Beauty Bar

Started in Manhattan's East Vilage in the late 1990s, Beauty Bar expanded to San Francisco and Los Angeles earlier this decade.  The formula of drinks in an old beauty salon (where the bar often allows manicures during happy hour) proved so succsessful, in fact, that outposts recently opened in San Diego and Austin, Texas.

The bar, which features glitter-sparkled yellow and pink walls, is all about manicures, martinis and rock ‘n’ roll. The retro interior at the L.A. location (right in the heart of Hollywood) consists of actual beauty salon furniture and equipment salvaged from a salon in Bakersfield.  The Hollywood version of Beauty Bar is spacious, with a separate back room (where smoking sometimes is allowed).

Manicurists and henna tattoo artists are available Thursday through Saturday from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. for the $10 martini-manicure special (make a reservation if you’re coming with a big group). The rest of the week is filled with a mod, punk and indie rock-loving crowd (although lately the scene has turned to trendy electro djs). Vintage T-shirts, studded anything and hair every color of the rainbow are the norm here, as is the occasional lush that’s had one too many of their generously prepared martinis.

Watch out for parking in front of the venue at meters...make sure you read the signs, otherwise your car might get towed if it happens to be at a valet stand meter between 6 p.m. and 2 a.m.  It happened to us once, and we drink a lot on Cahuenga (ok so we were drunk).