwind on the comfy alfresco seating with homemade ginger tea. Massage services range from 60 to 90 minutes with a menu of holistic signature treatments. We like the Table Thai and Zen-tastic, which had us snoozing in no time. 

The best thing about this chain spa, tucked away inside the chic Fairmont Miramar hotel in Santa Monica, is its focus on total wellness. A self-described "mind-body" spa, Exhale serves up all the traditional spa treatments—facials, massages, mani/pedis, waxing—but then enhances its menu with fitness offerings such as yoga, cardio, barre and private training. Mind-body style energy treatments include accupuncture, reiki and cupping, and coaches are available to guide guests through nutrition and wellness goals. Although set inside a luxury hotel, a visit to Exhale is decidedly less about the sort of posh frills one would expect from, say, the spa at the Peninsula. The staff here is efficient and friendly, but not fawning or overly solicitist. The therapists are down-to-business. 

Nestled in a nondescript building off Third Street Promenade, this Santa Monica answer to a Korean day spa offers all the same services (minus the black lingerie-clad women), along with other full service treatments such as facials and body wraps. Prep for intense deep tissue bodywork in the dry and wet sauna rooms. Post treatment, you’ll be so relaxed you'll wonder how you’ve never discovered this underground oasis before. A tip: Leave your worries and your fashion sense at home—the spa provides a pair of comfy cotton shorts and a T-shirt.

Enter the iconic hotel's south tower and take the elevator to the hidden spa, where you'll feel miles away from bustling, tourist-heavy Rodeo Drive. The luxe spa pulls out all the stops leading up to your treatment—slip on a plush robe and slippers and head to the twinkling steamroom. Light therapy shines down from the ceiling and a crystal geode fills the room with soothing energy. You may have to wait for it, but the ice-cold rain shower (with three settings to choose from) is worth it. After prepping for your treatment, head to the relaxation room for tea, fruit, nuts and homemade dark chocolate. It's too easy to lose track of time in the dimly-lit quiet area. When it's time for your treatment, you'll pass the spa's pièce de résistance—a massive, glittering amethyst crystal geode placed in the middle of the spa for balanced energy. Stones play a motif throughout the spa, and in the acutal treatments. For ultimate pampering, the signature body treatment revitalizes the skin with a hyrdrating body and face mask and the use of diamond powder.

You're greeted at the Ritz-Carlton Spa at LA Live with a glass of Champagne or the beverage of the season (in spring, it's mint lemonade freshly made with lemons from the hotel's rooftop garden). Make sure to set aside enough time when you visit to enjoy the facilities—the men’s and women’s locker rooms include private relaxation areas, eucalyptus steam rooms and cold plunge showers. The spa also offers seasonal Garden to Glamorous treatments, incorporating herbs and produce from the hotel’s rooftop garden with top-of-the-line products. You'll savor the treatment long after you’ve left the spa. 

This serene, lovely spa is tucked into Casa del Mar, one of the nicest hotels along the beach in Santa Monica. And we do mean tucked—an elevator brings you to the fourth floor where you'll walk past guest rooms until the spa doors appear like an opening in a maze. Once inside, you'll be taken to a dimly lit waiting area with lemon water, warm green tea (heated by tealight candles!) and comfy chairs. And you're definitely in for a treat: Even the basic, 60-minute massage is heaven, but the menu offers such luxuries as a Hydrafacial (no harsh chemicals or lasers) and hot stone massage. Certain treatments are available oceanside, so be sure to ask if you'd like your treatment alfresco. 

The sprawling 50,000-square-foot spa facility at Terranea is a destination in and of itself. It has a boutique, pool, cafe and gym, with free fitness classes. Open-air spin, anyone? We can guarantee the spa's oceanfront terrace is an improvement on the poshest of spin studios in LA. Make sure you enjoy the steam rooms, women's and men's lounges as well as outdoor cold plunge pools and Jacuzzis on the grounds. Large parties are welcomed—the spa even has a group spa menu and wedding party packages. Follow your therapist to the second floor—the spa boasts 25 treatment rooms and three VIP suites—to the first door on the left. Opt for the Ocean Prelude, a full-body treatment that incorporates elements from the sea and takes places in an airy room with a bronze-cast bathtub, two treatment beds and the pièce de résistance—a balcony with a stunning ocean view. The soundtrack to your treatment will waft in on a salty breeze. We can't imagine you'll want to leave the spa afterward, so relax in one of the lounges for the rest of the day.