Luxurious winter skincare. Palatial sandwiches. A gilded age getaway. Here’s what our editors are loving this month.
This is a MyNorth.com exclusive. Want more? View our print subscription and digital subscription options.
Allison’s Swooning Over …
Soothing Winter Skincare
When esthetician and herbalist Kelly Kehl isn’t giving facial massages in her cozy Northport studio, you can find her crafting locally sourced skincare products for her Little Beauty Kitchen. And with our cold and snowy winter well underway, LBK’s whipped tallow balm is a godsend for dry, cracked skin. Made of cosmetically rendered local beef suet, Kelly says this “ancient topical remedy can be used anywhere and everywhere to support healthy skin.” (It’s even edible if you want to taste it!) Tallow is great for small kids and babies, conditions like psoriasis and eczema; really any type of dry or inflamed skin. “Humans have been using animal fat as food both inside and out since the beginning of civilization,” Kelly says, “still to this day, tallow can tend to almost any ailment.”
Honorable mentions: I’m loving “The Forager” lip balm—crafted with tallow, pinyon pine resin and native rose hips—by Circles and Cycles, also based in Northport. And next on my list to try: the “Ancient Resins Tallow Lotion” from Flora + Fungi Apothecary, crafted in Northeastern Michigan.
Photo by Little Beauty Kitchen
Ashlyn’s Swooning Over …
The Spicy Italian
You’ll need two hands to tackle this palatial sandwich. Downtown Traverse City’s Outpost expanded its menu this fall, curated in partnership with The Mill Glen Arbor and Parlor Coffee. Do yourself a favor and order the Spicy Italian. Mortadella, salami, provolone, mild pepper, red onion and Italian mayo are generously stacked between two slices of perfectly soft, salty focaccia bread. Complete your order with a cardamom molasses cookie.
Carly’s Swooning Over …
Snow Days, for Adults
One thing about me, I love a lazy winter day. The secret sauce is simple: Something warm, something yummy. Bonus points if you cancel plans. If you really want to indulge, book a Snow Days Day Pass at the Delamar Traverse City. Float in the hotel’s outdoor pool heated to a toasty 93 degrees, roast s’mores, swap stories in the sauna, peruse the library of board games, and then hunker down by the indoor fire- place with a cup of cocoa. It’s the stuff that languid dreams are made of. Book your pass at MyNorthTickets.com.
Photo by Meg Bown
Cara’s Swooning Over …
Ramsdell Inn
If you’re a fan of the gilded age, curl up in the Ramsdell Inn to immerse yourself in the heart of Manistee’s historic district, a testament to the lumber boom of the late 1800s. The Ramsdell building originally housed a bank and the law offices of owner and philanthropist T.J. Ramsdell, but it’s current incarnation as a boutique hotel offers eight rooms and suites in the city’s most ornate brick building. Ask for the Harbor Suite, 3E, and you’ll be able to perch in its romantic turret sitting room overlooking the Maple Street bridge.
Good to know: Ready to promenade? Catch The Met Opera Live in HD at the Ramsdell Theatre then end the night with a juniper berry martini with elderflower, orange liqueur and cranberry at TJ’s Pub onsite at your hotel.
Photo by Ramsdell Inn