Beverly Hot Springs holds a unique piece of Los Angeles history. Its therapeutic waters come from the Oxford springs, an artesian well discovered in 1910 in a wheat field near Beverly and Western. The natural spring, which once provided hot water to locals and was bottled as “Wonder Water”, now feeds this Korean Spa’s pools with mineral-rich water. Every other Korean spa in Los Angeles uses heated tap water for their soaking pools, so it is worth a visit.
You can get the usual scrubs and treatments here, but the spa itself could use a scrub. Its a little run down now and doesn’t look clean, even though it probably is, given the staff that are continually cleaning. But Beverly Hot Springs was probably once magical. The design was clearly meant to emulate natural springs: think rock walls, irregularly-shaped pools and low lighting.
This co-ed spa isn’t meant for spending a day or night at like other LA Korean Spas: guests are strictly limited to 2 hours.
However, it might not get that scrub it desperately needs. Despite its historical significance and unique natural resource, developers have designs to cap the spring and replace the building with a high-rise. A similar fate to the other historic LA hot springs like the Bimini baths, which closed in 1951 after various transformations – from a gym to an insurance office – before falling into disrepair. The potential loss of Beverly Hot Springs would mark the end of the city’s Hot Springs, which were abundant in the early 20th century.