NEWS AND NOTES

NEWS NOTES

SERENITY NOW

Recharge your energy and spirit at Pasadena’s new wellness space.

This winter, The Now opens its rst Pasadena location, bringing its menu of accessible massages to West Walnut Street. Hidden away from the city’s bustle, the airy, nature-inspired space offers a calming escape from the daily pressures of life, offering well-priced services that can be booked in advance or on a walk-in basis.

“The Now was founded on the principle that in today’s fast-paced, digitally driven society, self-care is a necessity, not a luxury,” says Gara Post, The Now’s co-founder and chief creative of cer. “We designed the boutique to feel like an oasis for recovery and relaxation, and look forward to introducing Pasadena to our inspiring wellness brand.”

The Now easily accommodates various schedules—whether you need a quick 25-minute pick-me-up between meetings or a more luxurious 50- or 80-minute session. The thoughtfully curated massage menu features The Now, the brand’s signature stress-relieving, rejuvenating massage; The Stretch, designed for the athlete to reduce workout recovery time and stimulate lymphatic and circulatory systems; and The Healer, a calming, energy-balancing massage that deepens self-awareness and reduces emotional stress.

Need a little extra TLC? A wide range of customizable enhancements—including a coconut oil scalp treatment, herbal heat pack, “Calm Balm” salve for sore muscles, and hydrating eye mask—can be added to each service.

From $65/25 minutes; thenowmassage.com —SARA SMOLA

WAKE-UP CALL

› Lose the snooze button with OneClock, a handcrafted analog timepiece with science-backed sounds that gently lift you out of sleep in a peaceful, more natural way. The “anti-alarm” design omits startling, stress-triggering beeping in favor of original waking music by Grammy-winning composer Jon Natchez and DJ/recording artist Captain Planet. The music compositions mimic natural awakening, gradually building in melody, tempo, and intensity to wake most sleepers (heavy sleepers can test-drive a clock at home through the 30-day return program).

OneClock is manufactured in the U.S. with sustainably sourced materials and comes in several timeless colorways (black, white, red, and a new walnut-paneled brass edition) that are designed to work—and look good—for generations to come. $299; oneclock.co

—SARA SMOLA

WELLNESS RETREAT

› Malibu’s health-minded hotspot Rafi Lounge just launched the world’s fi rst NFT wellness and fi tness space, with plans to expand to Miami and Newport Beach. Geared toward mindful digital nomads, the Bali-inspired outdoor retreat combines co-working spaces with a variety of wellness classes and experiences, such as meditation, cycling, boxing, yoga, and breathwork, for a strong mind-body connection.

Through the lounge’s digital-membership model, members have access to co-working spaces, weekly guru nights, networking opportunities, and wellness workshops. The lounge’s “Mindful Tier” has only 111 spots available at the Malibu location and o ers plenty of perks for its NFT members, including lifetime membership and unlimited access to all classes and in-house events. $222 to $5,555; rafi lounge.com —S.S

OTHERWORLDLY EXPERIENCE

› The world’s fi rst extraterrestrial convention, AlienCon, returns to Pasadena March 4–5. The two-day event at the Pasadena Convention Center explores the mysteries of the universe and includes panel discussions and presentations, screenings, and autograph and photograph sessions. Past star-studded lineups have featured celebrity guests from alien-centric television shows and fi lms like Star Trek, The X-Files, Stranger Things, and Doctor Who.

For the ultimate upgrade, opt for the “Infi nity” ticket package, a new o ering for 2023 that includes a limited-edition NFT by artist Raúl Urias, access to an exclusive cocktail event with AlienCon speakers, and reserved seating for main and second-stage programs, along with a few other perks that are out of this world. Tickets start at $65; thealiencon.com —S.S.

ECO-FRIENDLY FASHION

› Entrepreneur Dominique Side (above) is founder of The Luxury Vegan and Vgn Bae Music Group, which earned her the nickname “The Vegan Queen” and cemented her reputation as a leading authority on the luxury vegan lifestyle. Side’s latest venture is Nikki Green, a Los Angeles–based brand that is launching its fi rst collection in January.

The inaugural Nikki Green collection is a collaboration with Side’s long-term stylist, Christian Allen, and includes ready-to-wear gowns, tops, pants, denim, and accessories. Every step of the process, from design to production to packaging, is responsibly sourced. Each piece combines earth-friendly materials, custom hardware, and fi gure-enhancing cuts for a new generation of chic, environmentally conscious shoppers. $400 to $8,000; shopnikkigreen.com —S.S.

