Alpine Arnica Deep Tissue Massage at the Logan
Ignore the dim lights, soft music and aromatic oils; you’re not here to relax. You’re here to work—or, rather, be worked on, with a massage so deep, so laser-like in its knot-obliterating precision, that you’ll leave 80 glorious minutes later feeling far less hunched and more, well, human. 1 Logan Square, Philadelphia, PA 19103, curiocollection3.hilton.com/en/hotels/pennsylvania/the-logan-philadelphia-curio-collection-by-hilton-PHLQQQQ/index.html.
Doylestown
The Bucks County borough boasts a respectable dining scene (see: Honey, Hickory Kitchen, Boccadito, Spuntino), a handful of good bars (Chambers 19 Bistro & Bar and Stephanie’s for the college set, 86 West and Slate Bleu for the martini crowd, the Amber Inn for smokers), an incredible old-school movie theater (the County), an impressive music venue (Puck) and a castle (Fonthill). A castle, people! Doylestown, PA 18901, doylestownpa.org.
Massage Bella Vista
First you'll choose your scented oil and your music, and then you'll be ushered into a dark, quiet treatment room where you'll meet your therapist. With any luck, you'll get Blue Simmons, whose expert hands will home in on your sorest parts like a missile on its target. After your 75-minute rubdown, she'll walk you through an at-home regimen to keep you loose between visits. 750 Fitzwater Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, massagephilly.com/bella-vista.html.
Sitter Select
Tired of planning your life around the social calendars of your teenage babysitters? Submit an application to this local sitter-matching business, run by partners and sisters Rachel and Rebekah Lee with their mom Andi, and they'll send you the bio of one of their nearly 30 sitters, all of whom are CPR-certified and ba-ckground-and-reference-checked. And they never cancel because they have a surprise chem test the next day. sitterselect.net.
Holistic Home
In 2010, Ginger Kuczowicz, an accountant by trade, and Mark Swoboda, her bioengineer business partner, decided to make their own cleaning supplies, eschewing harsh chemicals for effective non-toxics like baking soda, vinegar, salt, grated soap and essential oils and then started offering housecleaning services with their products. You can also check out their new store, Soap Box, stocked with their products. 616 South 6th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, myholistichome.com.
The Center on Central
The curricula are vast and eclectic-everything from Spanish tutoring to fashion design to theater arts to wheel pottery to fitness to cartooning to glass bead-making-at this kid-cademy founded by bubbly owner Katie Opher and her husband Ron. The lively instructors also oversee summer camps and "date nights" at which parents can drop off their offspring. There are classes for special-needs kids, too, including art and music therapy and social-skill building. 24 West Central Avenue, Paoli, PA 19301, thecenteroncentral.com.
DJ Sara Sherr
Escape frat-boy "Freebird" karaoke hell with this friendly, tattooed, pixie-haired gal of 40, who does actually have "Freebird" in her vast songbook, but also lots of B-sides, rare cuts and other music-nerd tracks. Venues include Tabu, P.O.P.E. and 12 Steps Down; connect with Sara Sherr via facebook.com/singyourlifekaraoke. 00000, facebook.com/singyourlifekaraoke.
Famous 4th Street Delicatessen
Sure, they've got the best Jewish deli sandwiches and free pickle bowl around. And don't miss the humongous crinkle-cut steak fries. But what cinches the deal are the free-with-an-eat-in-lunch fresh chocolate chip cookies. If they moved onto the Main Line, they'd put Hymie's and Murray's out of business in a week. 700 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, famous4thstreetdelicatessen.com.
Casa Papel
On a side street in the Marais, you might expect a shop like this one, so petite and pretty, with papers and envelopes in exotic colors and embossed designs that you'd like to wear, if one wore paper. But here, on a busy Northern Liberties thoroughfare, this small spot where the invitations are to die for, and yes, they can make your baby book out of that amazing Chiyogami feels entirely unexpected, like a best-possible surprise. 804 North 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123, casapapel.com.
Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House
During the week, it sometimes seems Del Frisco's isn't a lofty steakhouse at all, but rather a cocktail party hosted by Michael Nutter. The Mayor works the room with flair, visiting tables filled with power lawyers, City Council members and business honchos who are talking shop and foraging through the expansive wine list. (Pay no attention to the lash-batting ladies at the bar ... or do.) 1426-28 Chesnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, delfriscos.com/location/philadelphia.
Retro Pilates
Retro Pilates puts a blast-from-the-past spin on traditional reformer Pilates. You’ll lengthen and strengthen on one of six Allegro 2 machines to the sounds of rock, folk and blues music from the Stones era, surrounded by a mid-century modern aesthetic. After your full-body burn, chillax in a bright white-and-red egg chair. 2423 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125, retropilatesphilly.com.
Charming Garlands
In 2022, balloon installations are just as ubiquitous as floral arrangements. Demand for these larger-than-life creations has been so keen in the region that Ali Kahan was able to turn her pandemic side hustle into a successful business. Her two-year-old company uses biodegradable organic balloons for Insta-worthy garland installations that float like colorful clouds around chuppahs. Charminggarlands.com.
Philadelphia Film Center
No, the building formerly known as the Prince Music Theater doesn’t have those reclining seats. But it does boast one of the largest screens in the area, 35mm film capabilities (a rarity these days), audiophile-worthy sound, and an impressive spread of repertory selections for all tastes. Coming up: classics like Psycho, Taxi Driver and The Night of the Hunter plus a retrospective of Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. 1412 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, filmadelphia.org.
Trace Shop
Come for the cool wares — like cement-and-geode planters or Lord Jones CBD — but stay for the pillar of Marny Baxt’s business: the art. The former talent management exec dreamed up Trace after the passing of both of her parents, when she was faced with sorting through their personal art collection. Baxt wants to connect the community with creatives and make it easy to obtain and custom-frame one-of-a-kind works. 80 Rittenhouse Place, Ardmore, PA 19003, thetraceshop.com.
The "Leave Philly Alone" T-Shirt
Is it a message to the coronavirus? A silk-screened missive from our collective id? Our answer to “Don’t Mess With Texas”? Whatever it is, the “Leave Philly Alone” t-shirt from the tattoo-and-design outfit True Hand Society — purchasers of which have the option of donating $10 to one of numerous local businesses hamstrung by the shutdown — is the perfect fusion of cause and mantra. It’s struck a chord, raising more than $40,000. And we look pretty damned good in it, if we say so ourselves. leavephillyalone.com.