Best of the City 2008
You're about to see your city in a whole new way.
Edited by Jessica VoelkerWith contribution from Christopher Werner, Ben Schock, Kathryn Robinson, Rachelle Robinett, Erin Pursell, Laura Peach, Kelly Huffman, Leah Finn, James Ross Gardner, Lee Fehrenbacher, Stefan Durham, Wilson Diehl, Laura Cassidy, Roger Brooks, Sarah Anderson, and Steve Wiecking
New Detox
Whole Foods, Banya 5, and now a new spa: South Lake Union has become quite the natural-health neighborhood. At Vida Spa, the just-opened Ayurvedic treatment center in the Pan Pacific Hotel (the Canadian company’s first U.S. location), guests who pick the Swedana treatment detoxify inside a cedar steam cabinet that comes custom-stuffed with a blend of herbs based on their dosha, or Ayurvedic type. Their skin-smoothing to-go products are equally herbalicious and smell like a classier, more subtle version of patchouli—if you can imagine such a thing. Vida Spa, 2200 Westlake Ave, South Lake Union, 206-264-8432; www.vidawellness.com
New Tea Shop
In the city of more than 600 coffee shops, Ballard’s Miro Tea offers a calm respite from the daily grind. Elliot Knapp, Miro’s staff tea specialist, samples new blends from around the world as he offers his customers advice on which tea to drink to ward off a cold (Immunity, with peppermint and licorice root) or a sore throat (spicy cinnamon ginseng). If it’s too steamy outside for something steeped, the Hemingway is a superhealthy, antioxidant-packed quencher, though Papa probably would have preferred something with more spirit. Miro Tea, 5405 Ballard Ave NW, Ballard, 206-782-6832; www.mirotea.com
New-Age Education
With shop locations both east (Bothell) and west (Ravenna) of Lake Washington, East West Bookshop ensures that Seattle-area new agers are never too far from their next spiritual awakening. The stores offer near-daily readings, lessons, and workshops on subjects like yogic chanting, chakras, the I Ching, and collage-making—check their Web site to see what’s up next on their packed schedule of enriching and uplifting lectures and events. East West Bookshop, 6500 Roosevelt Way NE, Ravenna, 206-523-3726. 22833 Bothell Everett Hwy, Ste 150, Bothell, 425-487-8786; www.eastwestbookshop.com
Spiritual Bookstore
Owner Tess Sterling describes her Bellevue boutique Stargazers Bookstore and Gallery as a “bookstore for the mind, a gift store for the heart, and a gallery for the soul.” Even Eastsiders whose decorating style doesn’t lean toward fairies and dream catchers enjoy meandering the many-chambered metaphysical library, and Sterling’s on-site healing center is one of the Seattle area’s most celebrated spots for receiving Reiki, an ancient Japanese relaxation technique. Stargazers Bookstore and Gallery, 12727 Northup Way, Ste 10, Bellevue, 425-885-7289; www.stargazersbookstore.com
Psychics
The original Seattle herbal apothecary, 33-year-old Tenzing Momo and Company attracts Pike Place Market tourists with its spooky witch’s lair decor: Tarot cards, sage bundles, Tibetan statues, tinctures, and teas line dark wooden shelves and display cases, and the herbal aroma of incense permeates the place. Locals, meanwhile, come for the always enlightening readings presided over by one of the three gifted seers on staff: Thundercloud, Raven, or Faye Mills, the tattooed psychic. Tenzing Momo and Company, 93 Pike St, Ste 203, Pike Place Market, 206-623-9837; www.tenzingmomo.com
Herb Dispensary
When it gets that feeling, Seattle needs natural healing, and the Bastyr Center’s Chinese Herbal Medicine Dispensary is where it stocks up on ancient Chinese remedies. The knowledgeable staff fills prescriptions for naturopathic patients and demystifies the world of Chinese herbs to walk-ins with a quiet approach, suggesting cures for everything from allergies to rainy-day blues. Bastyr Center’s Chinese Herbal Medicine Dispensary, 3670 Stone Way N, Wallingford, 206-834-4169; www.bastyrcenter.org
Healthy Hangout
If you’ve been overindulging at the nearby watering holes and eateries, stop by Dandelion Botanical Company, the Old Ballard herb shop that owner Mary Kachi Cassinelli has dubbed her “healthy bar” and recuperate with an in-house tea blend. Eastern, Western, and culinary herbs, spices, and oils—and an empathetic staff—make Dandelion an urban oasis of relaxation and rejuvenation. Dandelion Botanical Company, 5424 Ballard Ave NW, Ballard, 206-545-8892; www.dandelionbotanical.com
Decorator
Janani Lucas swears her cleansing rituals and positive-energy tips have chased bad juju from clients’ houses and helped move many a once—unsellable lot off the market. The Spirit of Place owner and good-vibes guru provides insight into color choice, furniture arrangement, and a host of other details to get the chi moving freely. “It isn’t ‘Move a desk, change your life,’ ” says Lucas, “but feng shui can shift the odds in your favor.” The Spirit of Place, 206-361-9382; www.fengshuithespiritofplace.com
Published: July 2008