A Different Way To Date
What happens when dating apps surface real-life chemistry instead of profiles.
By Seattle Mag December 30, 2025
This article originally appeared in the September/October 2025 issue of Seattle magazine.
The perils of contemporary dating—especially trying to find love, or lust, online—are widely known. Exhausting, disappointing, and in some cases dangerous, swiping on strangers has become the ubiquitous norm.
Amelia Bonow, founder of the Shout Your Abortion campaign, hopped on the apps during the pandemic and soon found herself underwhelmed by the selection. “I realized that, in part, I was just using the apps in the hopes I’d see someone I knew or knew peripherally, maybe someone who I hadn’t seen or thought about forever, or who was recently single,” she says.
Bonow started thinking of fresh ways to use the swiping system, developing Would, which she describes as “an extremely simple new app for shooting shots with people you know.” With Would, you import your contacts, and next to each one is a “Would” button that you can toggle to show interest. Nothing happens if the interest isn’t mutual, so there’s no risk of embarrassment or awkwardness if they don’t reciprocate. If there’s a match, it’s up to one of you to make the first move and see where things go. “I think of Would as more of an anti-dating app,” Bonow says. “As opposed to swiping your way through strangers, Would is all about surfacing real-life chemistry that already exists.”
Currently, Would is only available on the iPhone.
Follow Us
Mother’s Day Gift Guide
Shop local and give her something she’ll love.
Mother’s Day is coming up on Sunday, May 10, and the right gift really depends on the mom. Maybe she wants flowers. Maybe she wants lunch by the water. Maybe she wants something useful, pretty, or delicious. Whatever the day looks like, a little thought goes a long way. It can also be a complicated…
Here’s Your Earth Month To-Do List
Local cleanups, trail work, and ways to get outside this April.
In the Pacific Northwest, a region deeply connected to water, forests, and ecosystems, the climate conversation has never been theoretical. It shows up as shrinking snowpack, severe flooding, and warming streams. If the planet’s future—and that of our own backyard—can feel overwhelming, this year’s Earth Day theme, “Our Power, Our Planet,” puts the action back…
A Clear Vision for Growth
Local optometry clinic Eye Eye celebrates a decade in business and prepares to debut its first line of frames.
In Leschi Park, overlooking Lake Washington, towers one of Seattle’s many historic trees, a giant sequoia planted sometime in the early 20th century. Just down the street on Lakeside Avenue is the second location of eye clinic and shop Eye Eye, where Dr. Will Pentecost seems to be borrowing some of the leafy specimen’s energy….
Floating with Friends
The benefits of sauna go beyond the physical, and Seattle’s newest wellness experience—which glides around the waters of Lake Union—equally taps into the non-tangible positives.
It only took a few minutes to settle in before I knew—these are my people. I met Emma Griffith, one of the founders of Wild Haus Floating Saunas, on a crisp, clear, late-summer morning to chat about the project she helped start last January. In simple terms, the team of eight created two saunas on…