A Place to Relax in Downtown Los Angeles

Nestled in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles, The Conrad is the hotel you initially choose for the convenience and ease of its location — and for good reason. Once you’re inside, however, you’re not going to want to leave. Welcome to one of the best places to relax in LA.

Opened in late 2022, The Conrad Los Angeles is a hidden gem of self-care and luxe treat-yourself moments. Now, located about 100 steps from the Frank Gehry-designed spectacle that is Walt Disney Concert Hall and up the same elevator bank as The Grand LA hybrid-shopping and apartment complex may not be the first place you’d assume a moment of indulgence, but we’re here to share what’s quickly becoming a traveler and local’s go-to for peace and relaxation.

The hotel’s charm hits as soon as you step off the lobby, designed by renowned studio Tara Bernerd & Partners — the studio’s first hotel project in California, having worked on five-star accommodations across the world, including Six Senses in Milan. There’s a modern coziness to the design, echo-ing the Gehry-designed architecture of the building. Beyond reception sits The Beaudry Room, a “lobby bar” in the sense that it is in the lobby, and less-so in it’s extensive drink menu and perpetually busy lounge area. The guests rooms themselves are spacious and airy, while the spa offers true tranquility (a word we don’t say lightly), with services ranging from one of the best massages I’ve ever recieved (another thing we don’t say lightly) to facials that include MicroJet infusion and lymphatic drainage.

Perhaps the hotel’s biggest highlight comes in the form of San Laurel, it’s open-kitchen format dining room overseen by chef José Andrés. If you’re going to indulge one place, do it there, and by that, we mean order the caviar. On a recent work trip, I celebrated the close of a cover shoot with the most over-the-top meal I could think of: a tin of caviar for one, served alongside polenta fries, and an assortment of the restaurant’s signature veggie-forward dishes: heirloom tomatoes with roasted piquillo crème fraîche and salsa macha; roasted eggplant with honey-miso, and puffed wild rice; and a fennel soup topped with Dungeness crab. The celebrations continued on until the following morning; for breakfast, I highly recommend the huevos el camino, served with labneh, nasturtium, and more caviar.

For me, the true moment of zen came at the rooftop pool. There, I gazed up at the clear blue sky when it hit me: there was no honking, no protruding rooftops; nary a clue to remind me that I was in the middle of the city and not on a vacation of my own. And what is more luxurious than that?