10 Los Angeles Teambuilding Activities for Corporate Groups

Cirque du Soleil has just opened the doors on Iris, a new resident production created exclusively for the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center. Presented by Sun Life Financial, the show formally premiered on September 25 and is inspired by the world and history of cinema. Group ticketing is available for parties of 12 or more.

Richard Ruskell, executive pastry chef at Montage Beverly Hills and winner of Food Network’s Last Cake Standing, is now available to teach pastry-making classes at the hotel, a teambuilding activity that doubles as dessert. Groups can choose from a variety of pastries to make in the hour-long interactive classes, including cookies, cake, mousse, and cream puffs.

Navitat Canopy Adventures is a zip line canopy tour that shows off the San Gabriel Mountains, 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles near Mountain High winter resort. Opened in July, Navitat focuses on educating guests about the natural environment, history, and culture of the surrounding area. The tree-based tour course includes a series of platforms connected by sky bridges and stairs, trails, rappels, and 10 zip lines ranging from 200 to 1,500 feet in length, including one that sends guests soaring 300 feet above the canyon floor. Tours work as teambuilding exercises for groups of eight participants maximum per tour. (Larger groups can book multiple tour times.) Groups of eight or more receive a discount. Tour duration is three and a half to four hours.

Montage Laguna Beach unveiled its new Studio Garden this summer. After receiving a tour of the garden and learning how to incorporate its ingredients into recipes and homemade spa treatments, meeting attendees can then dine on a meal at Studio, the hotel’s signature restaurant, or enjoy a spa treatment of their choosing. The Studio Garden has five beds with seasonal herbs, fruits, and vegetables, including lettuces, tomatoes, pull beans, strawberries, blackberries, lavender, sage, chamomile, rosemary, Fuji apple trees, fingerling potatoes, and more.

Who says L.A. doesn't have seasons? In fact, award season is coming right up. To that end, the spa at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills (one of the season's hubs) is offering special treatments, like the Four Seasons Regenerating Facial, which uses micro-current therapy, ultrasonic vibrations, and LED therapy. Or the Customized Body Enzyme Peel, exclusive to the property, which uses natural fruit enzymes like pineapple, papaya, and pumpkin, and claims to smooth skin texture, improve appearance, and heal sun damage. Buyouts can be arranged based on availability, with a red carpet, spa cuisine (in the meeting space or by the pool), and mini treatments also available.

Catalina Island is known for its idyllic beauty a boat ride away from the L.A. area, and now it's the site of a scenic zip line too. The Catalina Zipline Eco Tour works as a teambuilding activity for groups, and offers five lines with mountain and ocean views, dropping from 500 to 60 feet above sea level. Packages for meetings and events that include the zip line and lodging are available.

Off ’N Running Tours is offering a "Rolling With the Paparazzi" tour. As many as three people can team up with real-life paparazzo Rick Mendoza for three-hour blocks in which they hunt celebrities by car and foot all over Los Angeles, making it a good sightseeing opportunity, too. The tour is unscripted and will be different depending upon the day. The offering is available as a stand-alone tour for $150 per person for one or two people, or $400 for three. (It's also offered as an add-on to the company's "Running From the Paparazzi" guided running tour, which costs $60 per person.)

The blow-dry-only chain Drybar has been on a roll opening new locations, with more in the works. For a female-centric pampering event, host a group at one of the spots. Brentwood has eight chairs and can be booked for $600 per hour. Studio City has 10 chairs and can be booked for $800 per hour. In West Hollywood, there are 12 chairs and the space rents for $800 per hour. In keeping with the bar theme, drinks are available, too.

The Spa at Equinox's latest partnership with Spa 7 brings a new brand of medical spa treatments to the United States for the first time. Spa 7's most popular treatments, the Filler Facial and Body Contouring, are available, and claim anti-aging, smoothing, and slimming properties. For a group retreat, the Spa at Equinox in Century City is available for buyouts and can accommodate as many as 20 guests in its four treatment rooms. Groups receive discounts off treatment prices and must book the entire spa, which also includes access to Equinox's workout facilities, fitness classes, sauna, and relaxation room. Spas at additional Equinox locations are also available for buyout.

For an activity during a Big Bear retreat, Moonridge Animal Park is now offering flashlight safaris that teach guests about night animals, including mountain lions, bobcats, foxes, raccoons, skunks, beaver, black bear, owls, coyotes, and wolves. Safaris begin in the education center, and from there a guide takes the group through the zoo with flashlights to observe nocturnal behaviors. Corporate groups require advance notice for safari dates not already scheduled for the public.