Better-For-You Bachelorette Parties
Put down the cocktail, pick up a barbell.
By Alyssa Giacobbe
(Photo: Terry Doyle)
If the thought of spending your bachelorette party doing shots of Jager and dancing on tables makes your abs hurt, and not in a good way, it may be time to rethink one of matrimony’s most time honored traditions. No one says you need to usher in wedded bliss with a blistering headache. These five alternatives for the good old girls’ last hurrah still allow for plenty of female bonding, but forgo the booze (not to mention the morning-after bloat).
The Deep Clean
Cleanse your body, cleanse your mind: The Thompson Chicago’s new Cleanse + Dream package pairs a weekend of luxury hotel living—beds with 400 thread count Sferra linens, Barneys New York one block over—for you and your besties with daily juices from Owen + Alchemy and pleasantly distracting rub downs at Pretty Quick Massage in nearby Lincoln Park.
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Buddy Up
CrossFitters obsess over CrossFit the way that brides obsess over the wedding—makes sense to combine the two. A recent “Bachelorette WOD” at CrossFit Evviva in Eugene, Oregon, celebrating the upcoming nuptials of members Rodger and Lisa, had teams of two powering through double-unders, deadlifts, and toes-to-bar, followed by a 150-meter buddy carry. By which they mean: You carry your buddy, and then she carries you. Dressing up—tutus, tiaras, and the like—is encouraged.
Wave goodbye to singlehood
What bride couldn’t use a dose of laid-back surfer attitude? Southern California is all about surf girl bachelorettes. In La Jolla, Surf Diva’s two-hour stag-ette parties include instruction for you and as many as 24 of your friends, lunch on the beach, and a photographer to chronicle it all, while San Diego Surfing School lets you hang ten with their equipment for as long as you want post-lesson. If you can rally the ladies for a full week away, Swell Women hosts girls-only camps on Maui and on Nicaragua’s Tola coast.
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Vow to be flexible
New York and L.A.-based Yoga for Weddings offers private yoga parties for brides-to-be in 11 U.S. cities, including New York, New Orleans, Denver, and Miami. There’s a focus on “heart-opening poses” like cobra, bow, and camel; they can also arrange catering, vegan or otherwise. Some bachelorettes have so much fun, reports owner Lisa Helfer, that they go on to opt for an entire yoga wedding—one part ceremony, one part yoga class—with an instructor as the officiant. If your family thinks you’re being over the top now, just wait until you make them do tree pose as you walk down the aisle.
Cycle of life
Spin studios like SoulCycle and Flywheel offer private bridal-themed classes for as many as 70 friends, featuring special request playlists (“All the Single Ladies,” “Like a Virgin,” et al) and post-workout drinks and snacks. If you make it through Flywheel’s 6-month FlyBride program, a wedding-prep workout plan designed specifically for brides-to-be, they’ll throw in the bachelorette party for free.
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