Shopping & Services >>

• Readers' Poll
  Best Massages Sunset Sauna & Non Sexual Massage Best Used Bookstore Green Apple Best Women's Clothing Store Ooma Best Men's Clothing Store Macy's Best Vintage Clothing Crossroads Trading Company Best Women's Shoe Store Nordstrom Best Car Repair Noe Valley Auto Works Best Furniture... More >>
• Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Bookstore
  Borderlands BooksIn certain circles, finding that out-of-print copy of Roger Zelazny's Creatures of Light and Darkness or H.P. Lovecraft's The Outsider and Others is an event worthy of wild celebration. While few understand this mania, Borderlands does. Most bookstores relegate fantasy, horror,... More >>
• Best Garage-Sale Alternative for People Who Hate Getting Up Early
  Mickey's Monkey
  If you crave the endless potential of garage sales but can't stomach that whole getting-up-at-6-a.m. thing, Mickey's Monkey furniture store should suit your fancy. This hole-in-the-wall treasure trove doesn't even open its doors until 11 a.m., and some days, not even that early, as the hours are... More >>
• Best Cheap Haircuts
  Trimmers
  Getting a haircut can be downright frightening. Your anxiety might stem from the affordable but often hit-or-dangerously-miss quality of Supercuts. Or maybe the panic sets in when you get the credit card bill for that $50 (or more!) chopping by your local coiffeur. A safe and wallet-friendly... More >>
• Best Not-So-Cheap Haircuts
  Louie Hair Salon
  Louie opened its doors 11 years ago, when co-owners Susan Daar and Joel Quinteros had all of four clients. Since then Louie (named after Susan's grandfather, who paid her a few bucks to trim his hair when she was a girl) has come a long way, expanding the modern space from one room to three, in... More >>
• Best Party Paraphernalia
  SFParty
  "We sell fun!" is SFParty's motto, and if there was ever such a thing as truth in advertising, this is it. The huge barnlike space is packed floor to ceiling with just about everything you could possibly need for that special wingding, from banners and confetti and balloons to streamers and... More >>
• Best Juice Harp Emporium
  Lark in the Morning
  Its origin is clouded in history, but the juice harp -- the tiny one-stringed instrument that's held against the teeth and plucked -- turns up in similar guises in ancient cultures around the globe. (A 1,000-year-old iron model was discovered in Japan a few years ago.) The name alone is a matter... More >>
• Best Young Fashion Engineers
  Joe Haller and Ian Hannula, Nice Collective
  The Richmond District isn't exactly known as a hot spot for innovative fashion. But from a lair out in the avenues, a creative clothing lab releases its sartorial experiments to an international urban network and has earned respect in discerning markets including Tokyo, Milan, and London. Joe... More >>
• Best Martial Arts Stuff
  Brendan Lai's Supply Co.
  Cardio kickboxing isn't a martial art, and neither is Tae Bo -- Bruce Lee could've had Tae Bo king Billy Blanks on the canvas faster than Blanks could've said, "Buy my videos." So don't go to Brendan Lai's Supply Co. thinking you'll find cute workout gear or Blanks' tapes. But if you're in the... More >>
• Best Driving School for Transplanted New Yorkers
  Apex Driving School
  Getting around the Big Apple is easy: It's got no hills, a reliable bus and subway system, and cabs competing to take you anywhere you need to be, at any hour, day or night. As a result, it's no stretch to find 30-year-old New Yorkers who've never driven a car. Some of these city slickers... More >>
• Best Resource for Overwhelmed Parents
  Parents Place
  Everybody knows that having a kid changes your life, for better and for worse. With the help of Parents Place, moms and dads can make sure that it's more better than worse. Founded in 1975 by Jewish Family and Children's Services of San Francisco, the program is based on the philosophy that... More >>
• Best Custom Makeup
  Oui, Three Queens
  As we all know, beauty isn't always natural. Sometimes it takes blending! And Evan Kaminsky of Oui, Three Queens in Hayes Valley is a master at blending cosmetics. A veteran makeup artist who has studied both theatrical and prosthetic makeup, Kaminsky formulates lipsticks, foundations,... More >>
• Best Beauty Supplies
  Skin Zone
  With welcoming bubbles emanating from its entrance, Skin Zone fulfills all of our pore-cleansing and leave-in-conditioning needs. Although we have to buy our $500 La Prairie Cellular Radiance Cream Time-Correcting Therapy elsewhere, we can always pick up an impressive and unusual array of other... More >>
• Best Free Alcohol and Drug Rehab
  St. Anthony Foundation
  St. Anthony's is well-known for serving hot dinners to the homeless (2,000 meals per day), as well as providing free medical care and clothing to the poor. Psychological counseling and employment training are available at the foundation's Covenant House and Seton Hall for those who want to spend... More >>
• Best Mortuary
  Pacific Interment
  It's never too soon to plan for your passage into the next world (assuming it exists). And if you're thinking cremation, Pacific Interment is the place to go. After all, it was tacitly endorsed by no less than Jessica Mitford, author of The American Way of Death, her famous exposé of the... More >>
