The Spa at Mandarin Oriental
Even if you don’t spring for the absurdly indulgent six-hour "Boston Breather" package—including a scrub, pedicure, facial, and more—it’s easy to while away the day at this 16,000-square-foot oasis four floors above Boylston Street. Book an aroma stone massage, detox wrap, or just a mani/pedi, and come early to relax in the vitality pool and steam room. Extend the aah with healthy bites at the Spa Café. 776 Boylston St., Boston, MA 2199, mandarinoriental.com/boston/luxury-spa.
Barneys New York
You have nothing to wear to the Best of Boston party, which is tomorrow. Hustle your Manolos over to Copley's new superstore, where clothing designers both ultrafamous (Marc Jacobs) and ascendant (Jovovich-Hawk) merge with bags, jewelry, and 3,700 square feet of shoes. What's more, an in-house concierge will offer opinions, fetch you lunch, and even arrange your ride home. (The hot date you'll have to get on your own.) 100 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 2116, barneys.com.
Marathon Sports
From the crowds who cheer on marathoners to the city-dwellers who do bridge loops along the Charles, Boston is a runner's city. And no place helps locals log the miles like Marathon Sports. Marathon has the largest selection of shoes from Adidas, New Balance, and Nike, and an all-star staff that will pick out just the pair you need. Throw in a great selection of sports bras, wicking shirts, shorts in any length, and information on local races, and you have everything you need to get moving. 671 Boylston St., Boston, MA marathonsports.com.
Blades Board and Skate, Cambridge location
Boston has no shortage of snowboard shops. Some have good selections, some good service. One has both. Whether you huck in the halfpipe or just concentrate on getting down the hill with your tailbone intact, the folks at Blades will steer you toward the perfect board. Chances are, they have it in stock, too. And if not, chill out. They'll happily order it for you. 38 JFK St., Cambridge, MA .
Serenella
Serenella's racks are to Boston shoppers what the sirens were to Odysseus: pure, unadultered temptation. Maybe it's the thoughtfully edited assembly of Pucci brights, quivering with delicious swirls of aqua, canary yellow, and bubblegum pink. Or it could be the crisp Balenciaga skirts, the tasteful cashmere twinsets, or the Roberto Cavalli numbers that are, by turns, over the top and tame. Whatever your particular weakness, prepare to abandon all reservation when you enter. Everything here sings, and—like a siren—even when it's loud, it's beautiful. 134 Newbury St., Boston, MA serenella-boston.com.
Marc Jacobs
When the store was robbed late last year, staffers sprinted down Newbury in dogged pursuit—these are people who take their fashion very seriously. Though the retailer deals solely in its namesake designer—and some seasons will inevitably outshine others—it's general manager and retail vet Mary Nobile-King's trained eye that shapes the mix of bags, shoes, and women's wear that fills the store. The result is a collection that comes together as if Jacobs were designing specifically for Boston itself. 81 Newbury St., Boston, MA marcjacobs.com.
City Sports
Okay, the size of the shoe wall doesn't exactly bowl us over, and the array of athletic equipment is a mite thinner than what the big boxes carry. But when we want to swim, run, bike, stretch, or lift, this Boston-bred chain comes through with apparel, gear, and even energy gels to keep us fueled. Bonus points for its signature line of athletic clothing that blends quality and affordability. 480 Boylston St., Boston, MA 2116, citysports.com.
Smokehouse Inc.
After a three-year apprenticeship with a fine-sausage maker in Germany, Dave Nosiglia returned to Boston and started stuffing and smoking his own. By now, his clients include the restaurants, wholesalers, and gourmet retailers around. Look for his chicken sausage with fresh rosemary and brown sugar (or with Marsala and mushrooms); or the smoked prosciutto, provolone, and pepper sausage—then stoke up the grill. 15 Coventry St., Roxbury, MA .
Ecoluxe
At long last, a dry cleaner that cares about you and your clothes. Ecoluxe has banished the chemicals commonly found in garden-variety dry cleaning (linked with a handful of harmful effects), as well as a pile of other dirty laundry: nonchalant service, for example, and depressing surroundings. Owner Shelly Mars has instead created attractive, environmentally friendly storefronts with remarkable personal service and excellent cleaning and pressing. For those too harried to make the trek to Brookline, Mars offers delivery to Newton, Wellesley, Milton, Cambridge, and parts of Boston. 1018 Beacon St., Brookline, MA .
Rusty Colston, Salon Mario Russo
After working under the tutelage of makeup-guro-to-the-stars Bobbi Brown, Rusty has come to Boston to transform our faces. He applies makeup with Brown's signature minimalist technique, which strives for natural, subtle strokes for daytime. Colston is also adept at using color to create a little drama for evening. As an added bonus, he'll tweeze unruly brows and even make house calls if necessary. 9 Newbury Street, Boston, MA mariorusso.com.
Martyn Duff, Vidal Sassoon
Heads will be turning now that Duff, Sassoon's North American creative director, has relocated to Boston. Masterful cut aside, we loved his approach—assessing your lifestyle, hair type, and sensibilities before lifting his scissors. "I want to know how this works for you," he asked repeatedly. Just be sure to call ahead for appointments—the man is a bigger jet setter than Austin Powers. 14 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Bostonian Society Museum Shop
This store sells tasteful tchotchkes with a local theme, including throws, tea sets, games, prints, calendars, and books about Boston, many by its sons and daughters. It also benefits the city's unsung (and generally unknown) statehouse. And if you don't see something you like here, you have all the rest of Faneuil Hall before you. Faneuil Hall, Boston, MA .
Fat Dog Pro Bicycle Shop
A cyclist's dream: a bright, airy space filled with top-of-the-line inventory and staffed by fellow riders who know their bikes from shifters to spokes. Not only do these folks understand what you really want, they often go out of their way to offer cheaper alternatives. And Fat Dog may just offer the deal in the Boston area on road bikes: free service for the lifetime of the bike (one year of free service on MTBs, and you can do a lot to a mountain bike in a year). 940 High St., Westwood, MA .
Gaslight
Over the past four years, Gaslight has proven it's more than just the restaurant du jour. It consistently turns out terrific takes on French classics in an authentically Parisian atmosphere. Crowds pack the dining room for dishes like the falling-apart duck confit with orange gastrique, and quite possibly the most sinful meat entrée Boston has ever seen—the bar steak, smothered in luscious cognac cream sauce and caramelized shallots. 560 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 2118, gaslight560.com.
Grill 23 & Bar
The better story would have been that finally, in this, the year of the cow, one among the city's numerous new upscale meateries had managed to dethrone our 14-time Best of Boston stalwart. Nothing doing. Mooo inherited the Federalist's matchless wine list. KO Prime has the best offal around. But for a prime, dry-aged rib-eye with a power client (downstairs) or a significant other (the more intimate upstairs), Grill 23 still rules the herd. 161 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 2116, grill23.com.