In 1982, Frank Zappa and his then 14-year-old daughter Moon Zappa recorded the hit song "Valley Girl" that described Encino as "like, so bitchin'." Since then, the once unsung Los Angeles neighborhood has come a long way.

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In recent decades, the enclave has only grown in popularity, particularly the rolling foothills south of Ventura Boulevard, at the convenient but often traffic-clogged intersection of the 101 and 405 freeways. Nowadays, it is a hive of famous people who live there. Past and present residents include Kelly Clarkson, Michael B. Jordan, Jimmy Rollins, Wiz Khalifa, and Machine Gun Kelly.

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A spectacular Encino mansion sold off-market for $18 million demonstrates the suburb's continued appeal to the well-heeled, despite a slowdown in the high-end market in Los Angeles and across the country. In fact, it is the second highest price paid for a single family home in the ever-expensive neighborhood.

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Despite not being as well-known as some of their neighbors, Annah Bach and Georg F. Hesselbach are notable additions to the neighborhood. Known as a "Poetic Voice for Fashion," Bach is a neophyte filmmaker who starred in a fashion short based on "Bladerunner" in 2022, "Visitor," which showcased fashions from her extensive archive, whereas Hesselbach is an entrepreneur and European businessman who invented coated insulating glass in the early 1970s, revolutionizing the flat glass industry.”

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In recent years, the May-December couple founded the Aalto Hyperbaric Medical Group, an outfit with two Los Angeles offices where people can undergo a 100% oxygen seal in a tube to “find relief and resolution from a wide range of conditions” and, among other things, to improve one's natural immune system, enhance neurological functions, and promote anti-aging. In the 1990s, Michael Jackson was criticized for buying an oxygen-filled tube and napping in it occasionally. Hyperbaric chambers, like Encino, have come a long way since then.

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Hesselbach's new residence measures 19,500 square feet, which is not quite a record. In the main house and guest cottage, which are set high above the street on a 1.3-acre parcel, there are eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms. In addition, there are two garages that can accommodate three cars. Rich Report readers may be familiar with the house as the home of Gretchen Mol’s character on the Showtime series “American Gigolo.”

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With bespoke craftsmanship and time-tested materials, southern California designer Jae Omar and architect Eran Gispan designed this Japanese-inspired modern farmhouse-style residence to provide all the comforts and high-tech conveniences of contemporary life, as well as a vision for the future of luxury and comfort.

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In the exterior of the home sold by JVE Development, wood is burned in a traditional Japanese way called shou-sugi-ban. In this sprawling home, rugged natural materials are used in the interior finishes, including a 12-foot glass door set into a double-height wall.

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