SPREAD THE LOVE

› In 2008, Los Angeles–based artist (and former ArtCenter College of Design adjunct professor) Alexandra Grant created grantLOVE, a one-of-a-kind philanthropic art experiment to help raise awareness and funding for various arts-based nonprofi ts through the sale of her “LOVE” artwork. In addition to paintings and prints, Grant produces jewelry, apparel, and home goods based on her signature symbol. To date, she has donated over $300,000 in artworks and funds to organizations including Project Angel Food, The Art of Elysium, and 18th Street Arts Center.

Need a present for Valentine’s Day? Grant’s new book, LOVE: A Visual History of the grant-

former ArtCenter College of Design adjunct professor) Alexandra Grant created grantLOVE, a one-of-a-kind philanthropic art experiment to help raise awareness and funding for various arts-based nonprofi ts through the sale of her “LOVE” artwork. In addition to paintings and prints, Grant produces jewelry, apparel, and home goods based on her sig- LOVE Project, provides a visual compilation nature symbol. To date, she has donated over of the project’s 14-plus years of history— $300,000 in artworks and funds to organiza- complete with paintings, prints, sculptures, textiles, and jewelry—and collaborations with Oscar de la Renta, andSons Chocolatiers, and nonprofi t Heart of Los Angeles. $85; grantlove.com —S.S.

LOVE Project,

of the project’s 14-plus years of history— complete with paintings, prints, sculptures,

THE FUTURE IS FEMALE

› This fall, ArtCenter inaugurated Karen Hofmann as its sixth—and fi rst female—president. Hofmann has close ties to the ArtCenter community as both an alumna and educator and has served for more than 20 years as a faculty member, department chair, provost, and now president.

After an extensive international search that included more than 100 candidates, Hofmann won over the presidential search committee unanimously with her commitment to accessible and inclusive higher education and her passion for developing the next generation of global talent. “I come into this role with a lens of being here as an ArtCenter student, a teacher, a department chair, and a provost,” says Hofmann. “While those experiences inform my approach, what really drives me is the desire to empower the future generation of creatives who will shape our world.” artcenter.edu —S.S.

NIKU X LILLIE’S

QUICK BITES

The New Year dining scene is filled with refurbished favorites, continued expansion, cozy date-night spots, and plenty of pie. BY CAROLE DIXON

Queen of Confections: Valerie Gor-

don has expanded her Echo Park operation to Glendale. Expect more of the chocolates, cookies, pies, and famous Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake that have helped make Valerie Confections a mainstay for sweets in L.A. Another local favorite, I Like Pie, has expanded from Claremont to South Lake in Pasadena with its beloved hand-held pies in all the classic avors, plus s’mores and savory chicken pot pie.

Downtown L.A.: Popular Santa Ana and Rancho Cucamonga cocktail bar and alehouse Native Son has expanded to DTLA. This location features its own craft beer, along with a selection of brews from around the globe, wine-based cocktails, and spritzes. Cork & Batter is a new, three-level dining option offering everything from burgers to poke, as well as a rooftop bar—and it’s walking distance from Hollywood Park and SoFi Stadium.

Michelin-starred chef Shin Thompson from Chicago is helming the kitchen of NIKU X with modern Japanese cuisine and global in uences in the classic yakiniku style of cooking, utilizing plenty of grilled meats. In addition, tasting menus feature seafood bites, a caviar course, and premium Wagyu cuts.

More Meat: The Japan Food Product Overseas Promotion Center is showcasing its 3rd annual Japanese Wagyu beef program until the end of January 2023, and has partnered with Citrin, STK, CUT by Wolfgang Puck, and Shibumi for specialty cuts and menu items.

Rooms with a View: Sendero, on the

24th oor of The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles, is a new collection of multiple dining concepts dedicated to the cuisine found along the Pan American highway—from the seafood-rich Baja coastline to agricultural Argentina. Luminarias in Monterey Park has undergone a recent revamp by Specialty Restaurants. The new events space with a killer view has a modernized take on New American cuisine with Latin in uence and craft cocktails.

Hollywood: The Chap is a traditional British pub— sh and chips, shepherd’s pie, Sunday roasts, and pints of lager— by Ten Five Hospitality (Mother Wolf, Ka’teen) in Hollywood’s Vinyl District. Michael Mina’s Mother Tongue now offers brunch on the rooftop so you can linger by the pool on a daytime date with healthy comfort fare by way of a two-course prix xe menu and unlimited rosé. Hip-meets-classic-Chinese eatery Genghis Cohen has a new, midweek, afternoon happy hour with drink specials, dumplings, and potstickers.

Westside: For date nights, The Culver Hotel has a new French restaurant, Lillie’s, with Gallic onion soup, steak frites, and grilled branzino, plus live jazz on the weekends. Josiah Citrin has expanded his Dear John smash hit from Culver City to Marina del Rey with Dear Jane’s, an old-school seafood eatery with a view.