bethanye B.'s Profile

This has been "my gym" for about 6 months now.  I was going over to Anytime Fitness for awhile, but the one near my house is just Too Damn Small.

I agree, it's expensive. If you're looking for a deal, this is not the place for you.  I've never had to wait for cardio, and there are many options on the weights.  Strength machines are older but well-maintained.

The front desk staff... eh.  It's hit or miss.  When it's high-school kids, they could care less.  The "grown-ups" seem more professional.

I haven't been to the pool yet.  I don't visit the spa.  I don't play tennis.  Therefore, I have nothing to say about these areas of the club.

I do have to say - if you think of it as a "tennis club" it's probably fine.  But I have to agree with the reviewer that mentioned the "club" thing -- if you're expecting a "country club," that's not what you'll get.  I think depending on what kind of membership recruitment strategies they're using at any given time, you might get that mistaken impression.

I haven't had the experience of rude/loud conversation while exercising, but I don't doubt it for a second.  I'll count myself lucky to have not been in that particular situation yet.

I wasn't even going to write this review, because once I read all the others I felt kind of odd about it.  But what the hell...

The locker room. The women's locker room has many naked women, it's true.  It does not, to my experience, have either more or fewer naked women on an average day than other gym locker rooms I have been in.  And yet for some reason, it doesn't freak me out like those others have.  I haven't been able to figure out why and then a few weeks ago - light-bulb moment!  

I was sitting on a bench in the locker room, putting on a chest strap for my heart-rate monitor.  I was dressed except my tshirt was off while I adjusted the strap.  I looked over and saw a beautiful, very slender 19 or 20 year old looking over at me... and I recognized that look.

It was the look of "I'm going to run for an extra 45 minutes today because I'm terrified that some day I will be fat like you."

I've seen that look before.  In other locker rooms, at other gyms, in days past when I was both more and less fit than I am now.  I will never look like a model.  I will never be a size 6.  But I'm okay with being a size 16 so long as I continue to work to improve my fitness level.  Hell, that's why I'm at the gym in the first place.  To be HEALTHY.  Not to live up to some bullshit societal ideal that says what I should look like.

So though I doubt she'll ever read this: Fuck Off, girl that was glaring at me thinking "object lesson."  We're all built differently.  Maybe someday you will look like me.  Maybe you won't.  I really don't care.  But the bass-mouth stare no quick look away she's looking at me ugh! was just plain rude.

With this in mind, I have to disagree with at least some other reviewers.  They might be naked, but they're not "flaunting" or anything similar. They're not the super-buff who have haunted my experiences at other gyms.  They simply Do Not Care What You Think About Them.  They also don't care that anyone else has a perfect or imperfect body.  The "omg you're fat!" stare I got was the exception, not the rule.

I don't know that I'd call it "acceptance" so much as "aloofness."  I'll take aloof over horrified any day.

Good ramen. I love the buttercorn ramen in particular, and the gyoza are tasty.  Get the lunch special.  We only make it over during the summer, though, when it's not so packed with Berkeley students.  The space is a bit awkward, but they've done well utilizing it.  The kitchen is open so you can see everything being prepared.

if you're not expecting it, the tea that comes with every meal tastes like an ashtray.  To me, all roasted tea tastes like an ashtray.  Once the ramen comes out and you sip tea alongside it, though, it just works.

Haven't been in about a year, but service was spotty EXCEPT when we had Jimmy.  Jimmy is awesome.  Fish quality was always very high, and I have a weakness for albacore toro and hamachi in particular.

Now that we live within walking distance of Angel Fish (dear lord, why didn't I think to account that into our budget when we moved over here?), we don't make it up to Tachibana much.  I had nothing but yum there, though.

This is our go-to for "American Chinese" food. It's super convenient, inexpensive, and the ingredients are fresh and tasty.

But what makes me crave it oh-so often? That would be the won-ton soup.  Sounds "meh" I know... but you haven't had it.  It's SO good.  Fresh light broth, pillowy pork dumplings, little bits of pork and wilted fresh spinach.  Soup and spring rolls make a great, cheap meal.  The lemon chicken is also tasty, cashew chicken is a bit sweet as I think it should be.

