Proper Perspectives Winter 2025: 6 Things We’re Loving This Season

This time of year tends to fill quickly. At Proper, we’re leaning into fewer, better, more intentional moments. From date nights to dinner parties, we’re calling it the season of showing up slowly.

Here’s a glimpse of what we’re opening, experiencing, and gathering around this season.

The Holiday Table: Seasonal Dining and Festive Events at Proper Hotels

Throughout Proper restaurants and lounges, our chefs are crafting Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve menus that celebrate the season with thoughtful ingredients and shareable plates.

The experience extends beyond the plate with seasonal cocktails, holiday teas, and thoughtful programming across each property.

For those planning something special, each property offers options for private dinners, corporate gatherings, and holiday parties designed with Proper’s signature warmth and attention to detail.

Whether you join with family, chosen family, or settle into a quiet corner on your own, we look forward to welcoming you to the table.

Explore holiday programming and dining across all of our properties: Santa Monica | Austin | Downtown L.A. | San Francisco

The Art of Unwinding: Spa & Wellness Experiences

Wellness takes on a different meaning during the holidays. At Austin Proper and Santa Monica Proper, Surya Spa, Verbena Spa, and the Recovery Suites offer treatments that ground, restore, and reset.

Choose infrared heat, private sauna time, spa treatments, the Ammortal Chamber, cold plunge sessions, or grounding rituals tailored by our practitioners. It’s a thoughtful reset, a quiet date night with your partner, or an intentional alternative to going out.

From Ayurvedic therapies at Surya Spa to botanical treatments at Verbena Spa and state-of-the-art recovery, each space offers its own path to slowing down, restoring balance, and feeling more like yourself.

Services vary by property. Reserve Santa Monica | Reserve Austin

Friends at the Table: Gather, Dine, and Celebrate Together

Proper introduces its own take on Friendsgiving this holiday season: small-group dinners centered on seasonal dishes and thoughtful pairings.

The concept is simple: bring your group and let us take care of the rest. We handle the cooking, and the atmosphere so you can settle in and enjoy the table.

Whether you’re marking a tradition or organizing something last-minute, Friendsgiving at Proper offers an effortless alternative to hosting at home.

An Eleven-Course Conversation: Kappo Kappo Omakase Opens at Austin Proper

Opening this November inside Austin Proper, Kappo Kappo brings a distinctly intimate omakase to the city. Twin chefs Gohei and Haru Kishi, born in Paris to Japanese parents and trained across Europe and Asia, cook with a quiet confidence that comes from deep technique and a lifetime of cross-cultural influence.

Each evening unfolds across eleven courses. There is no printed menu and no repetition. Instead, guests move through a progression of A5 wagyu, seasonal seafood, charcoal-kissed vegetables, and delicately composed small bites that reflect both French precision and Japanese restraint.

The beverage pairings are equally considered, spanning sake, French wine, and Japanese spirits, each chosen to frame the menu’s shifts in texture and flavor. With its limited seating and intentionally slow pace, Kappo Kappo feels less like a dinner reservation and more like a conversation between guest and chef.

The Shelborne By Proper: Introducing Pauline & Little Torch, Miami Beach

This season, The Shelborne By Proper steps into its culinary identity with the debut of Pauline Miami Beach’s newest restaurant from Michelin-recognized Chef Abram Bissell. The menu brings together Latin and Caribbean influence with a coastal perspective, highlighting a refined raw bar, expressive small plates, and entrées shaped by thoughtful technique and bold flavor.

Just beyond the dining room, Little Torch offers an intimate counterpoint. The cocktail lounge draws inspiration from the Florida Keys and focuses on inventive drinks, warm lighting, vinyl moments, and a relaxed, late-evening atmosphere that feels personal and unhurried.

In Good Spirits: Ilegal Mezcal x Dahlia Collaboration at Downtown L.A. Proper

Inside Downtown L.A. Proper, Dahlia has always offered a quieter kind of escape. The space is intimate and warm, shaped by Kelly Wearstler’s interiors and soft lighting that encourages guests to settle in. This season, the lounge introduces In Good Spirits, a month-long collaboration with Ilegal Mezcal that adds new depth and character to the bar.

The pop up centers on a curated menu of mezcal-driven cocktails created in partnership with Ilegal. Each drink highlights the spirit’s natural complexity, from subtle smoke to bright herbal notes, with seasonal ingredients that add nuance without overpowering. Light bites complement the cocktails and are designed for sharing in small groups.

Throughout December, Dahlia will host a rotation of evening programming. Vinyl DJs set a relaxed, welcoming tone, while guest artists and makers introduce creative experiences that shift from week to week. The result is a gathering place that feels personal and considered, ideal for meeting friends before dinner or unwinding later in the night.

In Good Spirits is available throughout December, Thursday through Saturday, exclusively at Dahlia at Downtown L.A. Proper. RSVP Open Soon.