HiLo House
Photograph by Jeff Fusco HiLo House is the place to go for the most challenging workout in the region right now. At their Wilmington studio and newly opened Media outpost (and forthcoming one in Rittenhouse), pair heavy-tension, muscle-quivering slow reps on a Lagree megaformer with time on a VersaClimber, which gives you a total-body, low-impact cardio sesh, done vertically. Both are killer, but the payoff is real: You’ll be strong, ripped, and supported by motivating instructors. Locations in Wilmington, DE and Media, PA
The J Spot
Regenerative skin care — which focuses on supporting your skin health long-term — is now in vogue, and Philly skin-care maxxers are seeking out the hottest treatments at The J Spot. Owned by board-certified plastic surgery physician assistant Jacqueline Clarizio, the nearly year-old Fitler Square med spa offers trending but effective exosomes (for skin healing and overall rejuvenation) and topical salmon DNA, which boosts collagen production and gives that glass-skin look. There’s also a bevy of signature facials to address common complaints, including acne, hyperpigmentation, and dehydration. Want more? There’s a contrast therapy room, a front-of-house cafe for matcha lattes and cute merch, and monthly Pilates classes. 501 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146
Midsection Connection
It’s no secret that Pilates continues to have a major moment — with a surge of studios and heated debates as to what does and does not adhere to creator Joseph Pilates’s 100-plus-year-old method. This welcoming Spring Garden studio lowers the noise around what’s trendy, inviting first-timers and advanced clients alike to train in the classical way. Choose from sessions on the mat (for Pilates’s original 34 exercises, from the Hundred to the Swan to the Teaser) or using the resistance-springed reformer or other equipment like the chair, the barrel, and the Cadillac. 1827 Brandywine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Cynthia Peditto
Peditto’s expertise shines in the curl world. The stylist — who’s been cutting and coloring hair of all textures for nearly 30 years — has perfected a freehand twisting technique that defines your locks, can get you proudly rocking bangs (Yes! Even you, curly girls!), and has helped at least one perimenopausal client we know maintain volume despite hair thinning. Bonus: Your grow-out will look just as tight and bouncy as it did in Peditto’s chair. 1503 Walnut Street, Suite 12A, Floor 3, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Michael Razzano
As the lead aesthetician at Philadelphia Facial Plastic Surgery & Medspa, Razzano takes a holistic approach. He offers the usual techniques — dermaplaning, peels, microcurrent, micro-dermabrasion and -needling — and specializes in acne, with a dedicated acne boot camp program and customized treatment plans. But the skin-care pro also focuses on what clients are eating, proper hydration, any at-home topical solutions they may be using (or overusing, let’s be honest), and a corrective, long-term approach so you can come in less often.
Lady Lavka
Nail enthusiasts, from Philaqueens to your IRL glam friend, will happily take you down a TikTok rabbit hole explaining the difference between a regular mani and a Russian one. Lady Lavka has the latter — which involves meticulous cuticle work and builder gel, and which is oh so fashionable right now — down pat. You may have to build your life around snagging an appointment, and don’t expect a particularly quick or relaxing experience (one step requires the use of a nail drill). But that’s kind of the point: Perfection requires patience. Locations in Port Richmond and Rittenhouse, Philadelphia, PA
HPY Philly
Two years and three studios later (now in Point Breeze, Grad Hospital, and Queen Village), HPY’s stacked schedule of classes nearly always has a waiting list. It’s no wonder: There’s something for everybody. Choose from classical Pilates, vinyasa-style yoga, or Burn, a combo of both — all done at 90-plus degrees. There’s also a 30-minute core blaster, candlelit yin yoga (a slower-paced, lower-temped practice), and a non-heated flow for expecting and newly postpartum folks. Each offering is intentional, challenging without feeling inaccessible, and fun — cue those feel-good endorphins. Multiple locations, Philadelphia, PA
Linear Beauty
Photograph by Theresa Regan Inside her NoLibs studio, Tasha Gear blends facial and body oils and lotions with powerhouse (plus organic and fair-trade) ingredients like anti-inflammatory turmeric hydrosol and rosehip seed oil, which can help reduce hyperpigmentation. (It’s true: One staffer tried the stuff and fell in love.) And at her community workshops, you can create your own, blending your favorite scents (bergamot, vetiver, grapefruit) for some lush at-home skin care.
