Maybe your life is feeling chaotic. Maybe you’re quietly going through the blahs. Or maybe things are fine—good, even!—but you could use a little inner peace. Who couldn’t?
Happily, there are plenty of local places to relax and rejuvenate. From connecting with nature to writing in a journal to lingering over a great cup of coffee, options abound for every budget and schedule. Investing in some quality “me time” won’t only benefit yourself—that positive energy also can affect the well-being of those around you.
1. Walk a labyrinth
Just off busy Montrose Road, Faith United Methodist Church has an outdoor labyrinth made of bricks in a peaceful memorial garden. There is ample free parking for anyone who wants to come 24/7 to stroll through the circular maze. It is next to a water fountain that does its best to be heard above the white noise of the whirring traffic. A labyrinth is an opportunity to just be present, says the Rev. Laura Norvell, the church’s pastor. “Most people continually walk until they feel complete. It takes a couple times to let go of everything else that’s going on,” she says. “I also find that you naturally slow down the longer you walk until you become more attuned.”
6810 Montrose Road, Rockville, faithworkshere.com
2. Pamper yourself
Do you yearn to feel calm or resilient? Energized or confident? Woodhouse Spa matches your mood with its services and custom aromatherapy scents. If your intention is peace of mind plus deep relaxation, the spa offers a meditative mood soak that includes exfoliation, massage and a mineral bath. Clients are given a thin, beaded, volcanic rock bracelet infused with their chosen scented oil. For a little bit of everything, the head-to-toe relaxation package is a popular choice with a facial, massage and pedicure, says Justine Nguyen, spa director. The experience begins with ambient music playing in the softly lit relaxation room stocked with chocolate and a variety of hot teas. Everybody is offered complimentary champagne and mimosas during their visit.
2 Paseo Drive, North Bethesda, woodhousespas.com
3. Take the plunge
If you love the soothing feel of water and are game for a different type of spa visit, stop by Hope Floats in downtown Bethesda. To experience float therapy, you’ll lie on your back in an individual enclosed tank containing about 10 inches of water and 1,000 pounds of Epsom salt to make your body buoyant. After about 15 minutes of meditative music, the rest of the 60- to 90-minute session is silent and completely dark. “The air in the tank, the water and your skin are all the same temperature. You literally don’t know what’s in the water and what’s out,” says manager Lynette D’Arco. “You float effortlessly. It relieves your body from all the ties of gravity.”
7625 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, hopefloatsusa.com
4. Start a journal
Many people think they’re failing if they don’t have the discipline to write in a journal every day—but nothing could be further from the truth, says Julia Tagliere, a writer who lives in Sandy Spring and is an instructor at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda. Journaling can take many forms, such as jotting thoughts on a sticky note, making a recording, drawing a sketch, or writing in a composition notebook, she says. Tagliere says it’s valuable to take the time to reflect on your life and later go back to reread how you felt about those experiences. “It’s an interesting exercise to see things like growth, clarity, mercy or grace starting to flow through those moments,” says Tagliere, founder of the MoCo Underground Writers Showcase. “It’s a way of getting back into an intimate knowledge of your own self.”
4508 Walsh St., Bethesda, writer.org
5. Hush up
Across many religions and Indigenous wisdom traditions, being silent in nature is a valued practice, says Nat Reid, director of the Dayspring Silent Retreat Center. Owned by an ecumenical church, the center is located on 210 acres in Germantown with ponds, meadows, woods and trails. At monthly weekend retreats, you start with a meal and program on Friday night—then stay silent until midmorning Sunday. The center has private rooms for 18 people. Most sign up individually, but often form a community over the weekend, Reid says. While the retreats are based on Christian theology, people of all faith traditions (or none) are welcome. On weekdays, Dayspring has self-guided retreat days and quiet days. “It’s quite remarkable how almost everybody who comes just feels deeply blessed by the silence,” Reid says. “Even people who are nervous and don’t know if they can be quiet.”
