Bay Area Places to Pamper Yourself: Gentlemen

Usually when you come across articles for pampering yourself or where to get a relaxing spa treatment, it's geared towards the ladies. Well, gentlemen, this article is for you! From a great shave, to the best barber, 7x7 has outlined some of the best places to go to treat yourself!

Fellow Barber's hangover treatment (Mission)
One too many negronis last night? No problem. Fellow Barber’s bargain Hangover Treatment helps to cover up evidence of too much elbow-bending. After hot and cold towel wraps, a facial scrub, and a eucalyptus mask, we’re practically good as new.

Groom's sun damage relief facial (Union Square)
For serious sun damage relief, we put ourselves in the hands of Caesar Jimenez, whose super antioxidant corrective facial helps prevent pigmentation on and below the surface of the skin. The treatment cleans and brightens the face, and also includes a moisturizing treatment for hands and arms. A must for fearless gingers who spend too much time in the sun.

J.P. Kempt's straight razor shave (Lower Haight)
Ditch your Mach3 and head to J.P. Kempt, where one soothing swipe of a sharp blade will make you appreciate the luxury of a straight-razor shave. Stylish white-smocked barbers will deftly transform your rugged mug into baby-bottom smoothness. We especially dig the soulful retro setting, which hums with good music and playful banter.

Manscaping SF's hair removal (FiDi)
Expert aesthetician Gilbert Colorina ain’t afraid of no beastly sasquatch. In his small studio on Market Street, Gil will shave or wax the wild tendrils on your chest, legs, and back. (By the way, your proverbial manhood is not verboten.) Need a drink? There’s an array of spirits on hand to help calm the nerves.

Peoples Barber Shop's haircut (TenderNob)
Bright and stylish, Peoples Barber Shop is abuzz with regulars who return for the $38 haircut and major perks—a high-lather shave, hot towel treatment with facial massage, and your choice of coffee, beer, or bourbon. This spring, the men of Downtown Oakland will be better groomed than ever with the opening of People’s second shop.

Roosters Men’s Grooming Center's "Gentlemen’s Choice" haircut + facial (San Rafael)
Who says women have all the fun? At Roosters, men are pampered in a traditional barbershop setting. For a total transformation, the Gentleman’s Choice includes the standard haircut and hot-towel treatment, plus a not-so-routine seven-step facial shave. The barber’s unsolicited advice on your golf game? Complimentary.

Waxing 4 Men's nose + ear waxing (Union Square)
With age comes wisdom—that, and hair (a lot of hair) in unfortunate places. We take care of these unsightly nose and ear stragglers at this men’s-only salon, a safe space for taming the jungle on your face (and beyond).

Etta + Billie's Vendetta IPA Soap
Ditch that pungent Irish Spring and pick up a sweet-smelling bar of Etta + Billie Vendetta IPA Soap ($10), which contains exfoliating grains from the IPA brewing process and essential oils to keep your skin moisturized. 

Pure Barre Berkeley Grand Opening

Photo courtesy Pure Barre Berkeley Facebook

For a few months, we have been sharing information about our neighbors at Pure Barre Berkeley, and this tomorrow, they will be open for business! If you're looking for a more specialized workout than our gym offers, you may want to consider taking advantage of their opening special - 5 weeks of unlimited classes for $100! Classes begin at 8:30 am tomorrow, Saturday, February 21. Please be advised, some classes are already wait listed.

What exactly is Pure Barre? Here's what we learned from their website:
We believe that everyone is capable of rocking our classes- no dance experience required. As long as you can hold a ballet barre, you can do Pure Barre. That’s not to say that it’s easy, your first class will likely feel challenging at times, but we encourage you to stick with it. Try your hardest and let loose and feel free to ask your instructor plenty of questions after class if you weren't clear on any of the moves.

You should wear pants, leggings or capris that you are comfortable in (no shorts) and a top that covers your midriff. You will see faster results in your flexibility this way. You will also want to wear sticky socks to retain your body’s heat as well as prevent your feet from sliding (you’ll thank us later). You’ll want to remove your shoes and put on your socks before you walk through the studio (you’ll be lying down on the carpet during class, so this is just an effort to keep the floors as tidy as possible).

We’ll have all the equipment you’ll need there at the studio, so just bring a bottle of water and a positive attitude! We do ask that you not bring your cell phones into class with you, as this can be distracting to the teacher and your fellow LTBers. If you’re expecting an important call, you’re welcome to leave your cell phone at the front desk and we’ll come snag you if you’re needed.

Welcome to Berkeley, Pure Barre!

Create a Magazine-Worthy Apartment Home

"Luxury living room with a fireplace." by TNS Sofres is licensed under CC BY 2.0

You don’t have to have an eye for design or watch HGTV 24/7 to create and decorate a beautiful home. Most importantly, your space should reflect you and your personal taste! If you are feeling overwhelmed and in need of guidance, remember these decorating principles from Apartment Therapy and you’ll have a space worthy of a magazine cover in no time!

1. Cut the clutter.

The number one thing that sets blog-worthy interiors apartment from just plain old interiors is the lack of clutter. Over time, it's easy to let things accumulate in your home without thinking about it — and after a while, you can get to the point where you don't really 'see' clutter. Taking a photo of your space is a good trick for helping you see a room with new eyes. Once you've identified the trouble spots, check out our 10 Commandments of a Clutter-Free Life for some game-changing advice.

