Skoah
Skoah’s short but sweet facial menu promises customizable “sweat-free skin-care workouts” powerful enough to whip even the most problematic skin types into shape. Case in point: The “Fitskin” facial, a 45-minute treatment that includes an exfoliating mask, hydrating lotions, and an ultra-relaxing hand-and-arm massage, will leave even the most blemish-prone skin looking bright and healthy. 641A Tremont St., Boston, 857-350-4930; 33 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, 617-383-5185. 641A Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118, skoah.com.
Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
Harbor views and cool summer breezes augment a listening experience that provides access to big-name acts (the coming months will bring Slayer and Diana Ross) without the hassle of stadium seating. A shifting naming-rights situation may make it hard to keep track of what to call this outdoor music emporium, but it's long been one of the best reasons to visit the Seaport. 290 Northern Ave., Boston, MA 02210, .
Bricco Panetteria
This basement-level bakery is part of Frank DePasquale's North End culinary empire, and yet somehow everything about it screams old-world charm. From the tiny space, bakers churn out umami-rich olive-studded loaves and prosciutto-stuffed baguettes that are served at DePasquale's restaurants and, if you're lucky, with your next plate of home-cooked pasta. 241 Hanover St., Boston, MA 02113, briccopanetteria.com.
Sofra Bakery and Café
Imagine a flakier, more buttery version of a Pop-Tart, stuffed with finely chopped pistachios and blackberries. A chocolate-hazelnut baklava that is fudgy, not cloyingly sweet. A densely textured yet delicate almond-rose cake. Ana Sortun and Maura Kilpatrick draw on inspiration from the Middle East, Turkey, and Greece to create their café's sweets, and the result is otherworldly. One Belmont St, Cambridge, MA 02138, sofrabakery.com.
Cakes to Remember
Simple white cakes showered with sugar-frosted rose petals, hexagonal cakes trimmed in maroon diamonds, and Taj Mahal-shaped cakes—there isn't a customized design or flavor that Ellen Bartlett at Cakes to Remember can't (or won't) make. Using only the highest order of ingredients and working with couples through each step of the tasting, refinement, and selecting processes, she acts as much as confidante and consultant as confectioner. 238 Cypress St., Brookline, MA cakestoremember.biz.
Pour Le Corps
Gives new meaning to feel the burn. Electrolysis is never a pleasant part of the grooming ritual, but this salon makes it easier with a relaxing ambience (and topical anesthetics). Your once-hirsute patch of skin may be tingling, but that's an improvement over the pain of more violent treatments. Since this delicate process takes time, it's especially comforting to find a competent, confidence-inspiring, and compassionate set of technicians. 224 Clarendon St., Suite 21, Boston, MA .
City Sports
The urban athlete is a creature who takes many forms. Thankfully, in these parts there are half a dozen City Sports locations to clothe and equip them, no matter their athletic proclivity. Though the local chain keeps everything from outerwear to footwear on hand, it avoids the warehouse feel that cripples many a labyrinthine sporting-goods retailer. And the cheery employees who patrol the aisles know that chief among the things you're looking for is a quick return to the game. 44 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA 2138, citysports.com.
Long's Jewelers
If the accessories you keep in heavy rotation include a diamond-studded Leslie Greene bracelet, cultured Mikimoto pearls, and an arty Casa Gi ring, chances are you're a Long's customer. This branch of the esteemed local chain stocks more than 50 diamond, fashion, and bridal brands, as well as a collection of exclusive estate and vintage pieces. Flashy not your thing? Pick up a sleek timepiece by top-tier watchmakers like Cartier or Baume & Mercier. 250 Granite Ave, Braintree, MA 2184, longsjewelers.com.
JJ Gonson, Cuisine en Locale
So you're a little lazy. Or overworked. Or simply a really, really bad cook. No one has to know—not with Gonson around cover your tracks. Armed with fresh ingredients culled from local growers and farmers' markets, the Cambridge-based chef swoops into homes throughout the Hub, leaving a week's worth of healthy meals in her wake. And she's not afraid to share her tricks, offering kitchen and pantry organization and private gourmet-grocery shopping, too.
Rosaline's Skin Care Clinic
Rarely have we seen as devoted a clientele as Rosaline's customers, who laud her quality, service, product line, and commitment to teaching clients about skincare. They love the shoulder massage that comes as part of her facials, and the fact that she's low-key about pushing products, not to mention the results they see in their skin. "In lean, mean times I give up everything but my facial," says one long-time fan. 1426 Beacon St., Brookline, MA .
Picco
All too often, pleasing kids' palates means sacrificing a small part of their souls to mass-produced chicken fingers. Thankfully, the charred yet chewy wood-fired pizzas (not to mention the decadent brownie sundae) at this eatery will thrill the pickiest pint-size diners, and keep you happy, as well. In fact, adults have the most fun—while the minors down black-and-white frappes, the grownups are slurping floats anchored by a pint of just-boozy-enough raspberry lambic. 513 Tremont St., Boston, MA 2116, piccorestaurant.com.
L'Espalier
For a modern Boston tea party, head to L'Espalier on a Saturday afternoon, when the Back Bay brownstone is filled with elegant ladies nibbling on pastries and canapés. We recommend Red Riding Hood's Basket: savory tea sandwiches, melt-in-your-mouth scones with crème fraîche, and chocolate-dipped strawberries or Valrhona milk chocolate mousse tarts. The tea, delivered with a graceful flourish, is brewed just so and punctually refilled. You won't want to spill a drop. 744 Boylston St., Boston, MA 2199, lespalier.com.
Sandrine's Bistro
The ambiance seems a touch suburban. But no matter: At Sandrine's, all eyes are on chef Raymond Ost's accessible French classics. Follow a salmon crepe starter with seared sea scallops and mashed potatoes piqued with sauerkraut or the house speciality, an Alsatian tarte flambé. Even the (quelle blaspheme!) meatless options (eggplant and cheese ravioli, stuffed artichoke) are fantastic. 8 Holyoke St., Cambridge, MA 2138, sandrines.com.
No Name Restaurant
The décor is worn; the waiters, crusty. The low-priced seafood, on the other hand, couldn't be fresher, and the kitchen knows what to do with it, displaying considerable finesse with battered fried clams, seared scallops, and buttery chowder made with leftovers from the catches of the day. While some people may be put off by the No Name's unfussy shtick—the restaurant famously serves water by the pitcher in tiny paper cups—regulars know it's part of what amounts to one of the tastiest bargains in Boston. 15 1/2 Fish Pier, Boston, MA nonamerestaurant.com.
Flat Patties
For those of us who've longbelieved that a burger's quality is directly proportional to its heft, it defies logic that one of the beefiest, juiciest, tastiest (and cheapest) burgers in town is, in fact, flat as a pancake. Well seasoned and slathered in a sweet mayonnaise sauce, Flat Patties' freshly ground patties are tender and packed with flavor. The nicest part? The quarter-pounder rings in at just $3.95. 33 Brattle St., Cambridge, MA 2138, flatpatties.com.