Fave đ Super Bowl ad?
PLUS: Meet your neighbor Julie Natale. How do you read your Dispatch?
The Seahawks took home the Lombardi â just as 67% of you predicted â and Bad Bunny became one of the most-watched (maybe the most-watched?) Halftime Shows ever (heyy, Ricky MartinâŚand Lady GagaâŚand Pedro Pascal, Cardi B, Jessica Alba and more). And the ads? Tell me your fave. Substack let me pick only five. If your pick isnât on here (Claude âno adsâ AI? 50 Centâs brutal not-for-TV DoorDash?), simply respond to this email with your vote.
The pull-at-your-heartstrings Budweiser Clydesdale ad [ABOVE] ran toward the end of the game, when viewersâ attentions were waning. Do not let the videoâs appearance here persuade your vote â I chose it because of the local connection, the Clydesdales have appeared at Saratoga Race Course. But also, you should watch it.
Chowderfest: in the cold
The frigid temps and brutal wind chill didnât stop the hardiest soup-lovers from celebrating one of Saratogaâs most beloved traditions, Chowderfest.
At a glance:
88 vendors, including 7 first-time participants
Over 66,372 bowls of chowder served
Attendance: roughly 20,000 people
Discover Saratoga awarded eight winners, based on numbers of bowls served. Congrats to all!
How you read your Dispatch!
Three readers recently told me how the Dispatch fits into their lives, so I wanted to share. Bringing the community closer together by sharing local stories is what keeps me going.
âI like reading my Dispatch to be a thing where I sit down to read in the mornings with either my coffee or in my pajamas. Itâs my daily enjoyment.â
âSometimes I save it for the evenings, so I can savor it.â
âI like to be the first to like it when it hits my mailbox, but I have competition!â
Face card, activated
Looking for something to help lift your spirits after this cold snap finally comes to an end? A local esthetician has answers.
I have followed Julie Natale from salon to salon â sheâs been at downtownâs Breathe Salon & Spa for the last five years â because she not only gives great age-busting facials, she goes deeper, supporting and massaging the exhausted and zapped fascia and underlying muscles hanging on by a thread under my epidermis.
I leave, every time, looking more sculpted, less puffy, my skin fresher and plumper. But I feel, perhaps more to the point, rejuvenated, empowered and ready to take on lifeâs frenzy with more focus and calm.
KW: Why does a skincare treatment have such an effect on my mood and outlook?
JN: Itâs all connected â the stress of life, of work, of supporting a family takes a toll on our skin, but also our entire system. When I welcome a client in, theyâre often frazzled. Itâs not just you.
KW: Do clients leave that frenetic energy behind? Do I leave you with a pile of my frazzle?
JN: There is an energy transfer. During the pandemic, when we were all at our limits, I learned how to manage that better. I learned how to help people, without taking on the energy myself and being left drained.
KW: What brought you to this line of work?
JN: I was a mother of three children and working full time as a commercial real estate agent. I was one of three women in commercial real estate in the Capital District at the time. I was very good at my job, but it was cutthroat, so stressful.
[I met a great esthetician and started to get facials.] It was really intense. I would just go in and sometimes cry through the facial. She really helped me find some release and actually encouraged me to pursue this line of work, saying Iâd be good at it. It was so inspiring to see a woman support and encourage me, and eventually, after selling one of the biggest properties on my list, I decided to go for it.
KW: What would you tell a nervous first-timer?
JN: My job is to give you a space where you can leave that frenetic energy for a time. I never just dive into a facial. I will give them privacy to settle in, and when theyâre on the table, I talk to them, softly touch parts of their head, give a releasing massage to the neck. Itâs about creating a nurturing atmosphere, because if you feel safe and supported, your nervous system will relax, your blood flow will improve, and your skin will react better to the treatment.â
My personal favorite treatment at Breathe is Julieâs Raw Earth Facial, with a side of dermaplaning. Equal parts zen, massage, exfoliation, and hydration, and super-glow inducing empathy.
To book a holistic facial with Julie Natale, call or text Breathe Salon & Spa at 518-369-6531.
đ ICYMIâŚ
Frozen mohawks? Kids in the cold! PLUS: Stewartâs and Whitman brew up a partnerhsip
Local finance leaders in the hot seat: âWhat keeps you up at night?â
Savor this, Saratoga: TogaNolaâs efforts to give back are downright delicious
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I missed many of the ads, so cannot comment outside of the leaked Budweiser one...and being a horse lover, well perhaps no contest