Nail Salon: Spruce Nail Shop
Spruce up your mani-pedi at Spruce, which mostly uses products that are free of toxic and harsh materials (you can only get regular or gel polish here). Appointments are organized into tiers based on the complexity of the nail art you want—feel free to get creative and book Tier 3 or go for a custom appointment. In addition to nails, Spruce also offers a variety of facial services—but remember that all services are by appointment only. ♦ 905 E. McMillan St., East Walnut Hills, (513) 221-0074; 1818 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 818-8749, sprucenailshop.com
Tattoo Shop: White Whale Tattoo
From fine line work to American traditional to black and grayscale and everything in between, the talented roster at this downtown studio is well-versed in any tattoo style you desire. They also happen to be artists, so consider commissioning their original works and flash pieces. Keep an eye out for guest artists and flash events for exclusive designs. ♦ 722 Main St., downtown, whitewhaletattoo.com
Pool Party: Adult Swim at Ziegler Pool
Who doesn’t love a good pool party? Especially when you don’t have to worry about watching the kids or getting splashed by them. On select days throughout the summer, the Ziegler Park Pool opens after hours for a 21+ bash with music and drinks. If you’re lucky, you can catch a performance from the Rhinestones synchronized swim team. ♦ zieglerpark.org
Japanese Head Spa: The Men’s Salon & Spa
Offering a space for men to indulge in luxury grooming experiences, the Men’s Salon & Spa’s crown jewel is its Japanese Head Spa. The 30-minute treatment includes cleansing and exfoliating the scalp, using steam to open and clear out pores, and a scalp massage. Make it 60 minutes to add a facial and neck and shoulder massage, or 90 minutes for the ultimate relaxing experience—added aromatherapy, gua sha massage, and hot stones. ♦ 11928 Montgomery Rd., Symmes Township, (513) 583-8400; 1018 Delta Ave., Mt. Lookout, (513) 873-4833; thesalonformen.com
Jazz Mondays: The Lounge
Mondays can be rough. Make yours a little smoother with some live jazz music at The Lounge. Every Monday, the friendly throwback bar hosts Monday Jazz beginning at 8 p.m., featuring some of the hottest musicians around. Enjoy the vibes in this historic building (originally Cincinnati’s first vaudeville and silent movie house in 1909), sip a cocktail, and make your Mondays a little bit better. ♦ 3939 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, (513) 813-7469, theloungecincy.com
Community Support: Transform
The main mission here is providing head-to-toe wardrobes for trans and gender nonconforming youth. In addition to monthly support groups for trans kids and their parents and caregivers, expanded programming includes an array of game nights, crafting events, and more for kids and adults in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Donate, volunteer, and support this organization and the services it provides—trans people are not the enemy. ♦ 6839 Montgomery Rd., Kennedy Heights, transformcincy.org
Sensory Deprivation Tanks: Enhancing Your World
There are so few places where you can truly disconnect from the outside world and just be. Take an hour to reconnect with yourself, recenter your mind, and tune in to your body with a float session at Enhancing Your World in Newport (formerly Think Tank Flotation). Inside the tank everything is dark and warm. Magnesium sulfate—basically, extra strength Epsom salt—makes you extra buoyant, so you can float effortlessly and experience some real me time.
