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By Katie Bianco, Jess Feldman, Holly Gambrell and Jennifer Zeleski
Inhale, exhale
Love it or hate it, the self-care era is here to stay. We’ve seen it all: face masks, bath bombs, fluffy slippers and cozy pajamas. The selfish-yet-loving movement has even gained a momentum to the tune of $10 billion. But knowing all of that doesn’t mean I haven’t fallen for it too. Last weekend, I binged the entire series of Gwyneth Paltrow’s The Goop Lab on Netflix. I applied a sticky, green face mask that made me look like Shrek, drank a cup of chamomile tea and coated my hair in a rather waxy treatment. It gave off the appearance of being pleasant, but seemed more like work. In order to actually find my self-care this week, I’m headed to the Beyond Breath introduction class to learn about the Sudarshan Kriya breathing technique. It may not be Wim Hof’s breathing experience followed by a leap into icy water, but it will help me truly relax and take care of myself—for free. -Jennifer Zeleski, Editorial Assistant // Vienna Community Center: 12 Cherry St. SE, Vienna; Tuesday, Feb. 25, 7-8 p.m.; free
A colorful home is a happy home
We moved into a new house just about a year ago and—while it’s going incredibly slow—I am finally starting to decorate it, room by room. My husband and I are a great team when it comes to interior design. I have the vision. He’s got the handyman skills to execute it. For example, when I was pregnant (both times), I asked him to paint one of my old childhood bookshelves for the nursery (a bright white for my girl, a vibrant green for my boy). And, voila, they both had one-of-a-kind furniture to store their books. But, it seems unfair that he’s the only one turning my design dreams into a reality. Which is why you’ll find me at Boxwood in Alexandria this Thursday taking an Annie Sloan Chalk Paint class. I’ve got plenty more beat-up furniture that needs new life. And now we’ll both be able to add some color to our home. -Katie Bianco, Editor // Boxwood: 128 S. Royal St., Alexandria; Thursday, Feb. 27, 6:30-8:30 p.m.; $95
Boot camp and bloody marys
I visited The St. James once when it first opened its doors. The mega sports complex is fascinating to me, simply because there’s so much to do there. You could literally spend an entire day there. I’m not that ambitious, but I will be spending a few hours on Saturday at a boot camp workout (a complimentary InBody assessment and swag bag included), followed by brunch at the complex’s on-site restaurant, Vim & Victor, where chef Spike Mendelsohn himself will take us through his brunch favorites. I’m sure I’ll dig in hastily after burning off all those calories. It’ll be a well-deserved meal. -Holly Gambrell, Digital Editor // The St. James: 6805 Industrial Road, Springfield; Saturday, Feb. 29, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; $32 for members, $40 for non-members
My type of lecture
While I am only 23 years old, I know a lot about wine. Being from a European family, I started learning about things like how to tell the age of a wine and how to recognize the region of the grape from a young age. A beverage I really don’t know much about is beer. And now that I live in Arlington, where there are about eight breweries in a 5-mile radius of my house, I’m realizing I have a lot to learn. That’s why this weekend, I will be joining brewmaster Mitch Steele of New Realm Brewing for a presentation on his experience working in the beer world. Throughout the night, I’ll get to try various IPAs and other local brews while learning about the production process. Maybe now it won’t take me 10 minutes to choose a beer on the menu next time I go out. -Jess Feldman, Editorial Assistant // Total Wine & More: 11620 Plaza America Drive, Reston; Saturday, Feb. 29, 5-7 p.m.; $10
For more fun events around town this month, see our February calendar here.