Oasis Day Spa 103 W. Water St. 244-9667 oasisspacville.com Runner-up: Happy Nails 2295 Seminole Ln. 975-1170 The Japanese invented a nail-dryer involving individual tubes for each nail with a hand-held air pump. Creative, but perhaps a little cumbersome when you get down to it. And definitely not luxurious, which is what your winner this year […]
Oasis Day Spa 103 W. Water St. 244-9667 oasisspacville.com Runner-up: Spa at Boar’s Head 200 Ednam Dr. 972-2253 boarsheadinn.com/spa In the Sultan Ahmet area of Istanbul, a “spa”-like experience consists of lying on a marble slab in a sauna while a woman pours water over your body then scrubs you from head to toe. That […]
Mellow Mushroom 1321 W. Main St. 972-9366 mellowmushroom.com Runner-up: Blue Mountain Brewery 9519 Critzers Shop Rd. (Afton) (540) 456-8020 bluemountainbrewery.com Did you know that zebras are technically black with white stripes? If you shaved one, it would be completely black. That’s the kind of thing you need to know if you’re going to succeed at […]
When Kai Rady came to Charlottesville in 1974 with her growing family, her first real challenge wasn’t finding the right schools or dealing with a picky eater—it was a lack of toy stores. Rady said her first child was a very active and curious infant. “I was always looking for new things to stimulate him,” […]
Bikram Yoga 109 Fifth St. SE 220-1415 bikramyogacville.com Runner-up: ACAC 200 Four Seasons Dr. 978-7523 111 Monticello Ave. 984-3800 Albemarle Square Shopping Center 978-3800 1015 Heathercroft Cir., Suite 100 (Crozet) 817-2055 acac.com Death Valley, the hottest, driest, and lowest place in North America reaches temperatures well over 120 degrees on the reg. In 1913, one […]
Cha Cha’s 201 E. Main St. 293-8553 chachawithme.com Runner-up: The Virginia Shop Barracks Road Shopping Center 977-0080 thevashop.net Talk about an impulse buy: Richard Burton once bought Elizabeth Taylor a $960,000 jet they had flown in the day before. You won’t find anything like that Downtown favorite Cha Cha’s, but you will find a few […]
DJ Stroud djstroud.com Runner-up: Derek Tobler djtobler.com A little-known fact about DJ Stroud? In addition to his love of music, he’s also an avid surfer with a collection of about 15 surfboards and paddleboards. There’s an obvious connection between ocean waves and sound waves, so we’re not surprised his passion for both thrills lands him […]
Kate Nesbitt Runner-up: Robin Truxel A lover of movement in many forms, Kate Nesbitt got her start in Pilates in 1980 as a treatment for a dance injury (she studied ballet and modern). She opened Pilates Virginia in 2000, making it one of the oldest Pilates studios in town. Robin Truxel takes the runner-up spot. […]
Michael Keaveny at tavola 826 Hinton Ave. 972-9463 tavolavino.com Runner-up: Angelo Vangelopoulos at Ivy Inn 2244 Old Ivy Rd. 977-1222 ivyinnrestaurant.com Once upon a time, a chef’s hat had 100 pleats to signify that he know how to prepare eggs 100 ways. You won’t see a traditional chef’s hat on winner Michael Keaveny (in fact, […]
Sticks Kebob Shop 917 Preston Ave. 295-5262 1820 Abbey Rd. 295-5212 stickskebobshop.com Runner-up: Ariana Grill Kabob House 909 W. Main St. 872-9906 arianakabob.com The Turkish words shish kabob literally mean “skewer” and “roast meat.” You can’t get much simpler than that, but, there’s hardly anything simple about readers’ love of kebobs. In fact, it’s so […]