Rise & Ritual
Over in West Philly, find Taylor Nickens’s calming teahouse, Rise & Ritual. Nickens, who studied pre-med in college and even worked at the National Institutes of Health, found herself turning to natural remedies to address her spiking anxiety during the pandemic. She eventually created her own tea blend with calming linden flower, antioxidant-rich hawthorn berry, and stress-regulating tulsi, and completed herbalism trainings before opening her own shop. There, find that calming blend, called Valor, plus herbal tinctures and foot baths — all following the vision of “plant medicine meets preventive care.” 1439 North 52nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19131
Aloha Smoothie Company
Photography by Jeff Fusco The entire menu at the Ambler cafe is organic, gluten- and dairy-free, vibrant, and delicious — from the avocado toast topped with bright pink beet hummus and hemp hearts (for healthy fats, protein, and antioxidants) to the fruit-packed açai and pitaya bowls to the fridge stocked with immunity-supporting fresh-pressed juices. We love starting the day with Cavalier Sunrise, made from carrot, orange, apple, lemon, ginger, and turmeric. 12 Cavalier Drive, Ambler, PA 19002
Downingtown Primal Screaming Club
When the world feels like it’s collapsing around you, sometimes there’s only one thing to do: scream your lungs out. This is what this grassroots social group in Downingtown offers to anyone in need of an AHHHHHHH! — at no charge. All you have to do is show up once per month in Johnsontown Park and release your barbaric yawp. Trust us: You’ll walk away with softened shoulders, feeling much, much lighter.
Three Queens Yoga
Photograph by Theresa Regan Mariel Freeman’s Three Queens Yoga has been a stalwart in Philly’s yoga community since 2012, offering inclusive, all-levels-welcome classes that range from restorative yoga to sculpt to prenatal, plus specialty workshops like yoga accompanied by a cellist and an after-school movement series for kids. But the studio’s breadth goes beyond its Queen Village roots: It offers free summertime practices at Race Street Pier and outside the Art Museum, plus annual retreats in Mexico and Greece and at Western PA’s River Mountain resort. After 14 years, we keep returning again and again and again. 410 Monroe Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Wissahickon Wanderers
Hit the trails with Wissahickon Wanderers. This year’s Best Run Club, which meets at Valley Green Inn for four- to five-mile jaunts on Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings, will get you zigzagging through the wooded Wiss. Several group members have competed in the Worlds End 100K and the Rabid Raccoon 100 (PA’s premier trail ultramarathon), making them ideal stamina-pushing partners. (For context, HYROX competitors alternate between running one kilometer and doing a workout a total of eight times — or almost five miles.) All that hardcore training will make the running portion of HYROX that much faster.
Surge Sauna & Cold Plunge
Formerly a garage, the open-concept studio boasts a wooden barrel dry sauna (hand-built by the owner), red-light therapy, infrared saunas, NormaTec compression leg sleeves, and three cold-plunge tanks that provide ultimate recharging and repair. (They’re all said to reduce inflammation and improve sleep.) As for the lounge area? It’s replete with locally sourced hibiscus tea and honey, comfy seating, and books — and evokes the congenial nature of social spas. 1150 West Boot Road, Downingtown, PA 19335
The Philadelphia Barber Co.
“Quick, consistent, and I always get an appointment, no sweat” is how one longtime client described the Philadelphia Barber Co. — and isn’t that precisely what busy people looking for a routine cut or special-occasion shave want? But the team is also skilled in gray blending and styling kids’ hair (and defusing meltdowns), and they’ll see you till 10 p.m. on Tuesdays through Fridays at the NoLibs outpost. Locations in Northern Liberties and Kensington, Philadelphia, PA`
WAKE Wellness Collective
Acupuncture of various kinds (full-body, trigger-point, fertility-focused). Therapeutic, deep-tissue, and pre-/postnatal massages. Releasing breathwork. Restorative sound healing. It’s a nervous system’s paradise — and the tarot and astrology readings offered here are an extra touch. 1000 Buttonwood Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123
LeChel Beauty
For the past six years, Jasmin Mitchell has meticulously mapped clients’ eyebrows to determine their ideal shape — she calls mapping her “zone of genius” — resulting in natural-looking, face-framing brows. But brows aren’t the only area Mitchell excels in: Her Korean lash lifts and tints yield a soft, flattering curl that lasts eight weeks. 227 McClellan Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148
Social Beings
The beauty of this light-drenched Point Breeze “creative wellness studio” — not solely a gym, not solely an art space — is that you can be expressive in a variety of ways. For movement: dance, yoga, and sculpt workouts that prioritize feeling good (while still getting a solid burn). For crafting: figure drawing, watercolor, and printmaking. For community: pasta-making classes and book swaps, plus death cafes, which normalize talking about our own mortality. It’s a modern, refreshing third space — a much-needed exhale for your brain and body. 1254 South 18th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146