Laurel Wellness
Chakras out of whack? Crick in your back? Can’t seem to focus? Laura Corrigan is on the case. Offering appointments on Mondays at Ardan Medspa + Salon in Wellesley and the rest of the week from her home office in Newton, the well-trained healer is adept in a range of wellness modalities, including acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine, reiki, and energy work. Whatever cocktail of services she cooks up, you’ll leave feeling relaxed, refreshed — and wondering why you didn’t start seeing her sooner. laurelwellness.com.
Tawakal Halal Café
Pat Piasecki This national-caliber Somali kitchen makes and bottles its own luxuriously supple-textured mango-habanero hot sauce, which adds just the right zhoosh of incendiary complexity to coconut-milk grits with slow-cooked chickpeas; unctuous braised goat (hilib ari) bursting with turmeric and cardamom; and, honestly, any leftover taking up space in your fridge right now. 389 Maverick St., East Boston, MA 02128, tawakalfoods.co.
Commonwealth Kitchen
For a preview of the next big thing in Boston restaurants, check out whatever’s cooking at CommonWealth Kitchen. Dorchester bakery Top Shelf cookies and jerk-spiced J.P. spot Jamaica Mi Hungry are among the dozens of success stories born out of the important incubator, which connects fledgling food entrepreneurs — especially woman- and BIPOC-owned oufits — to both production facilities and brick-and-mortar restaurant spaces, including an upcoming food court at MIT. 196 Quincy St., Dorchester, MA 02121, commonwealthkitchen.org.
20byNine
This little bar just off the main drag in Oak Bluffs has upped the cocktail game for the whole island with its expertly executed house-made syrups, infusions, and discerningly cultivated selection of boozes—including an imposing whiskey list. With classic Old Fashioneds and Sazeracs that meet or beat just about anything you can find in the city, the only clue that you’re on the Vineyard will be the sand in your hair. 16 Kennebec Ave., Oak Bluffs, MA 02557, 20bynine.com.
Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club
The hardest part of a vacation is making sure everyone has a good time. At Ocean Edge, however, that’s never a problem. Looking to work up a sweat? Swing a club or paddle a kayak. Need to entertain the kiddos? Keep ’em busy with kite-making and scavenger hunts. Longing for some time all to yourself? Lounge on the private beach or check into the spa. No matter how you spend your trip, you’ll want to find time at sunset to roast s’mores ’round the beach fire. 2907 Main St., Brewster, MA 02631, oceanedge.com.
Sault New England
Owner Philip Saul knows that casual doesn’t have to mean sloppy. To wit: Where else can you try on Japanese selvedge denim in two contemporary, tailored fits? Whether you’re shopping for cheerful printed tees and canvas shorts for your next Cape vacation or fitted button-downs and slim-fit pants for breezy weekends in the city, playing it cool never looked this sharp. 577 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118, saultne.com.
Credo
If you wear makeup, there will come a time when you raise the goopy mascara wand to your eyes and think, What the heck is in this stuff? Shop at Credo, and you’ll have the answer. The San Francisco–based store, which landed on our shores last year, carries only cosmetics made with clean ingredients. From Kjaer Weis’s certified-organic cream foundation to Ilia’s avocado-oil-enriched mascara, you can feel good about the products that make you look good. 177 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116, credobeauty.com.
Jackie Liakopoulos, Beaucage
Spirals, waves, and kinks beware: There’s no curl too unruly for Jackie Liakopoulos to tame. As a certified DevaCurl stylist and educator with a headful of ringlets herself, Liakopoulos is extensively trained in assessing what wavy locks need (moisture! shape! definition!) and dry-cutting hair to flowy precision. After a few hours in her chair, our curls came out looking exactly how they should: subtly highlighted, perfectly shaped, and fully goddess-like. 71 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116, beaucage.com.
Daleen Jordan, Trephin
Hair color has the ability to change the way the world perceives you. Daleen Jordan understands this, and doesn’t take her job lightly. Whether you’re hoping to transition from platinum back to natural brown or opting for a completely new look, be prepared to discuss the vision at length before any dye is applied. In fact, Jordan is so good at her job, you won’t need to reach for a hat as six weeks approaches: Her color remains lustrous even as the highlights and lowlights fade. 25 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111, trephin.com.
A Street Frames
You’ve finally chosen the perfect masterpiece for your living room—why ruin it with a cheap, mass-produced frame? Go where the top galleries, museums, and collectors go, and you can rest assured that your artwork or favorite family photo will remain in mint condition for years to come thanks to A Street’s archival framing techniques. It’ll look sharp, too, courtesy of hundreds of handcrafted frame styles in materials such as steel, hardwood, and even gold leaf. 755 Concord Ave., Cambridge, MA astreetframes.com.
S.H. Videography
This Back Bay videographer understands that there are certain moments you’ll want to relive over and over. Thanks to nearly three decades of documenting couples’ special days, S.H. Videography knows exactly what to linger on: the sweet first look; the vows that made the whole crowd cry; the heartfelt, two-Jamesons-deep toast from Uncle Don; the ring bearer breaking it down on the dance floor. As S.H. puts it, “A photo captures a moment in time, but a video captures time in motion.” 162 Newbury St., Boston, Massachusetts 02116, shvideography.com.
Kashmir Asvaraksh, Hair by Kashmir
She may have mastered the runways of New York Fashion Week, but Kashmir Asvaraksh truly shines while styling a bride’s hair. Asvaraksh’s updos look effortlessly chic (read: not overly stiff with hairspray), while her curls are reminiscent of Old Hollywood. She trains hairstylists around the country, too, so you can dance the night away knowing that she’s expertly pinned and coiffed your locks. 297 Newbury Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, hairbykashmir.com.
Jill Lepore
DARI MICHELE Hamilton taught us there’s a fierce appetite—not to mention need—for well-told stories of American history, and few writers bring our country’s saga to life like Lepore. She tackled both our past and present with her 2018 epic These Truths and, more recently, her brief look at rising nationalism in the U.S., The Case for the Nation—each so good they don’t even need a soundtrack. history.fas.harvard.edu/people/jill-lepore.
Grill 23 & Bar
COURTESY PHOTO In a transforming city, this old-school icon employs the same formula that’s kept it a top chop shop for 30-plus years: Take expertly cooked steaks, such as the legendary 100-day-aged rib-eye; add an exceptional wine list of ruby cabs and celebration-worthy bubbles; and wrap everything in such handsome, Brahmin-era trappings as dark wood, white tablecloths, and even tableside cigar service—ideal for puffing outside after inhaling a brûléed banana split. 161 Berkeley St., Boston, MA grill23.com.