The sand is sizzling.  The sun is cooking.  And it’s safe to say you’re looking to add a dash of spice to your old routine.  Take the time to explore some of the hottest spots in LA’s hippest neighborhoods: Silverlake and Echo Park. Get ready to satiate your taste for something new and spend a summer day the LA way.

Rise, Shine and Sweat
It might sound like torture, but one of the hippest trends in SoCal is also one of the hottest.  Literally.  For some serious stretching and detoxification before you start livin’ like a Los Angeleno this summer, try hot yoga at Bikram Yoga of Silverlake.  The class is 90-minutes long, practiced in a heated room, suitable for almost any age and ability level, and cultivates the body’s natural capacity to relax and de-stress.  Try a morning class and you’ll find yourself with a natural yoga high for the rest of the day. 
Bikram Yoga of Silverlake 3223 Glendale Blvd.  323-668-2500

Breakfast Is a Work of Art
What could be better than breakfast after working up a sweat?  Stop by Madame Matisse in Silverlake, and you’ll discover the answer: nothing.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and we’re not just saying that because we absolutely adore MM’s thin and perfectly crisped waffles, with an eye-opening cup of coffee, and an incredibly diverse bowl of fruit (yes, their mixed fruit even includes mangoes).  What’s more, the location boasts the open-air sidewalk café vibe that’s perfect for people watching and soaking up those morning rays. 
Madame Matisse 3536 W. Sunset Blvd.  323-662-4862 

Living La Vida Lotus
Here’s a little known fact: the lovely lake in Echo Park is said to contain the largest amount of lotuses outside Asia.  A better known fact?  The 31st Anniversary of the Lotus Festival Echo Park (July 11 – 13) is a great place to
celebrate summer’s most sensuous, mythological bloom.  Plus, the event promotes the understanding of Asian and Pacific Islander communities in SoCal and the hybrid culture that is LA.  Now that’s hot. 
2008 Lotus Festival Echo Park Lake  213-485-1310

Tantric Taste Buds
Summer swelter isn’t enough.  In LA, we need to heat up our insides too.  Searching for a spicily romantic dining experience?  Then Silverlake’s Tantra is waiting for you.  This is Indian food at its best.  Sinful cocktails.  Delicious vegetarian and meat dishes.  And, thank Shiva, with low red lights and plenty of rose petals, it’s the perfect place to add a little something-something to your love life. 
Tantra 3705 W. Sunset Blvd.  323-663-TANTRA

Dive into Night
Now don’t let their genre fool you.  These two “dive” bars are quite possibly the hottest places in LA.  In Silverlake, there’s Cha Cha Lounge.  And Echo Park offers up Little Joy Cocktails.  The décor at Cha Cha is dark, red, and covered in Mexican kitsch and velvet paintings.  If you can’t love a bar complete with a photo booth, foosball tables, a vending machine selling unpredictable trinkets, and a bathroom smothered in Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders circa 1977, what can you love?  Over at Little Joy, the scene is a bit more hipster, way grungier, and you gotta remember they only accept cash.  But after a saucy summer day, you deserve a saucy summer night.  We spotted Kirsten Dunst gyrating something fierce here one night. 

And there isn’t even a dance floor.

Cha Cha Lounge 2375 Glendale Blvd.  323-660-7595
Little Joy Cocktails 1477 W. Sunset Blvd.  213-250-3417