Cool Guide to Parenting

The cool parent's guide to back-to-school shopping in Austin

Tackle back-to-school shopping at these local stores.

Courtesy photo

As summer comes to a close, our thoughts turn at a frantic rate to back-to-school shopping. If you find yourself shopping averse and dread spending the day scouring the malls for everything your little academic may need, we offer some unique and refreshing alternatives to last-minute forays into the suburban sprawl.

All these shops are within city limits and have local ties. So explore, shop, and have more fun as you gear up for the beginning of the year.

Fit Japanese Goods Store
If your kiddo is a fan of My Neighbor Totoro or Hello Kitty, look no further than Fit, the Japanese goods store that has the niftiest selection of back-to-school pencil toppers; art cases; notebooks; and for lunchtime, quirky animal bento boxes and chopsticks. Here you will find aisles of things you never knew you needed that will become favorites for your kids.

Kido Shoes
Back-to-school shoes. Probably the only time you can get your kiddo excited about the going back part. It’s bribery you can feel good about, especially if you know you are supporting a local family business like Kido Shoes. Colorful, cute, and comfortable is the name of the game here, with unique brands like Livie & Luca, Naturino, and See Kai Run that are committed to providing quality footwear for our active kids.

Once Upon a Child
Back-to-school shopping for clothing does not have to mean dragging our kids through the mall and spending a fortune on clothes sure to get worn or outgrown by spring. Gently used clothing is the way to go, and the selection and shopping experience at Once Upon a Child surpasses mall shopping any day. Carefully curated clothing from wee tots to pre-teens offer drastic price cuts on well-known brands such as Gap, Mini Boden, Old Navy, Osh Kosh, and more.

Paper Place
If your kid's school supply allows for some creativity or includes crayons, markers, and pencils, spend one of the last afternoons of summer dawdling in the aisles of Paper Place (locally owned since 1979), filling your basket with the practical goods along with quiet time activities like beading kits, origami books, or kid-sized sewing projects. Easing our way back into structured activities is always easier with art.

SAFE Place back-to-school supply drive
While you are out with your kids stocking up on basics they may take for granted, like pens, notebooks, and markers, consider buying extra for kids in need. Through the end of August, SAFE Place will be accepting donations to assist the families that rely on their services. Over 39 percent of their residents are children.

kids

Getting Deep

Popular Austin deep massage clinic opening new location near Westlake

Photo courtesy of AUSTINDEEP

AustinDeep is known for an intensive approach that gets results.

A gentle massage can be lovely, but some stressed Austinites need some extra oomph. They can get it at AustinDeep, a local massage clinic that specializes in a propriety technique called the Deep Method. There will soon be a third location in the Barton Creek neighborhood — the farthest outside of Austin and the largest so far.

The new location will be at 2700 Barton Creek Blvd., Ste. 110. It'll span 3,000 square feet at the Barton Creek Village, which is near the Barton Creek Country Club, St. Michael's Catholic Preparatory School, and the Barton Creek Greenbelt. This is a new market for the brand, since the existing two locations are relatively close to each other on Congress Ave and Lake Austin Boulevard.

Jessica Price AusitnDeep Masseuse Jessica Price developed a proprietary technique for AustinDeep.Photo courtesy of AUSTINDEEP

The Deep Method targets the fascia, the connective tissue that holds our muscles and other organs together. Ideally, the fascia should be flexible, but sometimes it gets tight from inactivity, overuse, or other issues, causing pain or soreness. When masseuse Jessica Price opened AustinDeep in 2002, she used her background in myofascial release — a very gentle technique — to create a new process that starts with a warming technique, and then adds in deep tissue and trigger point therapy.

The result is more rigorous and may leave clients sore afterwards. As AustinDeep practitioners explain, breaking up all that fascia is an intense workout, even though the therapist is doing much of the work. Price also learned from physical therapists, so this exacting approach that prioritizes results makes a lot of sense.

That might not sound relaxing (and fans of any intense massage techniques will confirm that they usually aren't), but the aftermath is where things start to open up. This clinic calls it getting "Massage Drunk."

Jessica Price AustinDeep Clients may leave feeling drunk.Photo courtesy of AUSTINDEEP

Despite a tough-love massage approach, the new location sounds cushy: There will be 10 therapy rooms with electric lift tables; a lounge with relaxing music and a bar for tea, wine, or even custom flower arrangements; a veranda to enjoy nootropic drinks (brain supplements) or wine; and a retail selection.

The interior design also reflects the departure from the potentially sterile massage clinic norm with lots of plants and jewel tones.

So far there is no opening date set, but AustinDeep is sharing updates when they're available on Instagram. Services start at $85 for 30 minutes. More information is available at austindeep.com.

massage wellness spas health