—Todd Krainin
BEST GAME DUDE
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On a fairly nondescript corner in the industrial, northiest end of North Hollywood lies Game Dude, a brown concrete slab of a building that’s easy to overlook save for the yellow “BUY, SELL, RENT” signage. Inside, however? — a dinged-up, well-trod but endlessly well-stocked slice of gamer heaven, with new and especially good used bargains in every conceivable gaming platform going back practically to the Mesozoic era. (They have ColecoVision games! OMG!) Most of the merch is housed in row upon row of glass cases, so it’s pretty much strictly an over-the-counter affair but well worth hauling one of the surly looking clerks over to get that copy of Castlevania for your still-functioning NES you’ve been longing to play since ninth grade. Plenty of deals for today’s more advanced gaming systems, too, of course, and though the prices range wildly (anywhere from $5 to upward of $100, depending on the game), there’s an instant-gratification factor you can’t quantify versus spending loads of time on eBay searching for a better bargain. Did we mention they also buy and sell DVDs? Didn’t see a single one at more than 20 bucks, either. 12104 Sherman Way, N. Hlywd. (818) 764-2442, gamedude.com.
—Nicole Campos
BEST PUBLIC BATHING
Bathing, particularly in public, is the tradition of the Koreans, the Japanese, and the Turks. Getting naked with a bunch of locals and scrubbing the dead out of your skin is not an American pastime, not because it involves socializing or cleanliness or water, but because people here tend to prefer to be seen traipsing around in blue jeans and high heels rather than floating around in the nude with wrinkled skin and limp hair. The idea of communal showers, of scouring your body as you would a cast iron skillet, rubbing, scrubbing, scrutinizing and scraping to rid your person of every stale skin cell until it becomes one real, live shining spectacle, is as intimidating as an extreme sport. At Hankook Sauna and Spa, the exclusively female baths in Koreatown, you can spend a day prancing around in the nude with dozens of other strangers, soaking in steaming Jacuzzis, sweating in the dry sauna, leeching your pores in the herb steam room, holding your breath in the freezing cold pool ’til your body begs to return to the heat. At Hankook, spa etiquette is not explained, but assumed. Rinse off in the showers between rooms and pools, smother your hair with conditioner and bake it in the sauna until your mane shines as brilliantly as an otter pelt. There are rooms founded on temperature: a glistening Ice Room that looks like a Christmas display at Stats Home Decorative and feels like you’re sitting naked in an industrial freezer; the Crystal Jade Salt Room where you can lie down on warm, green rocks and listen to the chirp of women gossiping in Korean. Day spa use is $15 for the whole day, but for an extra fee, a Hankook assistant will provide massage, acupressure, manicures and pedicures, even a haircut. Rinse. Scrub. Soak. Repeat. 3121 W. Olympic Blvd., L.A. (213) 388-8899, hankooksauna.com.
—Erica Zora Wrightson
BEST SUBSTITUTE FOR DAIGON ALLEY
So the New Moon is about to rise. But if you prefer spells to sucking blood, amble into Whimsic Alley, where you’ll find Muggles excitedly tricking themselves into Potterland. At the Alley, you’ll find the magic supplies you’ll need if you decide to board the Hogwarts Express. In here, a cluster of make-believe shops sell different magic wares from robes, wands and spell books to action figures, candies and keychains. Spend hours slipping into the house robes — Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, or picking up the right wand to cast your spell. There’s also wizard rock for the “music-alley” inclined, plus witches who offer to perform magic shows, for a price of course! However don’t pay in gold, as this will only stretch the recession curse. Visit the store to find a charming escape from the dark times that have engulfed us Muggles. You’ll be surprised how your budget will magically fit in a lot, even if you’re cash-strapped in the real world. 2717 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. (310) 453-2370, whimsicalley.com.
—Ipsita Basu Dasgupta
BEST ARTISANDINNERWARE
When Sausalito-based Heath Ceramics recently opened an L.A. store, the hearts of midcentury American design-lovers rejoiced, but their pocketbooks groaned. They knew they’d have to make that eternal choice: cheap but disposable, or costly but well-made. Heath is known for its clean-lined, warmly minimalist clay bowls, plates, cups, casseroles and pottery. Yes, $42 for a plate and $27 for a mug is exponentially more expensive than 50 cents for the mass-produced cheapo stuff at Ikea. But Heath’s steeper prices reflect the cost of producing substantial, beautiful products in a socially and environmentally conscious way. The company is run by artisans in a globally outsourced world run by megacorporations. Heath’s classic, simple — and above all supremely functional — tableware is designed to resist trends and last a lifetime. 7525 Beverly Blvd., L.A. (323) 965-0800, heathceramics.com.