2. Leave a little space.

It can be tempting, especially when you keep finding pieces you love on the internet or at a flea market or in your neighbor's trash, to fill your space as full of furniture as possible. But often the secret to a more pleasing interior isn't more stuff, but less stuff. If you look at interiors in magazines, you'll notice that a lot of them have quite a bit of negative space. This lets each piece shine, and also makes the room feel more spacious. Try it out at home by removing one or two big pieces from a room — you may be surprised at how much it opens up the space.

3. Add a little texture.

A space without a variety of textures can feel dull and lifeless. This is an easy one to correct — a fluffy throw, an interesting rug, or even an old antique piece can all add a little interest to a room. Check out our advice for transforming your space with texture.

4. Use color judiciously.

Not every space needs to have a 'color' (as in, "what color is your living room?") or have everything match to be lively or interesting. A lot of beautiful spaces get interest from a variety of proportions and textures, and have very little in the way of color at all. Others manage to feel very colorful with just a few colorful pieces. When adding color to your space, try adding one or two pieces at a time and then judging their impact before adding more to the mix. You may find that a little goes a long way.

5. Pay attention to balance and proportion.

The same things that make a lovely, interesting photo make a lovely, interesting home — a mix of pieces of different sizes and proportions. Balancing heavy pieces with more delicate ones makes a space dynamic. Too many small items, without any larges ones to break them up, can feel chaotic and cluttered. This is another area where taking pictures of your own home can help. Pay attention to how your furniture and accessories relate to your space, and how they relate to each other.

Travel on a Budget

"my travel gear" by Jon Rawlinson is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Whether you’re thinking ahead to summer vacation or are just itching to get out of town, it’s not secret that traveling these days is expensive. From airline costs to hotel expenses, things can quickly add up. If you need to stick to a budget, being organized in the planning process will be key to saving money while still having a fulfilling experience. How do you save money without sacrificing your dream trip? Apartment Guide offers these travel tips:

Be Flexible

Instead of having a location and a specific date you want to go, let the travel destination choose you. The fare to the Bahamas may be much less than it is to go to Greece during March, so if you can settle for a different beach than you had in mind, you may be able to save some cash and still get a tan.

Do your research to see where and when you’re going to be able to get the most travel bang for your buck. Be flexible about the times you travel as well. I recently booked a trip to Las Vegas, and the cheapest flight was at 6 a.m.

Do I really want to get up at 3 a.m. to make my flight? No. But flying out at 6 a.m. vs. 9 a.m. was about $150 cheaper. That’s $150 extra dollars I can spend on food, fun, or souvenirs for friends.

Fly On Certain Days

If possible, book your flight for a Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday afternoon. In general, these are the days when airfare is the cheapest.

Traveling on these days will mean less crowded airports, shorter security lines, and more money in your pocket for activities!

Travel With Friends

Not only is traveling with friends more fun, but if you gather a group of friends together, you can all go in on everything together.

A road trip to New York might be pretty pricey if you’re going by yourself, but when you split the gas cost between you and four friends, suddenly all of your travel expenses become much more manageable.

Set a Budget

If I didn’t set a budget for exactly how much I planned to spend in Las Vegas, I would have probably been in trouble. When you’re on vacation, it’s easy to overspend without even realizing that you’re doing so.

Break down every expense, from airfare and food to transportation, hotel and entertainment before you leave for your trip. This way, you won’t come home with a completely empty wallet, and you may have some cash leftover to save toward your next trip!

Rely on Hourly Car Rentals

Many people book a rental car to get them from the airport to their hotel. However, if you’re only planning on getting a rental car for the purpose of traveling to your hotel, you may want to consider an hourly car rental like Zipcar instead.

Zipcar is a great option if you’re traveling to a city where there’s already a lot of public transportation. The price to rent a Zipcar will change depending on the city you’re visiting. If you’re in Chicago, Zipcars will be about $9 per hour, while in New York, it’s $10 per hour.

Watch Where You Fill Up

Whether you’re using a Zipcar or going on a road trip with your own car, you can save money on travel expenses by being careful about where you fill up on gas.

Download the smartphone app GasBuddy, which will tell you which stations in your area have the cheapest price per gallon.

Consider Non-Hotel Options or a Package Deal

Non-hotel options, (like hostels or renting out a place for the week) and package deals are another great way to save money on travel expenses.

Staying at hostels or renting out a local’s apartment through a secure website like Airbnb, can often be much cheaper than a pricey hotel room.

Bonus money saving points if you rent a house– you can cook some of your own meals and save on eating out costs!

Or if you love the luxury of a hotel, instead of buying airfare and a hotel separately, think about buying all-inclusive packages to save yourself some money. When you buy the two together, you may be getting deals that aren’t offered to the general public.

Sign Up For Loyalty Programs

If there is a specific airline you fly with all the time, or a certain hotel that you always stay with, sign up for their loyalty or frequent flyer program to save yourself some money over the long run. You’ll eventually earn miles that you can put toward another trip.

If you continue to stay with the same hotel, you may even earn a few free nights, or at least take advantage of a discounted or upgraded room. You may also want to sign up for an airline’s free email alerts to get coupons and deals to help you save money.

Since you’re being alerted to these special discounts right when they become available, you get first dibs.