YOUR VOTE MATTERS

Everyone has a favorite restaurant, coffee shop, or local boutique. Call me old-school, but I will die on the hill that Caffe Vita has the best coffee in town. Disagree with me? Now’s your moment to speak up.

Each year, we survey Seattle magazine readers, asking them to weigh in on everything from the best salon in the city to their go-to spot for grabbing a slice of pizza. Well, it’s that time of year again, where voting is officially open for our 2026 Reader’s Choice Awards. Didn’t agree with last year’s results? Now’s the opportunity to make your voice heard—nominate your favorite spots to eat, drink, stay, shop, and play. Voting is open through September 23, and the winners will be announced in the November/December 2026 issue. 

CAST YOUR VOTE IN OUR 2026 READER’S CHOICE AWARDS, here. 

Courtesy of Spinasse

PASTA A LA CASA

Spinasse is my favorite restaurant in Seattle. I’ve spent countless birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions in front of a large bowl of egg yolk pasta with cultured butter and sage—the restaurant’s signature dish. I remember a time when you easily could walk in and score a table on a whim, but these days, reservations are generally suggested, and, at times, much harder to come by. Now, you will be able to get the flavors of this Seattle institution at home, with the forthcoming release of SPINASSE: An American Love Letter to Piemonte Cuisine (Skyhorse). Officially out on September 9, the book is written by executive chef Stuart Lane, with James O. Fraioli, and features the more than 75 seasonally driven recipes, from appetizers and pasta to thoughtful cocktails to accompany any meal. 

SPINASSE: An American Love Letter to Piemonte Cuisine hits shelves September 9. You can preorder it here. 

Core Sample, by Eirik Johnson. Compressed cardboard bale, soil, seedlings and plantings (including wild fennel, sweet white alyssum, poppies, walking onions, smoke bush, tickseed, western white yarrow, and St. John’s-wort).

Courtesy of Recology King County

REDUCE, REUSE, EXHIBIT

In the culmination of its 2026 Artist In Residence program, Recology King County is opening two exhibitions this evening, September 4, at Mutuus Studio in Georgetown. The artists, Janelle Abbott and Eirik Johnson (whom we recently featured in our weekly Studio Sessions column), spent months working with materials salvaged from the Recology King County Materials Recovery Facility to create both Containers and Tensile Strength, which will be on view through September 12. In Containers, Abbott, who is known for crafting zero-waste garments, turns to excess with densely layered sculptures made from toys, bottle caps, greeting cards, and scraps of industrial plastic—a stark contrast of children’s playthings and discarded waste meant to make us rethink the nature of consumerism and our role in it. 

Johnson’s works in Tensile Strength explore degradation—the marks, fading, and undoing of objects caused by wear, chemical exposure, and the natural environment. During his residency, he used sound, sculpture, and photography to explore the meaning of progress and the potential of things that we so easily discard in our daily lives. 

Courtesy of Circle Wellness

URBAN OASIS

A couple of months ago, our managing digital editor Sarah Stackhouse wrote about her experience at Circle Wellness during a trip to Vancouver, B.C., revealing that Seattle was slated to get the first U.S. outpost of the private thermal spa. I am obsessed with all things spa-related, and I love a good contrast therapy session. (My fiancé watches me stick out minutes in the cold plunge and tells me I’m made of “tougher stuff” than him.) So, when Circle Wellness invited me for a media visit to mark the recent opening of its Fremont location, I jumped on the opportunity. Sarah did a great job explaining the process in her article (read it here), so I will note some highlights from my experience: 

1. The space is beautiful. Minimal. Plant-adorned. Japanese-inspired with a lovely open ceiling that lets in fresh air, natural light, and, inevitably, precipitation when it rains. It wasn’t raining when I went, but I can imagine soaking in the hot, ofuro-style tub while the rain patters down nearby. Pure bliss.

2. One aspect of going to a regular spa that isn’t always intuitive is the timing for each station. At Circle Wellness, a console with symbols mounted on the wall near the shower—coupled with an automated voice—helps guide you through each step of the process. As you shower, soak, sweat, and plunge, you don’t have to worry about keeping track of time, as the space will do it for you.

3. The privacy. Many spas and thermal baths are communal—in fact, that’s often a draw. But, at Circle Wellness, you have a completely private experience (they allow up to two people in each “room,” with seven rooms total). There is no chatter from other guests, no overcrowded space—just you, a lovely ambient soundtrack, the occasional cry of a bird overhead. For some people, this is the ultimate form of relaxation; for others, it’s too much alone time. For me, a 90-minute session was the perfect amount of time to zone out, daydream, and push pause on the usual barrage of everyday thoughts.