Even as Mind + Body Month fades from calendars, West Hollywood insists: this is no seasonal reset. It’s an ongoing pulse. I tucked into a “micro-stay” beneath Sunset Boulevard’s neon arc to prove it: a pool plunge, a spa hour, a twilight taco ritual. And in each corner—hotel, lobby, spa room, taco terrace—history and design whispered their stories.
1 Hotel West Hollywood: Green Rebirth on Sunset
The twin towers rising at Sunset & La Cienega were once The Jeremy; reimagined, they now host 1 Hotel West Hollywood, which opened in July 2019 as the brand’s first West Coast outpost. The Lane+1 The transformation was total: reclaimed wood, living green walls, moss murals, and design gestures meant to blur boundary between indoor and outdoor.
By the time I’d checked in at the lobby, the ethos was clear: sustainable luxury meets local soil. A built-in apiary, olive trees aged in place, native landscaping—all part of its LEED Silver and high energy score architecture. Morning light falls on a rooftop vegetable garden; the lobby is planted as though a courtyard.
At the 2nd floor pool deck, lounge chairs lie in soft geometry beneath trellises. The plunge pool is clean, minimalist. Greenery frames your view from Hollywood Hills to downtown, a living frame. Staff drift by with cucumber water, light bites, whispers of cold towels. I slipped in, let water displace tension, and watched sunlight flicker on tile.
Sun Rose Spa (at The Sun Rose Hotel): A Legacy Reimagined
A few doors down: the building that once held Pendry, before that the legendary House of Blues, now rebirthed as The Sun Rose West Hollywood. Its name nods to the “Sun Rose” music venue—a jewel box stage where Stevie Wonder, Tupac, and many took their bows.
Arriving early gives you time to settle, sip ginger tea, survey the spa lounge. The interior is artful: art deco motifs, saturated tones, patterns that pulse. The music venue legacy echoes in the lobby acoustics, a subtle hum of performance history beneath quiet. The hotel behind it: 149 guestrooms, rooftop poolside restaurant, spa, fitness center. its program edges alive, “Live at The Sun Rose” forging continuity with the building’s soul.
My one-hour massage was a guided decompression: deep pressure where knots lived, long strokes elsewhere. The therapist coaxed into surrender. After, I drifted into the lounge, curtains diffusing light, the scent of essential oils warm on my skin. In that soft haze, the weight of hours and tasks slipped.
Casa Madera at Mondrian: A Sunset Taco Ritual
The Mondrian carries its own weight in WeHo lore. Built originally in 1959 as apartments, the building was converted and reopened as Le Mondrian, then purchased by Ian Schrager in 1996. Its facade once featured Yaacov Agam’s kinetic art piece, originally L’Hommage à Mondrian. Of course, they also have the iconic Skybar, where fun pool parties and event activations happen. This area is an outdoor pool with a bar, holding a grand city view of L.A.
Inside, the social crest is Casa Madera, a Mayan Riviera–inspired restaurant designed by Monochrome Concept, sweeping 8,000 sq ft. Its aesthetic leans sand, sea, palms—tones of cream, sunlit beige, turquoise accents. At twilight, lanterns and palms flicker.
I arrived under hotel arches where you can see the sunset sky was a bruise of orange and violet. I sampled tacos that weren’t tacos—they were stories: tender fish, smoky meat, fresh tortillas, slaws that vibrated. Salsas so bright they tasted like color. Between bites, I glimpsed the SkyBar above, the pool beyond, the clink of glasses.
West Hollywood’s Wellness Fabric
In those hours, West Hollywood wove itself around me. Not as staged tourism, but as layered place: Sunset Strip’s neon and legacy, eco-design, musical memory, dining whispered under palms.
If you come now—tomorrow or next month—you’ll find the same thread: walkable streets, boutique hotels that breathe, spas that speak, restaurants that anchor memory. The city isn’t only a stop. It’s a soft place to land.
Experience your own Staycation here in Weho, visit visitwesthollywood.com
1 Hotel West Hollywood
📍 8490 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
🌐 1hotels.com/west-hollywood
📲 IG: @1hotel.weho
The Sun Rose Hotel & Spa
📍 8430 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
🌐 thesunrosehotel.com
📲 IG: @thesunrosehotel
Mondrian Los Angeles & Casa Madera
📍 8440 W Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069
🌐 mondrianhotels.com • thecasamadera.com
📲 IG: @mondrianlosangeles • @thecasamadera
Photo credits: Photos courtesy of Sommsation