521 Monmouth St., Newport, (859) 979-5505, enhancingyourworld.com
Ballroom: CincyVogue
No waltzes in this ballroom—at a CincyVogue ball, the fiercest in town strut and vogue down the runway for trophies, cash prizes, and titles for their houses. Competitors can battle it out in categories like Face, Realness, Fashion, Performance, and many more to infectious music and commentary by the emcees. Due to growing popularity, CincyVogue has also started hosting smaller and more regular vogue nights at Circuit Ultra Lounge. ♦ @cincyvogue
Monthly Jam: Treasuretronics’s Synth Jam
Enter Treasuretronics on the first Friday night of each month and be transported back to a time when synthesizers were king. The store—which specializes in synthesizer keyboards, billing itself as the city’s “official KORG dealer”—encourages local synth artists, musicians, and other synthesists to bring their boards, drum machines, or modulars and jam out. To sign up for a performance, just call the store or stop by during business hours. ♦ 3916 North Bend Rd., Cheviot, (513) 518-1271, treasuretronics.com
Pumpkin Picking: Irons Fruit Farm
When fall rolls around and it’s time to start decorating for Halloween and Thanksgiving, Irons Fruit Farm has your pumpkin needs covered. Take a hay wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch and pick until your heart’s content (pumpkins are priced by the pound; 59 cents per pound, to be exact) before returning to the main building for other goodies, like the crispest apple cider this side of Avalon. If your kids are too tiny for pumpkin patch hunting, grab a smaller pumpkin near the checkout and pretend they picked it themselves. ♦ 1640 Stubbs Mills Rd., Lebanon, (513) 932-285, facebook.com/IronsFruitFarm
Writers Group: Cincinnati Writers Group
Your Great American Novel isn’t going to write itself so start putting pen to paper with the Cincinnati Writers Group. Meeting twice a week in Clifton, CWG uses the “pomodoro technique,” which involves 20-minute writing sprints with five-minute breaks in between. The free meetup is for those who prefer a more communal writing experience as opposed to the tortured solitary one the art form is typically known for. Sign up for the newsletter to get all of the details about the group’s comings and goings. ♦ halcarltonford.com/cincinnati-writers-group
Local Moving Company: Movers Ultimate
Don’t get this local moving company confused with the 2022 comedy. Ranked the No. 1 moving company in the region by Local Movers, Movers Ultimate was founded by firefighter Ben Rood and real estate agent Eli Cupp and offers services transporting furniture and other belongings, conducting in-home moving, long-distance moves, and even junk removal. Further, each mover hired by the company has a minimum of 200 moves under their belt—so you know you’re dealing with the best of the best. ♦ 3265 Madison Rd., Oakley, (513) 513-5859, moversultimate.com
Third Space: The Magic Garden
Dedicated to connecting with the land through community building, The Magic Garden holds space for those seeking connection and creativity. With a team of volunteers, the space plays host to a number of community-centered activities and educational events, including clean-up days, garden and art workshops, clothing swaps, and growing vegetables and flowers in its 13 garden beds. ♦ 236 Albion Place, Mt. Auburn, welcometoearthhouse.com/themagicgarden
Place to Adopt a Cat: Ohio Alleycat Resource
For more than 25 years, this nonprofit cat shelter does it all—bringing furry friends together with new owners, offering low-cost spay and neuter services for both pets and strays, and employing trap-neuter-return programs. In 2024 alone, Ohio Alley Resource adopted out more than 1,300 cats, from weeks-old kittens to sweet, aging seniors. Stop by to play, pet, and socialize the cats, or come to take advantage of OAR’s BOGO cat sales. ♦ 5619 Orlando Pl., (513) 871-0185, ohioalleycat.org
ASL Classes: St. Rita School for the Deaf
Since 1915, St. Rita School for the Deaf has been serving children in our community. But did you know you can also learn ASL there? A nine-week session costs $100, and there are four experience levels. Instructors focus on real-world communication and are experienced teachers and translators. Winter session starts at the beginning of December, while spring classes start in March. ♦ 1720 Glendale Milford Rd., Evendale, (513) 771-7600, srsdeaf.org
Celebrity Sightings: HorrorHound Weekend
These twice-annual horror conventions are the perfect opportunities to see your favorite stars all in one place. Meet-and-greets, photo-ops, and panels are filled with horror icons from both classic films and new cult hits. Past guests include Tobin Bell, Skeet Ulrich, Melissa Barrera, Linda Blair, Ti West, Robert Englund, Sam Raimi, Matthew Lillard, Cole Sprouse, Bruce Campbell, Michael Rooker, Giancarlo Esposito, and many more. ♦ horrorhoundweekend.com
Facebook Comments