11301 Neelsville Church Road, Germantown, dayspringretreat.org
6. Gaze at the stars
There’s something about looking up at the night sky that puts everything in perspective. Observatory Park in Gaithersburg is a good spot to stargaze—and it’s even more fun when you can watch with others. The city of Gaithersburg’s Skywatching Program hosts events at the park when there are noteworthy shows above. Visitors can bring blankets and lawn chairs, and volunteers are on hand to answer questions, says Karen Yaffe Lottes, the program coordinator. On July 27 at 6:30 p.m., you can learn how to use a telescope. Come Aug. 10 from 9:30 p.m. through 1 a.m. for an outdoor movie followed by a meteor shower. Skywatching programs are free, but registration is required. Look for upcoming dates on the website.
100 DeSellum Ave., Gaithersburg, gburg.md/skywatching
7. Grow a plant
For people looking to fill empty corners or shelves, plants can spruce up a home and be like “living furniture,” says Joe Ressler, CEO of Rewild, a company with indoor plant stores in Potomac, Virginia and Washington, D.C. It can be rewarding to get into a routine of tending to plants and then seeing how they change with the seasons. A go-to plant for beginners? A monstera. The tropical climber doesn’t require a lot of light, Ressler says, and it’s always putting out new growth, which is fun to watch.
7937 Tuckerman Lane (Cabin John Village), Potomac, rewilddc.com
8. Love on an animal
Why is stroking warm fur so soothing? It just is. Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary relies on the community to help support the farm animals and wildlife that it rescues. When you volunteer at the farm or sponsor an animal ($5 a month for a chicken to $30 a month for a horse), you can visit the 400-acre refuge year-round. There are also group tours most Saturdays from April through October by appointment. “The animals are so loving and want to be around people,” says Terry Cummings, co-founder and co-director of the sanctuary. “It’s just a really enjoyable thing that makes people feel really happy and peaceful.”
15200 Mount Nebo Road, Poolesville, animalsanctuary.org
9. Explore Yoga or Tai Chi
You know these things are supposed to be good for both mind and body—you probably have friends who swear by them—but how do you get started if you’re among the uninitiated? Body & Brain in North Potomac will do a private introductory session to assess your flexibility, balance, stress level, breathing patterns and balance, then recommend a class. The studio offers online and in-person sessions in yoga, tai chi, qigong, core strengthening and meditation.
12116 Darnestown Road, Suite 7, North Potomac, bodynbrain.com
10. Connect with local booksellers
At People’s Book in Takoma Park, you can buy a $2 cup of coffee, listen to author talks on Sundays, and drop into a variety of book clubs that meet monthly. “Part of my vision of this store was people coming in, pulling chairs together and having a place to talk about books,” says Megan Bormet, who opened People’s Book with her husband, Matt, in June 2023. “We now have 12 different book clubs hosted by people in the neighborhood who have a passion about some type of genre, so there really is something for everyone.” The store’s website lists all the clubs (time travelers, graphic novels, poetry and more), upcoming books and meeting times.
7014-A Westmoreland Ave., Takoma Park, peoplesbooktakoma.com
11. Stroll and reflect
The 1-mile loop around the perimeter of Brookside Gardens in Wheaton is a popular draw for walkers all year long. The path is paved and level and has the added perk of offering lush views of plants and flowers that change with the seasons. Brookside offers an eight-week guided class in the spring and fall called Strolls for Well-Being. Participants are given a journal with prompts and are invited to take 12 separate walks through the garden, each with a theme (such as awareness, joy or trust) to reflect upon individually. The group meets at the beginning, middle and end of the program.
1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, montgomeryparks.org
12. Listen to a great view
The entrance to Great Falls National Park in Potomac is at the end of MacArthur Boulevard, just beyond the intersection of Falls Road. Visitors are welcome from sunrise to sunset. There is an entrance fee, which you can pay online if the booth isn’t staffed, along with plenty of parking. Grab a trail map at the Great Falls Tavern Visitor Center to choose an easy, moderate or strenuous hike. Just five minutes down the C&O towpath is the beginning of the Olmsted Island Trail. You can hear the rushing water hitting the rocks, providing a natural soundtrack for your hike. Along the boardwalk, it’s just a quarter mile to a spectacular view of the Potomac River.