• Best "Out of the Office" Appointment
  Silk Salon
  Close the laptop. Turn off the phone. Dip your feet in the warm water and, if only for an hour, relax. A visit to Silk tops our list of quick treats we can give ourselves in the midst of a stressful life. Strategically located on Franklin near Sutter, the salon offers delightful manicures and... More >>
• Best Place to Find Something to Hold Something
  The Container Store
  Some of us have wrapping issues. We find that we desperately need an oddly shaped box for that really cool birthday present -- the one we bought without a second thought to how we might actually send it. And some of us just like stuff that holds other stuff: For us, finding a box, a bottle, a... More >>
• Best Prenatal Yoga
  Yoga Tree
  For reasons that will go unmentioned, performing yoga moves while pregnant can be problematic. But according to yoga's more earnest practitioners, the extra effort produces bountiful results. Prenatal yoga, they say, creates felicitous creatures called "yoga babies," who supposedly enter the... More >>
• Best Hardware Store Employees
  Roberts Hardware
  When home-improvement tasks come calling, take a deep breath and remember this pleasant alternative to Home Depot. Forgo the terrifying experience of wandering monstrous aisles and begging for advice from employees just as confused as you are -- head instead to this tiny storefront in the Upper... More >>
• Best Writing Journals
  NBC Stationery & Gift
  For many hard-core diarists, having the right kind of journal can make or break the experience of writing in it. There's nothing worse than going to a darkened cafe and sitting down to poignantly spill your observations onto paper and finding that your notebook doesn't really speak to you.... More >>
• Best Vegan Shoe Store (1 Comment)
  Otsu
  As a shoe store, gift shop, and all-around purveyor of hip gear, Otsu is a haven for anti-leather consumers and carnivores alike. Owned and operated by two indie rock-listening vegans, Otsu sells fashionable faux-hide shoes, purses, jackets, and belts that would appeal to even the choosiest of... More >>
• Best Travel Store
  Flight 001
  With aisles of gorgeous travel accessories arranged in an über-stylized setting (think walnut paneling, opaque Plexiglas, and Pirelli tile), Flight 001 revives the super-glam travel experience of the 1950s. Named after Pan-Am's infamous Flight 001 -- which flew between San Francisco and New... More >>
• Best Beauty Parlor-Meets-Pet Store
  Garbo's and Amore Animal Supply
  In 1996, the owners of Garbo's beauty parlor decided to erect a wall down the middle of their salon and run a separate business on the other side. Times were tight, but they didn't want to raise the price of a haircut ($25 for short hair, $30 for long). After much rumination (one owner began... More >>
• Best Place to Find That Elusive Hit Song on Vinyl
  Rooky Ricardo's
  Bay Area DJs and music aficionados alike (at least the ones savvy enough to have working turntables) know there is only one place to go when searching for a particular tune on wax. Damn near overflowing with 7-inch singles, Rooky Ricardo's is the Lower Haight's living, breathing shrine to the... More >>
• Best Auto Repairs
  Auto Lab
  Honest. Affordable. Fast. Reliable. Need we say more? Henry Chua has worked on more than one of our vehicles. In every instance, we've had it back the same day, right as rain. When we drop off our ride in the morning (no appointment necessary, we've always been told to just come on by), we... More >>
• Best Specialty Pet Store
  PuppyCat
  It can be tough to differentiate one pet store from another; they all tend to carry similar toys, treats, and whatnot. What sets PuppyCat apart is its philosophy about food. The shop carries only all-natural products, many containing organic, human-grade ingredients. As organics have become all... More >>
• Best Hair Colorist
  Sherri Wheeler
  Wheeler's talents are not a very well-kept secret. She has an extensive and loyal client base even without any press. And her popularity extends beyond her clients; Wheeler and her husband, Raymond Granado (who can work magic with a pair of shears), opened their own salon last month, and several... More >>
• Best Junkyard
  S.C.R.A.P. (Scroungers' Center for Re-Usable Art Parts)
  Want to make an Art Car? Or a puppet? Or a robot sculpture that doubles as a wet bar? All the random gadgets and forgotten bits of salvaged stuff imaginable are here: baby food jars, plastic gold chains, old brass belt buckles, linoleum samples -- you name it. S.C.R.A.P. is massive and run by a... More >>
• Best Selection of Literary Kitsch
  Chelsea Books
  Chelsea Books is a mostly used bookstore for the ironic history buff in the family. At this cozy, homey shop in the Inner Sunset, you can find that folio-size tome on hippie communes you didn't know you needed. It's also the place to get your hands on biographies of now-campy figures from the... More >>
• Best Women's Bathhouse (1 Comment)
  Osento
  You can pass Osento for years and not even realize it's there. Located in a Victorian house on Valencia with no sign in front when it's not open, you have to know about it to find it. For women who enjoy a homespun alternative to the fancy bathhouses of the Kabuki, Osento is the city's best-kept... More >>
