They’re so good, you may want to play Santa for yourself
Renew at The Ranch
theranchlife.com
You no longer need to take a long flight to Los Angeles to find renewal at celeb favorite
the ranch. This newest entry to the East Coast health and fitness world is in the Hudson Valley. Put it at the top of your Santa list for that deserving someone (or wisely book a post-holiday trip for yourself). This wellness retreat offers four- and five-day programs and is the perfect reset. theranchlife.com
Beach Bound
carriagehousemotorcars.com
Drive by Carriage House Motors on Railroad Avenue and you’ll see an array of dream cars that may have Santa rethinking his sleigh. Wow that special someone with a 1970 Fiat 500 Jolly with a removeable colorful cabana-stripe roof and wicker seats. Known as the Hampton Jolly, these street-legal cars boast a maximum speed of 60 mph (but you probably want to avoid 95). Whether you use it to zip down to the grocery store or stash at your summer house for beach runs, this car makes you feel like you’re always on vacation.
Carriage House sells more than 25 of these every year and usually has one of each of the ten available colors in stock. If your particular color combination is not in stock, it can be ordered with a one month wait time. Carriage House can ship to most locations in the U.S., custom wrapped or tied with a big bow. If you’re looking to purchase one for the holidays but not use it until warmer weather, Carriage House will store the vehicle after purchase until needed.
Call for prices but expect to spend around $75,000 including license, paperwork and delivery.
Some Like it Hot … or Cold
Medical research shows that saunas have tangible benefits for your health. And the good news is that building a home spa is relatively easy these days. Pair a sauna with a cold-plunge bath and you have an in-house spa your family will be lining up to use. For a backyard that would make Wim Hof (also known as the Iceman) want to visit, go for the classic outdoor barrel sauna and cold plunge. Builder Tony Wynne is seeing more requests for spa installation. The Plunge online retailer carries both cold plunge tubs and indoor saunas that are sure to be the perfect complement for any home gym. The Plunge’s Contrast Therapy Bundle features a sauna and plunge tub starting at $19,000.
If you don’t want to a build a full spa in your home, varying scales of free-standing infrared saunas and free standing cold plunge baths are available and as simple to use as plugging in.
In Fairfield, Redwood in the Round sells Finneleo infrared saunas and outdoor real barrel saunas. Prisco Hot Tubs in Banksville sells hot tubs and cold plunges. The Nordic Wave offers Viking Vertical Cold Plunges in three colors and is simple to set up at home for $5,999.
plunge.com
priscohottubs.com
thenordicwave.com
redwoodintheround.com
Hire a Coach
performanceoptimalhealth.com
The best gifts are often things someone would not do for themselves. Give a loved one the extra support and encouragement that comes from hiring a personal coach. Performance Optimal Health’s coaching and performance support is not just for athletes. It’s for everyone—those recovering from an injury, aiming to improve a tennis game or just needing support in other area such as mobility and flexibility. No need to be a top-flight golfer or D1 athlete. The coaches at Cos Cob’s POH work with clients to achieve their goals mentally and physically.
The Gift of Peace
A gift card to Hush allows recipients to choose from a number of rejuvenating and unique experiences. Go from a cold-plunge bath to an astrology reading. Consider gifting yourself a centered 2025 with the Mindful Lifestyle Membership. For $155 a month it includes five services ranging from sauna, cold plunge, red light therapy, crystal chakra bed, Himalayan salt room and compression therapy. Or for $255 gift the Transcend Lifestyle Membership, which includes the unlimited services listed above and 10 percent off practitioner services, classes and workshops such as soundbaths, meditation workshops, yoga, reiki, breathwork, astrology readings, stretch and massage therapy and lymphatic drainage.
Wellness Tech
higherdose.com
For portable wellness tech, Higher Dose has a range of infrared devices that are targeted at specific needs such as neck rejuvenation (red light neck enhancer, $349), hair growth (hidden red light baseball cap, $449) and relaxation (sauna blanket, $699). Additionally, the company sells two- to three-person Full Spectrum Infrared Saunas that
are easy to set up ($8,999).
Travel Essentials
Always In Charge
tumi.com; pwrmobile.shop
Give the power to travel this season. Tumi sells an elegant, simple universal charger ($95) that should be in everyone’s travel bag. Also the PWR Universal Charger is the perfect semester-abroad gift coming with attached adapters, the ability to charge numerous devices at once and a battery power bank ($119).
Style Meets Substance
liveoffsite.com; dariensportshop.com
Strength meets style with the new Offsite Work to Water Bag. Made from the world’s strongest fabric, Dyneema, it also features uber-strong load-bearing, quick-release buckles. Functionality includes a dream list of features: the ability to increase bag size by 25 percent, padded shoulder strap and stowaway backpack straps, passport, water bottle and lined toiletry pockets, AirTag sleeve, padded laptop hammock and a whole lot more. And for each bag sold, Offsite makes a donation to the Reef Ball Foundation, an organization that helps preserve marine habitats ($1,200). The bag debuts this holiday season at the Darien Sport Shop.
Complementing the bag’s durability is the elegance of the brushed aluminum handle with natural wood inlay.
Tres Chic
Francophiles or anyone who appreciates a unique French gift should order from Marin Montagut—a specialty shop in Paris. From vases to mugs, it carries a number of unique handmade French pottery and glassware. Choose from mugs featuring classic French street names orcustom pieces with a specific Rue or Avenue that holds meaning for you.
marinmontagut.com
Looking for a great way to wrap it up with a Parisian twist? Merci is a Paris store that offers everything from fashion to housewares. Put a special touch on any gift by wrapping it up in the signature tote (starting at $20). merci-merci.com
Smear it On
weezietowels.com
Want to be the perfect houseguest? Toss Weezie eye towels in your bag. These lush face towels come in navy and black, and are face makeup friendly. The dark colors mask mascara and foundation stains so you won’t get your host’s towels messy. They can also be monogrammed.
(Sets start at $40.)
Packing Heat
moonnude.com
For curling irons and other hairstyling tools that are tricky to pack, Moon Nude makes beautiful printed, quilted hair tools bags. Buy alone or pair with the line of matching makeup and toiletries bags. Hair tool bag, $39
Celebrate a Semester Abroad
jetsetcandy.com
A semester abroad is the experience of a lifetime. Jet Set Candy’s 14K gold U.S. Passport charm can be customized to include the passport stamps of up to ten countries ($1,598). Personalize it with the stamps of each country your traveler visited. It can be worn on a necklace or charm bracelet.