Happy Spring!
In today’s Charlotte Invite, you’ll find:
Summer bodies are getting expensive
Is a coffee crawl worth it?
A local craft fest
Live jazz for $10
- Happy reading! Bethany
If you’d be sad if this newsletter stopped hitting your inbox:
Is Charlotte wellness-obsessed?
Is it just me, or has "getting ready for summer" in Charlotte become a full-time job?
We’ve officially entered the time of year when the Rail Trail starts looking like an Olympic training camp and every other ad on Instagram is for some local med spa or a cold plunge. The vibe around wellness is changing: it’s not just about the gym anymore, it’s the optimization.
Charlotte has seen an explosion of “vanity wellness” hubs. Places like Sunday Hot Springs and Beem offer saunas and red light therapy, Nova Wellness offers botox, cryotherapy and even GLP-1s.
So, are we becoming healthier or just more obsessed with the mirror?
The cost of "The Glow": Between a $180/month gym membership, $500+ for seasonal injectables, and $200/month for "bio-hacking" supplements, keeping up can easily cost a few thousand a year.
The run club surge: We’re seeing a massive shift toward "social fitness." Run clubs like those at Mad Miles are becoming ways to meet friends or romantic partners. It’s usually free, but the pressure to have the right outfit for the run is very real.
The middle ground: The $10-$15 drop in yoga classes still exist, apartment gyms are nicer than ever and these saunas run specials all the time.
Just so you know…
☕️ Did you know Charlotte has a coffee crawl? It’s basically a $25 pass that gives you a $5 credit at 10 local coffee shops. It only works during the month of April. Quick math: if the coffee is $8, and you get $5 off each time, that comes to $3/coffee × 10 coffee shops = $30 plus the $25 pass = $55 total. So you’d save $25.
🎤 Rap star, DaBaby, announced a festival coming to Charlotte this summer. The Be More Grateful Festival will include 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, BigXthaPlug, and more. Tickets go on sale Thursday.
Weigh in
Last week, I asked your vibe around festivals. 100% of you said “I loveee a festival!”
Now I want to know, how much are you investing each month into wellness? (think your gym,
Events
Here are our top five:
CRAFT: Saturday 🎨 if you’re in your DIY or crafty era, head to the Craft Fest on Saturday or Sunday to see art shows, demos, and more.
SPRING: Saturday 🌼 Tipsy Pickle’s spring fest includes vendors, tattoos, a hotdog eating contest, an Aperol Spritz cart and more.
TATTOOS Sunday 👯♀️ A women-owned tattoo studio is taking over the Babe Cave with a day party: cocktails, food and flash tattoos.
PARTY: Sunday 🥳 a 2-6 pm day party with three DJs and a live drummer at Hopfly
A budget-friendly weekend
Here’s your $50 weekend schedule:
On Friday, the Knights Fan Fest is free to enter from 5-7 pm. They’ll have a DJ, games, photo ops and more.
Saturday, get some coffee at Hilltop (they’re Black-owned) for their cherry cold foam mocha, or try Daily Ritual’s new Baklava latte ($8)
The South End Wine & Hops fest is $35 and includes unlimited samplings of wine & beer.
Sunday, catch some live jazz at Eighty Eights. They have a $10 cover on Sunday nights.
The total for this weekend comes to around $53!
LMK how / if you’re finding this newsletter helpful!
That’s it for this week.
What’d you think? Love it? Hate it? Either way we want your feedback - email [email protected] with your thoughts.
