Best Of :: Shopping & Services Best Place to Buy Japanese Knives Need knives sharpened as well as those used by the famed fishmongers who expertly slice sushi at Tokyo's Tsukiji fish market? Look no farther than Hitachiya, an unassuming storefront in Torrance's Rolling Hills Plaza, where Hirota Masazumi personally primes your knives. The original outpost of Hitachiya is located in Tsukiji itself (since 1956!), so consider yourself one lucky cat to have access just a jaunt down the San Diego Freeway. The shop stocks Japanese cookware coveted by pro chefs and home cooks alike, including copper omelet pans, bonito shavers, bamboo strainers and wooden boxes for serving hot rice. Be prepared to discover that one gadget you never knew existed, let alone needed, but must have right now. Hitachiya also hosts monthly in-store workshops on traditional Japanese utensils and ingredients, like how to dry vegetables or make tofu from scratch. 2509 W. Pacific Coast Hwy., Torrance. 2509 Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance, 90505

If you are feeling at all uneasy about spending two hours floating in water in total sensory deprivation, Crash, the shaggy-haired, flip-flop–wearing owner of Float Lab, will make you feel at ease. Each of his two womblike chambers is filled with body-temperature saltwater and encased in dark, soundproof walls. With nothing to distract, you are free to explore your mind completely unencumbered. During the big isolation-tank craze a few decades ago, it was said that some famed writers came up with their best ideas inside the tanks, and that the mind invented vivid colors and patterns. Stand-up comedian Joe Rogan is a fan and regularly touts Float Lab on his podcast. The popularity and constant waiting lists have prompted Crash's expansion plans, with a new 10-chamber facility on Wilshire in the works. 801 Ocean Front Walk, #5, Venice. 801 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, 90291 Best Place to Get Flushed While colonics might be a daunting thought for some, if one ever requires or desires this purportedly detoxifying treatment, Healing Waters Institute in Studio City is a great place to get flushed.

The clean and cozy facility features state-of-the-art equipment that makes colon irrigation mostly comfortable and largely non-invasive. Owner Annabelle Cordova is a sage when it comes to colon health, and she's compassionate and funny to boot, gently guiding clients through the process while explaining exactly what's coming out of you, why it looks the way it does (yes, you can see it), and what you can do to make it look healthier. sushi san francisco van nessFoot reflexology and abdominal massage are performed during the session for greater "releases," and the facility also offers a hyperbaric chamber and foot-detoxification therapy. order sushi mississaugaMost folks leave with a better understanding of their digestive system, and a few pounds lighter to boot. sushi online buenos aires

4343 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Studio City. 4343 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Los Angeles, 91604 The Koreatown bathhouse emporium Wi Spa is tricked out with saunas, hot tubs, steam rooms, clay rooms, salt rooms, ice rooms, 200-plus-degree rooms and myriad other methods of detoxifying and refreshing body and mind. where to buy fish roe for sushiThe entrance fee is $30 (with a variety of deals and discounts throughout the week), and once inside there's no limit to how long you can stay and soak. how to make vegetarian sushi youtubeThe space is divided into men's and women's spas, and a coed area features treatment rooms along with a café and a casual hangout space. sushi sai onlineThere's also free Wi-Fi, a few TVs and an area for napping. jiro dreams of sushi recension

Massages, salt scrubs, deep-tissue work, waxing, manicures and more are relatively inexpensive, and the staff does a consistently great job. The place is pristine and open 24 hours a day, making it a prime place to disappear into for an afternoon or unwind at after a long evening. Parking is free, and patrons can even get a car wash. 2700 Wilshire Blvd., Koreatown. 2700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 90057 8000 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, 90046 Best Place for a Strong Touch The word "massage" can mean a variety of things. There's Swedish massage, Thai massage, deep-tissue Rolfing, and the kind of massage you get at fringe-y parlors that elicit snickering chatter about "happy endings." L.A. Sports Massage offers a targeted and quality-assured service: a rigorous, but not extremely painful, reparative and restorative massage aimed at addressing specific physical ailments common to athletes and other physically active people. LASM says that in many cases, a few sessions in its bright, cheery Culver City space with one of its athlete/massage therapists not only gives relief from muscular or joint pains but can also actually reverse the intrinsic problem.

Now that's a real happy ending! 13205 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City. 13205 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, 90066 If your idea of an adult shop is a shame-inducing hole-in-the-wall with sticky magazines, XXX video booths filled with men on the sex-offender list, and leather accessories worthy of a farm, Pure Delish probably isn't the place for you. It has no videos and no magazines, but, taking a page from Hustler Hollywood, that mall-like boutique for smut and unmentionables on the Sunset Strip, it has lingerie, shoes, lube, condoms and toys. The women who work there dress in candy-striper outfits, which is nice. But here's the thing: Most of the customers are female. The sales staff will happily, without much blushing or giggling, demonstrate the latest in battery-operated technology, too. And the prices are good. Not that we'd know. 10746 Washington Blvd., Culver City. 10746 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 90232 Best Place to Buy Japanese Knives: Hitachiya Yoshihiro Mizu Yaki 16 Layers Suminagashi Blue Steel #1 Kiritsuke Multipurpose Japanese Chef Knife, Shitan Rosewood Handle with Nuri Saya Cover

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