Burg’s Hideaway Lounge
Tiki in spirit, neighborhood corner bar in practice, Burg’s lives up to its name. Quiet, tucked-away and comfortable (thanks to the good-natured staff and cheap-eats menu), the Point Breeze newcomer has quickly established itself as a welcome—downright necessary, in fact—escape from city-living snobbery. 1200 South 21st Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, burgshideaway.com.
Solidcore
The dim lighting and loud music at these sleek studios in Washington Square, Rittenhouse and Bryn Mawr serve a purpose: They hide the winces and grunts the Pilates-inspired workout—50 minutes on a giant resistance machine that burns the whole way through—provokes. The upside: You’ll leave with a newfound confidence to rock a crop top. Multiple locations, solidcore.co.
Syreeta Scott at Duafe
Jill Scott and Questlove see owner Syreeta Scott right here in her North Philly salon, and Janet Jackson has flown her to Paris to do her braids. So she’ll probably do just fine with your hair. 3129 North 22nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19132, dua-fe.com/new.
Dana DeMarco at LashBee
From your perch in what’s essentially the plushest director’s chair ever, DeMarco will wax, tint and fill your brows to perfection. Afterward, you’ll realize it’s actually your peepers that have never looked better. 1126 Walnut Street, 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19107, lashbee.com.
The Water Club
We know—A.C. doesn’t exactly scream romance. But the Borgata’s premium property presents a unique case. The tower boasts sexy rooms, a 21-and-over pool, a posh spa, and a room-service program designed by celeb Geoffrey Zakarian. 1 Renaissance Way, Atlantic City, NJ 08401, theborgata.com/hotel/the-water-club.
Play2 at Chickie’s & Pete’s
Mom pestering you to shut off the TV and get out into the world? Well, at Play2 (in the South Philly and casino locations), you can at least be more social. Private pods, rentable by the hour, have giant screens, mega sound, and all the games and systems you could ask for (Wii U, Xbox One). Multiple locations, chickiesandpetes.com.
Carriage Trade Cleaners
This perennial star has been handling stained silks, cashmeres, leather and fur for 30-plus years, and the pros here work miracles (e.g., getting brick-red lipstick out of white chiffon). 1108 Bustleton Pike, Feasterville-Trevose, PA 19053, .
Parisa Rugs and Décor
While Parisa Abdollahi's Old City showroom is an absolute treat, filled with new and antique rugs and quirky trinkets for the home, the real treasure is her Manayunk warehouse, which houses roughly 3,000 rare Persian rugs — a museum-quality collection, started by her father 34 years ago, that clients can shop by appointment. 33 North 3rd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, parisarugs.com.
M Concept Shop
This six-month-old boutique corrals Philly's fiercest fledgling design talent (Senpai + Kohai, Lobo Mau, Meri + Fete) into one boundary-pushing space, proving that the cool kids don't always hightail it to New York. 1540 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19146, mconceptshop.com.
Moon + Arrow
You won't find anything flashy here. That's the beauty of this flea-market-like store, which brims with handcrafted, low-key-cool treasures like fringed yarn wall hangings,unglazed earthenware air-plant slings and gorgeous jewelry, so you'll never have to scrape off a "Made in China" sticker before wrapping. 754 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, moonandarrow.com.
Sheri David, Jay Michael Salon & Spa
The seasoned brow maven has fixed so many botched wax jobs that after one look at you in her chair, she'll announce (correctly): "Small room, low light, aesthetician was on your left." Luckily, David's gift is her uncanny ability to just know where your ideal eyebrows should be, and in 10 minutes, you'll leave looking like you've gotten an eye-lift. 595 East Lancaster Avenue, St. Davids, PA 19087, jaymichael.com/our-salon.
Hungry Pigeon
Scott Schroeder's cafe will start your day with the best breakfast sandwich in town, followed by a solid, casual lunch. Then, like the weirdest Transformer ever, it morphs into a more formal table-service restaurant at dinner, with a menu that reads like a smart chef cooking whatever the hell he feels like. Goat stroganoff? Mexican seafood cocktail? Steamed clams over orechiette, or a half pigeon served with one foot still attached? Absolutely. And we'll happily eat it all. 743 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, hungrypigeon.com.
iFLY Indoor Skydiving
It's exhilarating and, fine, slightly terrifying — you're literally floating, spinning and diving through a high-pressure wind tunnel while onlookers gawk at you through the clear walls — but thanks to an instructor who gives you one-on-one assistance while you fly, you never quite feel like you're going to die, or even lose your lunch. 290 Goddard Boulevard, King of Prussia, PA 19406, iflyworld.com/king-of-prussia.
Le Cat Cafe
Pay $12, get a coffee, tea or cocoa, and play with all sorts of felines for an hour. Pretty much the cutest way to take a java break. 2713 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130, lecatcafe.org.
Butchering at Kensington Quarters
Learn how to break down an entire animal from the expert knife-wielders here, and you'll be the envy of all your friends at your next dinner party. Well, except for the vegans. 1310 Frankford Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19125, kensingtonquarters.com.