Oleana
Boston has no shortage of outdoor dining options, but for our money, none is as transporting as the backyard terrace at Oleana. It's a fairyland of flora and fauna—swags of crawling green draped over wooden trellises, fruit trees burgeoning with ripe fruit, flowers of every variety waving in the summer breeze. That's more than most of us needed to set the scene for a relaxing meal—so when chef Ana Sortun tosses in her soothing and exotic Mediterranean menu, it's just glorious gravy. 134 Hampshire St., Cambridge, MA oleanarestaurant.com.
Flatbread Company at Sacco's Bowl Haven
Since 2010, this renovated candlepin bowling alley/pizza joint has been winning adult fans with its craft brews, locally distilled spirits, and expertly fired pies. But it’s also a magnet for families, with its roomy booths, tables that can be easily rearranged to suit large groups, and, of course, bowling, perfect for play dates—or kids’ birthdays, as one Boston editor discovered this spring. Best of all is the attitude of the staffers, who consistently make little ones and their parents feel well taken care of. 45 Day St., Somerville, MA 2144, flatbreadcompany.com.
Boston Calling
The Killers. Paramore. Eminem. This year Boston Calling welcomed some of its biggest names to date. It also finally settled into its new digs at the Harvard Athletic Complex after a few growing pains in 2017. The sprawling grounds gave the fest the chance to add a third venue for even more concerts as well as ample open space for seriously upgraded food options, from the Smoke Shop’s barbecue-brisket sammies to Area Four’s garlic knots. And for those in need of a break from rocking out in the sun? An indoor comedy venue offering a rotating array of top-notch performers and soothing AC. MA bostoncalling.com.
Beaucage
A soothing hour of cleansing in a salon with a lovely ambience. 71 Newbury Street, Boston, MA .
Eric Jackson, WGBH
Adventurous good taste, a broad appreciation for music, a gift for the great segue, and the most soothing voice on the radio.
Shu-Xian Yang
Shu-Xian's acupressure massage is updated to soothe and energize tired contemporary bodies; she also gives excellent advice on posture, nutrition, and exercise. Spence Center for Women's Health, Charles Square, Cambridge, MA .
Tiffani Faison, Tiger Mama and Sweet Cheeks
Despite stints under legends Daniel Boulud and Alain Ducasse and three tours of duty on Top Chef, it feels like Tiffani Faison is just getting started. A culinary chameleon who’s excelled at sushi (O Ya), Italian (Rocca Kitchen & Bar), and even Texas-style barbecue, Faison recently unveiled her most electrifying venture to date: Tiger Mama, a verdant wellspring of Southeast Asian cuisine. And that’s not all for 2016, as come fall, the chef will introduce her latest Fenway project—a luxe cocktail bar modeled after Ernest Hemingway’s old hangout, Minetta Tavern. Sweet Cheeks, 1381 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02215, sweetcheeksq.com.
The Studio
Tom Green's place offers a soothing atmosphere and a friendly staff. 164 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Icarus
We love it, especially on Friday nights, when there is live jazz (resuming in September), and you're sitting in one of the booths by the wall with a bottle of champagne. 3 Appleton St., Boston, MA .
Lunch at the Museum Café, Museum of Fine Arts
Quiet. Soothing. A casual walk through the Japanese garden does more for you than three sessions with a shrink. The food is delightful. The iced tea is the greatest. And the pictures on the walls ain't bad. 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA .
Fresh
To consider Fresh simply an emporium specializing in soap is cleanly missing the point. This Boston-based business has revolutionized the beauty product industry with its French milled soaps, perfumes, skin care products, makeup line, scented candles, and bathroom accessories. Smelling sweet was never so, well, sweet. 121 Newbury Street, Boston, MA fresh.com.
The lounge at the Café Budapest
The booths have curtains for those discreet moments. 90 Exeter St., Boston, MA .
Chez Freddy's
From seven until two each evening, Beverly Siscoe soothes the world's wounds with a song. Bromfield St. near Jordan's, Boston, MA .
Pazikeh at Les Amis
Soothing, relaxing, and cleansing. What more do you need? 168 Newbury St., Boston, MA .
Bokx 109
It's cougar season year-round at this sizzling restaurant-bar, where prime specimens purr over glasses of ros and flash their tanned, toned legs from cushy booths. And did they mention it's inside a hotel? They will. 399 Grove St., Newton, MA 2462, bokx109.com.