Treat Yourself


When’s the last time you really pampered yourself? And I don’t mean a bubble bath at home with a scented candle burning and glass of wine with the bathroom door locked.
    I’m talking about slipping into a plush robe at a spa where skin-care professionals glide in and sprinkle your face with a citrus spritz, rub and massage your feet after a reviving peppermint soak and then thoroughly knead the knots out of your kinked-up neck, back and shoulders. It’s a near miraculous experience.
    It’s also the kind of research and relaxation I can get behind; however, in this issue, it’s freelancer writer Katherine Kam who has all the fun and explores the Island’s budding spa scene in “Day-Spa Dreaming.” Kam glows after her facial at Sumbody, bonds with her manicurist at O Spa and rocks out with her massage therapist at The Spa at Harbor Bay. Accompany her and you can smell the orange blossom at Sumbody, see the “Strike a Rose Pose” nail polish at O Spa and hear the keys jangling at Harbor Bay.
    Even if you don’t have the time for such a relaxing and luxurious escape, you’ll still wind up feeling as if you’ve had a head-to-toe spa treatment. It’s a sure cure for the winter blahs.
    Other features in this issue include a history lesson from Michael Duca on civil aviation in Alameda, once home to some of the period’s busiest air traffic. The China Clipper flew its maiden flight from one of Alameda’s airports. Flights to San Francisco, by the way, took six minutes. Also, Brian Higgins writes about the $2.41 million Phase I renaissance of Webster Street, where trees have been shorn to make way for new “bulb-outs” and “amenity plazas.”
    We’re also introducing a new calendar section this issue. Our grid has been reformatted to highlight more Alameda events, though readers can still find information about important meetings—from the city council’s regular sessions to PSBA, WABA and GABA mixers.
    Check out the section for two months of events worth checking out. For starters, you’ll be able to read about an Alameda Recreation and Parks Department-sponsored day trip to “Beach Blanket Babylon,” Emil Miland performing with the Oakland East Bay Symphony for the Alameda Education Foundation, the Raiders’ last game of the season and an erotic adult read-aloud for book lovers at Spellbinding Tales.
    Here’s wishing your 2005 is off to a good start.


                            Until next issue,


                            Judith M. Gallman
                            judy@alamedamagazine.com