Hot Spot
In 1977, disco was hot, a gallon of gas cost 65 cents and Timothy Leary lectured at Cal. It was also the year The Berkeley Sauna opened on Milvia near University. Disco and Leary are dead, gas prices are through the roof but this neighborhood institution is still going strong. Lovingly designed and run by a family of three sisters for 30 years, the Berkeley Sauna was bought last year by former customer Anna Acs and her family. Acs is originally from Hungary and has been a massage therapist for more than 15 years.
New body treatments starting this month include dry-brushing and Hungarian curative mud. Acs says she’ll use black mud for faces and a heated mud paste for painful joints.
Three authentic Finnish sauna rooms are heated to 130-150 degrees and supply rocks to splash water on for a burst of steam. Of the two hot tubs, the wooden barrel tub has super-strong jets that can pummel you into paradise while the fiberglass tub offers a skylight and room to splash. Berkeley Sauna also features a range of full-body massage, including Asian techniques with floor massage, as well as foot massage and reflexology. Acs says the sauna “has a devoted clientele who have been coming here forever—couples, stressed-out students and families.”
The Berkeley Sauna, 1947 Milvia St., Berkeley, (510) 845-2341; www.berkeleysauna.com.
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Rock Around the Clock
The crystals, minerals and fossils that fill The Happy Heart seem to spread a wave of tranquility around the Piedmont Avenue shop. According to George Lee, who opened the store 12 years ago, this sensation comes from the energetic properties of the rocks. “Hold stone, you feel happy from the inside,” says Lee, who is originally from Canton, China.
Many of his specimens are breathtaking: a 2,000-pound heart-shaped fluorite formation from China, purple amethyst crystal cathedrals that sparkle inside geodes from Brazil, spiral seashell Ammonite fossils from Madagascar that recall the age of dinosaurs.
Besides being attractive, these rocks have healing properties, says Lee: “Yellow citrine is good for the stomach and for attracting wealth.” Egg-shaped Shivalingam from India are “sacred stones used to move out pain.” Green-ringed Malachite from Africa is “good for grounding and balancing the energy.” Lee says Jade is used for protection; older people wear it to protect themselves from falls, while younger people use it to ward off car accidents.
Lee also offers custom-made jewelry, energy readings, and feng shui placement. He describes the process of mutual attraction when he attends the Gem and Mineral Show in Tucson to select his rocks. “I walk around and wait until they pick me,” says Lee. “Then I pick them and we share the energy.”
The Happy Heart, 3812 Piedmont Ave., Oakland, (510) 655-1668; www.thehappyheart.net.
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Four-Legged Foodies
Do names like Grammy’s Pot Pie and Cowboy Cookout make your mouth water? They should also make your tail wag because these are some of the offerings at PUGnacious Pet Provisions, whose products contain all-natural, human-grade ingredients and USDA-inspected meat. Most foods are grain-free and do not contain the meat by-products, preservatives and fillers commonly found in supermarket pet foods.
Owners Doris Meier and Nick Mildenhall, who have four dogs and a cat, grew concerned after last year’s tainted pet food recall. “Raw, unprocessed foods are the top of the ladder, what these animals were meant to eat,” explains Meier, who opened shop on Solano Avenue last month.
The store’s frozen raw meat comes in meal-sized portions: turkey necks, beef knuckles and lamb, chicken or venison patties. Canned meals contain meat, veggies and fruit. Grain-free kibble uses potatoes as a binding agent. Treats include venison jerky, turkey liver nuggets and foot-long cow tails, known as “Texas toothpicks.”
Cats can enjoy equally appetizing combos such as an Ocean Whitefish Stew or Bora Bora Luau (sardine cutlets in lobster consommé).
With all this human-grade food around, Meier admits that so far she has only sampled the doggie doughnut cookies (made with applesauce and yogurt). “But,” she adds, “one distributor tastes her products and says the cat tuna goes well on toast.”
PUGnacious Pet Provisions, 1820 Solano Ave., Berkeley, (510) 524-9900; www.pugnaciouspetprovisions.com.
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Chocoholics, Rejoice!
For many, eating chocolate is a religious experience. Malena Lopez-Maggi, who recently opened The Xocolate Bar with partner Clive Brown, credits her Chilean/Mexican heritage for inspiring her to create what the Mayans call “food of the Gods.” The store’s name (pronounced “shocolate”) comes from the Aztec word for chocolate.
Lopez-Maggi says she and Brown invent their sophisticated flavor pairings “by traveling, trying exotic foods and imagining what they would taste like with chocolate.” Their first creation was inspired by a trip to Thailand: a Buddha-shaped bonbon flavored with tamarind, mango and agave. Other spices featured in their chocolate treats include coriander, anise and cardamom. Their creations include fair-trade cacao from Venezuela and are made fresh in the kitchen in the back of the shop.
Blueberry Planet mixes organic blueberry juice and chocolate ganache in a dome swirled with white and blue cocoa butter. Aztec Amor combines chocolate, cinnamon, orange zest and chili guajillo in a winged heart. Vegan Blackcurrant Sapphire uses Slovenian blackcurrant syrup in a chocolate gem.
Many of their molded shapes are just as striking as their flavor combinations: dragons, Venus of Willendorf, illustrated tiles from the Kama Sutra, as well as a 16-inch medallion of the Mayan calendar, rubbed with iridescent luster dust.
The Xocolate Bar, 1709 Solano Ave., Berkeley, (510) 525-9626; www.thexocolatebar.com.