#11436 Simmering in a Tea Bath at Olympic Spa in Los Angeles, California

For immediate and everyday respite from L.A. traffic, peel out of the fray to the Olympic Spa, a Koreatown oasis of steam and whirlpooling waters, where the unlimited “simple soak” comes at a price under $20. It’s as authentic as ladies-only bathhouses get, matrons and maidens alike performing their ablutions at the utilitarian central trough or cocooned in quilts on the heated floors of the nap room. Pay a nominal extra fee for the unforgettable Akasuri scrub: You’ll swear you’re being abraded by Brillo pads but every polished and mollified pore of your skin will thank you. Above all, don’t skip immersion in the dark, scalding vat of tea they call the Herbal Hot Pool. Smog, be gone.