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With its grand department stores and funky secondhand boutiques, San Francisco summons a full range of shopping experiences. From the anarchist bookstore to the mouthwatering specialty-food purveyors at the gleaming Ferry Building, the local shopping opportunities reflect the city's various personalities. Visitors with limited time often focus their energies on the high-density Union Square area, where several major department stores tower over big-name boutiques. But if you're keen to find unique local shops, consider moving beyond the square's radius.
Each neighborhood has its own distinctive finds, whether it's 1960s housewares, cheeky stationery, or vintage Levi's. If shopping in San Francisco has a downside, it's that real bargains can be few and far between. Sure, neighborhoods such as the Lower Haight and the Mission have thrift shops and other inexpensive stores, but you won't find many discount outlets in the city, where rents are sky-high and space is at a premium.
Seasonal sales, usually in late January and late July or August, are good opportunities for finding deep discounts on clothing. The San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner advertise sales. For smaller shops, check the free SF Weekly, which can be found on street corners every Wednesday. Sample sales are usually held by individual manufacturers, so check your favorite company's website before visiting.
A destination for organic products, cleansing, and relaxation—not to mention massage treatments to melt for—this eco-spa offers transformative workshops and rituals that help you heal from within. The Goddess Treatment, a client favorite, includes body exfoliation, a hot-oil scalp treatment, and massage using products infused with wildflower blossoms.
Treatments at this spa and yoga studio include the signature IO Massage, which incorporates Swedish, acupressure, Thai, and Shiatsu techniques. The more straightforward Hot Stone Massage is done with International Orange's own Anoint Oil—grape-seed oil infused with green tea and scented with white lotus and jasmine flower. For a city spa, this is a large space, but it's tranquil and even has a bamboo garden.
Traditional sit-down Japanese showers and communal bathing are two out-of-the-ordinary experiences at the Kabuki. The renowned Javanese Lulur Treatment includes a combination massage with jasmine oil, exfoliation with turmeric and ground rice, a yogurt application, and a candlelight soak with rose petals. Men and women are welcome every day for private treatments, but call ahead regarding communal bathing schedules; the baths are coed only on Tuesday. Clothing is optional except on coed days.
All treatments at the St. Regis Hotel's très chic spa incorporate a line of high-end French skin-care products. Offerings include custom skin therapy, massage, body scrubs, seaweed wraps, and a variety of mani-pedi, facial, and waxing options. Prices range from $18 for a lip wax to $330 for a four-hands massage.
Massages at this oasis of calm near Japantown include and hot-stone options. Acupunture and facials are also available. The focus is on cleansing and calming the mind as well as the body.
