And enjoy the stress-free lifestyle at La Dolce Vita
By Ellen Griley

It’s always a little surprising when your body ups and turns on you—takes all that stuff you’ve had too much of (stress, drink), remembers everything you’ve had too little of (sleep, vitamins, sunlight) and hammers out the balance sheet inside you. What’s left on the bottom line varies from person to person, but for me it feels as though tiny landmines have taken residence all over my upper back, joining forces with my exhausted lymph nodes to create an all-encompassing ugh that can at any moment—a twist of the head here, a reach to the cabinet there—explode into a single, sharp ow. Except sometimes, maybe when the earth is spinning just so, that ow doesn’t go away. And then? I hobble over to the nearest day spa.

For the under-worked and always paid—your socialites, your heiresses, your famous-for-nothings—a trip to the day spa is little more than a way to pass time on the way to rehab. Yet for those of us who work—hard—for our money, and our free time, the day spa is the only place in the world where we can not under any circumstances become stressed. Think about that—or rather, don’t think, because if you think about anything (work deadlines, family problems, even your plans for later that night) you’re bound to tense up somewhere else, and that’s no good.

So you remain relaxed at a day spa. And a good spa—like La Dolce Vita—will do everything in its power to help you get there. Squished in between a liquor store and a tea shop (relatively speaking—the liquor store is a few doors to the left and the Vintage Tea Leaf sits to the right on the corner), La Dolce Vita is an ideal neighborhood retreat: quaint and unassuming, with a friendly staff and fair—more than fair—prices. Let the MILFs and their debutante daughters Mercedes on down to Newport; this place fits us just fine.

Inside, the first thing you’ll notice (outside of the spa Shih Tzu, Precious) is the building itself: it feels like a house, and rightfully so, since the building (constructed in 1939) originally served as a commercial/residential property for a doctor’s office—there’s even a charming little backyard. Since then, it’s been a lock and key shop and a nightclub, among other things, and while you can’t tell that by looking, you can, in a sense, feel it. The place feels old, but well-kept, like the best places in Long Beach do. It feels good.

After purchasing the building 10 years ago, owner Laura Osuna opened La Dolce Vita as what was then the first day spa in Long Beach. Having graduated from Cal State Long Beach with a fine art degree in interior architectural design, plus a minor in chemistry, Osuna’s divergent skill sets paid off: she could afford to renovate the building (Osuna did the general contracting herself) and she now makes (and sells) her own line of skin rubs.

As for the in-between, the details of a decade spent building a loyal clientele (most new clients are referred by their friends or family, resulting in somewhat of a spa social circle) are in what La Dolce Vita offers: manicures, pedicures and at least eight massage treatments, four body wraps or scrubs, six international spa therapies (varied by country—more on this in a bit) five spa facials, plus an array of affordable packages (try Total Spa Wellness, $155 for a 60 minute Swedish massage, 60 minute facial and spa pedicure, with lunch).

I went with the lymphatic drainage massage—like I said, stress hits my lymphs like a Mack truck—and was treated to a long (felt like an hour, give or take 10 minutes) luxurious body massage. Back, front, arms, legs, neck, head—bliss. This was followed by the actual lymphatic massage, which involved a brief, more intense neck massage using a special blend of essential oils aimed at helping the lymphatic system—the dump trucks of the body, Osuna says—take out the toxins. Afterward, I took a long shower in the locker room before enjoying another one of Osuna’s creations: iced tea, with concentrated green tea dripped medicine-dropper style into a glass of orange/cucumber water.

I felt—and still feel—much improved, ready for another week of stress. But what most excited me was planning my next visit: the Native American spa treatment, where I’ll be caked in clay before baking in the spa’s one-seater sauna. Or maybe the French seaweed wrap. Or the Indian ayurvedic massage. At least there’s no need to stress about this—I’m sure I’ll get to them all.

LA DOLCE VITA SPA | 927 E BROADWAY | LONG BEACH | 90802 | 562.432.3760 | LADOLCEVITASPA.COM