11710 MacArthur Blvd., Potomac, nps.gov/grfa
13. Try Reiki
“What you experience in a Reiki session is typically magical,” Saya Barkdoll, owner of Ohana Wellness, says of the Japanese technique to reduce stress and promote healing. “Reiki is energy work. It’s really specific to the energy that we all have surrounding us,” Barkdoll says of sessions that are generally quiet and last 30, 60 or 90 minutes. “[The practitioner] will hold their hands above you—sometimes placing them gently on your body—depending on you and what is going on.” The focus is on areas of congestion or tension where the person might be holding in trauma to allow time and space to move the energy along and provide relief, she says. Reiki is one of many relaxing services offered at Ohana, including massage therapy, cupping, reflexology and acupuncture.
4813 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda, ohanawellnessbethesda.com
14. Stock up on healthy products
Bethesda Co-op is a gourmet and organic market that has been around since 1975. Wandering through the store, you can inhale the aroma of fresh produce, assorted incense, scented soaps—and an entire aromatherapy section with essential oils and sprays. Need a comfy place to Zen out? Pick up a colorful handmade meditation pillow and some votive candles. The co-op is also a good place to find local products, including elderberry jam, apple butter, honey and bee pollen. It has a vast wine selection (with posted recommendations) and more than 100 kinds of beer. Along the back wall, bulk bins feature tasty snacks (dark chocolate pecan granola, organic Greek yogurt pretzels, spicy Cajun snack mix) and on shelves are packages of healthy dried fruit. If you want to send some good vibes to others, the co-op has beautiful greeting cards with photographs and artwork that go beyond the typical chain store offerings.
6500 Seven Locks Road, Cabin John, bethesdacoop.org
15. Visit sacred grounds
While Washington National Cathedral is known for its architecture, the grounds surrounding the building are impressive, too. Wander through the Bishop’s Garden, which is carefully landscaped with a variety of plants and sculptures. There are places to rest and soak in the beauty, including a gazebo. A manicured lawn, enclosed by stone walls, provides a safe space to picnic with kids or pets (on leashes). Beyond the garden, you’ll find a stone footpath through Olmsted Woods, a forest of oak and beech trees. It’s free to explore the grounds daily, dawn to dusk.
3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, D.C., cathedral.org
16. Dine in a cozy restaurant
Nestled in a quiet residential neighborhood in Garrett Park, Black Market Bistro occupies a converted historic Victorian home with wooden floors, high ceilings and dining in three intimate rooms. A front porch surrounded by a lush canopy of trees provides seating for diners in warm weather. The bistro has one menu for the day featuring appetizers (mussels, cornmeal-crusted oysters), soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pizza and entrees (hardwood grilled Atlantic salmon and pan-seared mountain trout). Some popular items have a New Orleans flair, including shrimp and grits, and beignets with powdered sugar, both of which are on the Sunday brunch menu. Local artists rotate their work in the gallery at the rear of
the restaurant.
4600 Waverly Ave., Garrett Park, blackmarketrestaurant.com
17. Learn to meditate
You may not consider yourself the kind of person who uses a mantra, but meditation is for anyone seeking balance in their life, says Trisha Stotler, an instructor with Insight Meditation Community of Washington. “It’s investing in getting to know yourself, how you tick, what your stressors are, how you respond to things, and working with that over time,” she says. It’s not a short-term fix, Stotler says, but meditation can be transformative—especially when practiced in community. Drop-in classes (in-person and online) are available throughout the area, including one at River Road Unitarian Universalist Church in Bethesda on Wednesdays from 7-8:30 p.m. taught by Stotler, Kyaw Win and Vicki Goodman. The sessions include about 30 minutes of guided meditation, followed by an instructor talk on a topic, such as compassion, and a group discussion. There’s no fee, and registration isn’t required, but donations are accepted.
6301 River Road, Bethesda, imcw.org
18. Enjoy a sweet treat
Oh, that first delicious bite of a fresh cookie, piece of fudge or your favorite childhood candy. It’s a simple pleasure—and one that we all deserve now and then. If you’re going to splurge, you might as well go for the good stuff. Henry’s Sweet Retreat has an in-house pastry chef who makes cookies, bars, fudge, cupcakes and pies. The store also has fine chocolates, flavored popcorn and more than 100 jars of candy—plus coffee drinks and housemade hot chocolate to pair with your dessert. Enjoy your treats upstairs, where you’ll find chess, checkers and other board games to play as you linger.
4823 St. Elmo Ave., Bethesda, henryssweetretreat.com
This story appears in the May/June edition of Bethesda Magazine.