How To Feel Like A Movie Star While Visiting LA [Gallery]

How to feel like a movie star while visiting LA

You can shop, sleep and even sweat like the stars from your favorite movies and TV shows with these 19 different activities.

Cruise Mulholland Drive

There's no better way to have your breath taken away by the City of Stars than to take an evening cruise on Mulholland Drive. This route through the Hollywood Hills passes luxury houses and features several scenic outlooks to stop and take in the magic of LA from overhead.

Stay at Chateau Marmont

If you want to truly feel like a star while visiting LA, you should stay where the stars stay. Since the Golden Age of Hollywood, Chateau Marmont has established itself as the low-key luxurious hideaway for everyone from Rock Hudson and James Dean to John Lennon and John Belushi. The hotel has a "no photography" policy on top of its many amenities, so stars feel comfortable sitting poolside or at the hotel bar and restaurant. Recent guests include Lindsay Lohan, James Franco, Lady Gaga, Kit Harington and Jamie Dornan.

Shop at the Grove

It might seem like stars doing their shopping in LA might only hit up the pricey Rodeo Drive, but The Grove is popular with celebs as well. Paparazzi frequently camp out here because they know they'll see someone famous. Perhaps you'll get mistaken for an A-lister while shopping at LA-based stores like Brandy Melville.

Eat dinner at a Hollywood hotspot

Craig's in West Hollywood has a constant paparazzi presence camped outside because of its reputation for being "Olive Garden for celebrities." Regulars include Kim Kardashian West, Cindy Crawford, Elton John and George Clooney. Other popular restaurants with celebrities include SUGARFISH, Fig & Olive, Casa Vega and The Ivy.

Catch a movie at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

While you might not be stepping inside the Hollywood Boulevard icon for a glamorous movie premiere, you can still watch a film at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The landmark theater still holds daily movie screenings of recent releases. You can also book a behind-the-scenes VIP tour of the building.

Take a studio tour

Witness the behind-the-scenes magic that makes your favorite shows and movies happen on a studio tour. Warner Brothers, Universal Studios, Sony Pictures and Paramount Pictures all offer movie tours that let you see sets, props and costumes from famous pictures.

Get back on set at Paramount Ranch

To really stroll onto a movie set like you're the marquee star, head 30 miles west of LA to Paramount Ranch. The ranch became a movie set in 1927 until it became a permanent western town in 1953, then passed into the hands of the National Park Service in 1980. Even then, it continued to be a shooting location for movies and shows such as "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman." If you visit you could stumble upon a movie shoot or have access to the town yourself to re-enact your favorite movie moments.

Order a drink at Musso & Frank

Along with establishments like the Polo Lounge and the Frolic Room, Musso & Frank is a bar that rose to fame in Hollywood's Golden Age and continues to exude old Hollywood glamour. You can sit at the same bar that Charlie Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe did while sipping on one of the joint's signature martinis.

Order an indulgent dessert

LA is a land of glamour, and one way the city's citizens have indulged is with dessert. LA is a hotspot for trendy dessert places, such as Milk Tavern, which slings boozy dessert concoctions like an ice cream cotton candy burrito or food truck Ridges Churro Bar, which is famous for its Fruity Pebbles churro sundae. But if you want something truly over-the-top, head to Barton G. and order Dolla Dolla Bills Y'all. This dessert's centerpiece is a massive white chocolate "gold bar" that your waiter will melt with a blowtorch to reveal a layered treat inside.

Grab some In-N-Out

In-N-Out might be a burger chain that seems pedestrian with its cheap eats and more than 300 locations, but it's where plenty of stars go to celebrate big wins. Adele came here after winning an Oscar in 2013, while Aziz Ansari stopped by with his Emmy in hand in 2017.

Get a facial to look red-carpet ready

For a true awards-show experience, book a celebrity-approved facial to look radiant, even if it's just for a selfie. Many LA spas offer awards show-themed treatments and packages around Oscar season, such as Arcona Spa's Red Carpet Radiance Treatment or the ultra-luxe Red Carpet Ready Experience at The Ritz-Carlton.

Get your nails done

If you truly want to feel like a star, why not emulate their routine of relaxing and pampering themselves? One way to do that is to get your nail game on point with a manicure. You could hit up a nail salon such a Beverly Hills Nails Design, Kim Kardashian West's spot of choice, or for a true VIP feel, book a private appointment with a nail artist. Britney Tokyo, Chelsea King and more manicurists to the stars will come to your hotel room and give you a one-of-a-kind-look.

Hit the gym

Whether your favorite star is a big-screen superhero or art film ingenue, there's a good chance they hit up trendy gyms in LA to be ready for their close-ups. If you've ever wanted to try out the celebrity workouts you see on Instagram, hit up A-lister-approved Hollywood gyms such as SoulCycle, where you could spot anyone from Demi Lovato to Oprah Winfrey, or Rise Nation, the workout behind the buff bods of John Krasinski, Matt Damon and Justin Timberlake.

Book a session with a personal trainer

If you want the full VIP treatment, you can hire the same personal trainers as your favorite stars for private workout sessions. Rise Movement offers private hour-long yoga and training sessions that have also been done by the likes of Hilary Duff, Jessica Biel, Chrissy Teigen and "Thor" star Jaimie Alexander. Another option is going a few rounds with trainer Julian Chua at Wild Card West Boxing Club in Santa Monica. He's been Instagrammed working with Mandy Moore, Minka Kelly, Leighton Meester, Adam Brody, Shay Mitchell, "The Walking Dead's" Lauren Cohen and "Jessica Jones" actress Rachael Taylor.

Go for a jog in Runyon Canyon Park

If you prefer to enjoy the great outdoors and lovely LA weather while burning some calories, go for a walk or run in Runyon Canyon Park. Just blocks from Hollywood Boulevard, the park attracts plenty of celebrities. They might try to go incognito with hats and sunglasses, but it's still easy to spot svelte superstars such as Jared Leto, Orlando Bloom, Natalie Portman and Matthew McConaughey almost every day.

Get your caffeine fix at Alfred

Get energized for your day at hip LA-based coffee chain Alfred. With multiple locations around Beverly Hills and Hollywood, Alfred attracts plenty of stars on the way to work. Plus, the company that trademarked "but first coffee" has ideal ambiance to take a celebrity-style Instagram post of your drink.

Get groceries at Grand Central Market

You can shop like a celebrity or movie character without splurging on clothes. They also have to buy groceries. The Kardashian-Jenners famously frequent Erewhon Natural Food Market for their supplements and healthy snacks. LA's Grand Central Market is an ideal place to stroll and shop for staples and specialty foods — plus it was featured in the modern LA classic "La La Land."

Take a picture at the Forecourt of the Stars

Take a snapshot while pretending to have your very own handprint ceremony in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre at the Forecourt of the Stars, the 18-block display along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. More than 2,500 stars and signatures from celebrities across the decades are on display at a time.

Pay your respects at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery

This cemetery houses the highest concentration of Hollywood stars as well as writers, directors and producers. Notable icons interred there include Judy Garland, Mel Blanc, Mickey Rooney, Cecil B. DeMille, Victor Fleming and more.