Nirmala NatarajSF Station Writer |
|
Nirmala Nataraj's Articles
 | Affordable Services for the Urban Epicure A few days ago, I discovered a place that delivers on…well, exactly the opposite of all the things I lament in a respectable spa establishment. La Petite Rose is tucked away in an alcove just off Taraval Street (in the Sunset, in case you’re mulling). Set foot inside the cozy, modest-yet-luxurious digs, and it’s likely that the only sounds you’ll hear are the barks of neighborhood dogs or the clickety-clack of the surface street car. More » |  |  | At Frey Norris Gallery Christine Wong Yap and Jenifer K. Wofford are two San Francisco-based artists whose work -- collectively ranging from comic-book-esque sketches of immigrant nurses to installations of paper bags embossed with cheeky truisms -- is more preoccupied with instances of the mundane than anything else. But glancing through “Sorry", a collection of their recent works at the Frey Norris Gallery, you needn’t wade through the playful renderings of everyday vernacular and ritualized habits to get to the heart of the show, which exploits the manner in which language and image are often shrouded in indeterminate, constantly changing meanings. More » | |  | Simple Luxury If the exorbitant weekend getaway needs to be deferred a bit—at least until after the ides of April—fear not. A relaxing escape with your sweetie or a gaggle of buddies needn’t be postponed for future prosperity or halcyon days. Excessive gourmandizing and large living aren’t good for the soul, anyhow—not when simple luxury lies just an hour north in Bodega Bay, a historical hamlet not quite off the beaten path but secluded enough for you to pretend it is. And best of all, the town’s eponymous Lodge & Spa offers a posh yet casual setting for out-of-towners intent on some affordable hedonism. More » | |  | A Photographer’s Life Since Demi Moore graced the cover of [b]Vanity Fair[/b] back in 1991 nude and pregnant, exuding the immaculate, perfectly glossed sex appeal of a Hollywood screen goddess not in spite of but because of her distended belly, Annie Leibovitz has been heralded as the nation’s foremost celebrity photographer. More » | |  | A Whole-Body Tuneup Just so you know, the psoas muscle is that unpronounceable little guy in your body that’s largely responsible for your overall mobility. It’s a barely acknowledged core muscle in your abdomen that is used in close to a hundred percent of all your movements—and you can usually blame it for lower back pain and other achy muscular conditions, given its role in connecting the upper body with the lower body. But of course, San Franciscans who don’t know anatomical minutiae know Psoas as one of the city’s most highly respected massage studios. More » | |  | Leave Before Last Call Let’s face it—the one-person show is typically the refuge of the very interesting or the very narcissistic. And when the person in question happens to be a prime specimen of cinematic and cultural arcana, the scales are almost always tipped in favor of vainglorious tell-alls. “Wishful Drinking” (which might have been more appropriately titled “Carrie Fisher Spills the Beans about Her Life, Willy-Nilly”) is one such example. More » | |  | Quality Treatments without the Downtown Prices By now, many of you have probably heard the scoop on how massage is just one of the wellness methods that’s thought to proffer longevity and that youthful glow to all lucky takers. But getting a quick rubdown at your local chi-chi joint on your lunch break between a glass of wine and cell phone chatter probably won’t shave off the years or do you a world of good. If you’re looking for wellness and restoration first and pampering at a close second, the folks at In-Symmetry are happy to be of service. More » | |  | Valentine’s Day at Home Spa Dee Dah is an Oakland-based at-home spa company that delivers on uber-pampering, while dispensing with all the rules and rituals that can make your typical spa feel more tedious than restful. And if you’re feeling the need for just a wee bit of hedonism, unnecessarily commodious locker rooms can easily be traded in for a simple bolster, massage table and microwaveable moist towels. And who needs a steam room when there’s nothing more hedonistic than a post-treatment nap? More » | |  | Real Massages for Regular People As someone who can boast an intimate relationship with carpel tunnel, I’ll take a real massage over fluffy robes and all-purpose Eastern chanting any day. Not the kind administered by a prissy therapist in some froufy, suited-up day spa, but the [i]real[/i] kind -- complete with a firm, dexterous touch and a keen knowledge of the pretzel forms various muscle groups tend to contort into. More » | |  | Hedonism and Health Wrapped in One If you’re into health and wellness, you probably eat organic, go to yoga three times a week and have a sound meditation practice. If you’re into pampering and pure indulgence, you’re more likely to find yourself lounging on a spa throne and getting a pedicure while sipping red wine and gabbing on your cell phone. Needless to say, creating a balance between hedonism and health seems kind of contradictory, but now both yoga buffs and spa babies can bliss out at Yoga Kula, which offers the best of both worlds. More » | |
Nirmala Nataraj's Articles
|