• Best Selection of Old-School Adidas
  Harput's
  Long before Sean John and J-Lo, Harput's was selling track suits. Long before Run-D.M.C., Harput's was selling Adidas. Originally run out of a minivan in the 1970s, Harput's put down roots on Fillmore Street 18 years ago, selling what it calls "old school" sneakers and track suits. These are the... More >>
• Best Thrift Store Clothes Shopping
  Goodwill As Is Shop
  Every hard-core thrift store shopper is a masochist at heart. The deeper the level of hell one must go through to find that $2 Pucci blouse, the sweeter the discovery. And that being the case, thrifters can find the greatest agonies and ecstasies at the Goodwill As Is Shop. Located behind the... More >>
• Best Boutique Hotel
  The Archbishop's Mansion
  Holy deluxe, Batman, what a B&B! Beautifully decorated rooms laden with antiques, breakfast in bed if you desire, wine and cheese in the magnificent lobby every afternoon -- what could possibly be better? A great escape without going far, this French Empire-style mansion turned 10-room hotel was... More >>
• Best Boutique Hotel (With a Theme)
  Serrano Hotel
  This theater district gem offers the plush décor and elegant rooms that travelers expect from a boutique hotel, but it also offers a great gimmick -- a board-game theme that charmingly permeates every aspect of the experience. The lobby is dotted with the likes of checkers and backgammon,... More >>
• Best Dollar Store
  99 Cents Only Giant Value
  Sadly, the only place in the city called "The Dollar Store" is actually a video shop, not a knickknack lover's heaven. Two fine dollar stores -- in spirit if not in name -- are the 99 Cents & Over Discount Outlet 5 on Mission and the 99 Cents Store on Geary. But possibly because of signage... More >>
• Best Kite Store
  Chinatown Kite Shop
  A Chinatown staple since 1969, this classic kite boutique offers the largest selection of kites, parafoils, and windwheels one is apt to find this side of the rainbow. There are delta kites, box kites, sports kites, stunt kites, and, of course, an enormous selection of traditional Chinese kites.... More >>
• Best Sex Shop
  Good Vibrations
  Famous for helping make sex shops respectable, Good Vibrations has become a San Francisco institution since founder Joani Blank decided it was time to bring sex toys out of the closet in 1977. (Besides the flagship store, there's another one in Berkeley.) There's certainly no other place we know... More >>
• Best Recycled Building Materials
  Building REsources
  As part of San Francisco Community Recyclers, Building REsources is under contract with the city to divert waste from the municipal landfill. Since 1994, the outfit estimates that it has done its job thoroughly, to the tune of about 1,000 tons per year. Managers Matthew Levesque and Andy Pugni... More >>
• Best Night to Find Good Stuff in the Trash
  Thursday
  It's a fact that people leave treasures on the sidewalk, expecting them to be taken to the dump by sanitation engineers only to find that other people pick them up and love them. It's probably been that way for a long time, too; otherwise we wouldn't have that saying about one man's trash. But... More >>
• Best Book Restorer (1 Comment)
  Tom Conroy
  Conroy talks about books the way a caring doctor talks about his patients. He has been repairing and restoring books of all kinds for nearly 40 years, specializing in volumes with sentimental value or those "with a story." Have a third-generation children's book with a broken spine? A... More >>
• Best Handcrafted Jewelry
  Jessica Mendels
  Is Jessica Mendels a gifted artisan or a slave laborer? Hard to tell. But one thing's for sure: She's having trouble keeping up with demand for her handcrafted jewelry. Probably because these are not your run-of-the-mill necklaces and earrings. The unique pieces are created from real flower... More >>
• Best Way to Shop in This Lousy Economy
  Department Store Sales Markdowns, baby -- we live for 'em in the best of times. But they're even more important during this endless Bush recess- ... oops, economic downturn. Of course, if you're dead-set on a particular item, waiting for a sale can be risky, given the obvious: It can sell out.... More >>
• Best Women's Jeans
  The Savvy Department, Nordstrom
  Move over Seven jeans, your reign has been glorious, but we're over you and ready for some new options. Savvy at Nordstrom houses more than 10 different brand names, including Paper Denim & Cloth, Hudson, Earl, D&G, Miss Sixty, Juicy Couture, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Blue Colt (remember the infamous... More >>
• Best Chance for a Decent Date
  The Internet Looking for love in the big city can be a big, honkin' pain in the ass. You've encountered one too many half-drunk idiots at your neighborhood bar (and after one too many happy-hour margaritas, you've found them interesting). The people in your office are flat-out geeks. Your gym... More >>
• Three Best Funky Furniture Stores
  We're so tired of IKEA, we could scream. Entertaining faux-Swedish names aside, its furniture doesn't inspire us, doesn't make us want to invite our friends over just to admire our new chairs. For real inspiration at prices that don't require you to sell your plasma, check out these favorite... More >>