Service has always been attentive and friendly, though we usually get take-out these days.

I wish that I could find a review I read of this restaurant when we were trying to decide whether or not to try it.  It had one woman gushing about the lemon chicken - it is tasty, no denying it - and a guy who was pissed off at them because he wasn't feeling well after taking his mail-order bride to the restaurant.  IIRC, the review was basically, "I just picked up my mail-order bride at Oakland airport, then we went directly to this restaurant.  Then, I got sick so they suck." The end.  This guy was a dumbass.  Don't listen to him.  If you're looking for consistently high quality but not gourmet Chinese, Harbor View is pretty good.

I like to think of Encinal Market as an "old people" store, but that's not giving it the credit it should have.  The butcher is great - that's another review - and the produce is lovely with a fairly diverse selection.  There's a nice wine and liquor selection, not so much on the soft drink front.  We went three places looking for self-rising flour before we found it at Encinal Market, which is probably why I think of it as an "old people" store (in a good way).  The aisles are named after areas in Alameda, and have probably been named that way for 50 years.  Service is friendly and chatty.

When we lived near College, Ver Brugge was our butcher.  Oh. My. God.  I could get anything and it was SOOOOO good.  Consistently.  Every time.  There was often a wait (take a number) but when it's your turn they never rush you.  Not sure what you want?  Ask what's good, then heed their advice.

I've been a BBL junkie since they first opened, and they have definitely become more and more busy since those early days.  I also, like many of the other reviewers, book my appointments months in advance.  However, when I worked around the corner and not in The City, I could usually get something on a weekday.  It's all about how flexible YOU are and which stylist you prefer.  Christine is amazing with me, and in my years in the chair I've seen every stylist do absolutely beautiful work ranging from traditional to super-funky.  I've had a rainbow of hair colors, a huge head of extensions, an adorable Hepburn-style pixie cut, and the most painless grow-out EVER from that bright-pink pixie to my longish natural brown hair in BBL's capable hands.

Extensions are an easy and fast way to get a little color, and the lovely ladies at BBL are great at blending to get the perfect shade.

I can't forget to mention the excellent work that Rachel does on waxing and facials.  I was absolutely thrilled when Rachel moved from Benefit to BBL - now I had one stop instead of two.  I would have followed her quite a ways, convenience be damned.  When Rachel does my eyebrows, my eyes look fabulous.  I've also had eyelash dying from Rachel with great success.

[EDIT] I'm going from 5 to 3 stars, because I can't review the quality of massages from the other therapists and Kat has left. I'm sure they're fine, but I don't want to review what I haven't actually experienced.  That said, I still love the products and the spa atmosphere is nice. [/EDIT]

Sumbody is the only place I've ever had a massage.  Yes, I am a massage n00b.  Even though I was super-nervous my first visit, Kat (just LOVE her!) was kind and understanding.  So, if you've never had a massage, I can say that my first experience was gentle and totally worthwhile.  I've been going back about once a month ever since, and I can totally feel a difference.

The spa (hidden behind the store) is surprisingly large and new-agey relaxing.  The store and spa are both very clean and the staff is friendly (if occasionally harried).

The bath products are dangerously addictive. My favorites are the salt bon-bons and the bath fizzers.

Kim's Nails is a small nail salon in the same shopping center as Encinal Market.  I've been going there regularly for 8 months or so, and think the world of Kim, Tom, and Chi.  They are very friendly, and their client base is (from what I can tell) comprised mostly of return customers.  There are three pedicure massage chairs, which are meticulously cleaned.  

The salon is small but light and very clean.  There is also a room for waxing and facials, but I haven't had any of these services here.

I got silk nails from Kim and they were gorgeous and subtle - very natural.  If you're looking for super-long and curly crazy nails, this might not be the place for you.  OTOH, if you want quality and friendly service in a clean environment, Kim's is great.