Good morning and yes, it’s Friday! And welcome to The Skinny, which will take you 3 minutes to breeze through and is the perfect Friday read. For anyone new here, this is a free weekly newsletter designed to entertain and save you time, which is everyone’s most valuable resource. As one of our subscribers told us: “You’re like my favorite magazine, without all the annoying pop-up ads.” 

First, we’d love it if you took our 2-second poll, because we are dying to know:

What we’re covering: 

• Yes, it’s F-in HOT! But you still don’t need ‘whole body deo’ 

• Pantry raid: easy ways to freestyle a watermelon salad 

• Shot of well whiskey with a side of Cheez-It: an ode to America’s best dive bars 

• Life essentials: a wooden comb for your beach bag & beyond 

• Plus: Micro-retirement, the Boatkin (again!), Costco activewear ‘dupe’ drama, the case for swapping your mega water bottle for a mini, & why the Lagree Method is the hottest fitness class in town

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Hot take

Do this instead of wasting $ on ‘whole body deo’

The Skinny: It’s hot, it’s swampy, it’s sticky. But, while this is all unpleasant—and as Americans are cutting back on spending—if there was ever something that fit into a “non-essential” category, it’s “whole body deodorant.” 

We actually penned this item last year, when  the Economist was writing about it, so the issue had clearly reached a critical mass of global proportions. You do not need this. Simply wash more, do as GQ recommends and take two “short, expertly timed showers” and hit up these five spots you’re probably forgetting about. If you want to get down and dirty into the topic (and the science of sweat), this Vox article is the best we found, which asks: What the funk is going on?, and also concludes that nope, you don’t need this.   

In Reddit thread summary, a great one for those wanting to vent about the Lume full body deodorant ad. Commenters say it best: “TAKE A SHOWER,” and “2 day old odor is cause 2 days u didn’t clean.”

Add to cart*: Native deodorant! Our tester reports a clean and light scent that doesn’t feel like a hippie deo. “Even the gentleman in the house likes it, and that’s one of three things we agree on.” Nicole’s recent fave: Salt & Stone Basil Neroli.

Pantry raid

Summer cooking: freestyle watermelon salad

The Skinny: Sliced watermelon is good, really good. However: if you want to dress it up, dig into the ideas below (but tbh, you should really just freestyle)!

• Feta, mint and more (Greek-style is you know how Nicole likes it)

• Grilled, with hot honey  

• Watermelon salad, experimenting with any of the following: Kalamata olives, pistachios, red onions, balsamic vinaigrette & honey

• Eaten on the counter with a spoon (no awkward knife cuts necessary) with a salt grinder within your reach

Deep dive

In search of ‘cold beers and warm hearts’ 

The Skinny: “If it has a cocktail menu, it’s not a dive bar.” Words of obvious wisdom, but perhaps forgotten. Do like we do: do shots from the well and don’t complain, make friends, pee in a mop bucket if needed, order a bag of Cheez-Its or a microwaved Pop-Tart at 3am (late-night “menu” courtesy of One Star bar in NYC, which we have frequented AND have been trying to get them to add Hot Pockets to the menu for years). Below, our mini-guide to dives around the U.S.

Midwest: Behold the “Diviest Dive Bar in Wisconsin,” which has created its own niche category: bars for those who like to drink, and hoard. Next: while we still seek to find a working cigarette machine, this Flint bar has one that dispenses artwork. 

NYC: From the historic to the tried-and-true classics, you can find several of them here in this “Great Bars of NYC” photo book (that we highly recommend) including: the “Shark Bar,” aka the Spring Street Lounge, where intrepid, and dedicated, imbibers can join their elite Early Morning Drinker’s Society. And while there are two many to count, we have Rudy’s—home of the free hot dog—and Williamsburg’s Turkey’s Nest Tavern, where we took our 4am drinks to-go in a styrofoam cup, thank you very much. 

Denver: A five-star dive-bar town, thanks to its foreboding, windowless establishments on Colfax (behold, the Lion’s Lair) to the OGs like the Candlelight Tavern, where Nicole once saw a waitress wake up a patron, sleeping on the table in a pool of beer, to ask if he would like another. Jill’s last trip to the “Mandlefight” involved her waking up in the morning with her shoes and a pile of money on her front porch. In other words, don’t miss! Another Denver fave is Inga’s Alpine Tavern, with its sublime ’70s orange ski lodge fireplace. 

The South: Nicole and Jill have partied at several on this Best Dive Bars of the South list, some of which honestly seem a couple notches above the glorious filth and destitution that you might find in NYC or the midwest. However, this list also includes some with hidden gem food items beyond the aforementioned bag of chips/Cheez-Its. Jill’s annual Jazz Fest pilgrimage yielded a New Orleans hotspot dive, the Port of Call. Located near the fairgrounds, this dark and vibey institution where every person in the bar was enjoying a large cocktail in a styrofoam cup whilst eating a “New Orleans best burger since 1960” + baked potato. Finally, for Texas-specific dives, head to this IG feed. 

California: We are not CA experts, but our pal JK, who dive crawls like no other, is—and after years of “dipping into one barroom after another,” he wrote a book about it. Check out “High Spirits” here, an ode to San Francisco as one of the great saloon towns. JK, we’ll buy you a cheap shot if you tell us more. 

Life Essentials (for summer)

For your beach bag & beyond: a wooden comb

The Skinny: Rounded tips, wide teeth, natural materials–-these are the trademarks of a high-end wooden comb such as the one above (made in Italy) designed by hairstylist Fabio Scalia. Trust Fabio when he tells you that this comb will not snag or break your hair while brushing wet (which can cause major damage), but that they have molti altri benefici including natural oil distribution and reduction of static.

While “not an official expert resource,” hear Nicole out on this as well, because—after finding a crappy plastic comb in her beach bag and attempting to use—it broke into splintery bits. There it lies, at the bottom of an LBI recycling bin along with her empty cans of beer and sparkling rosé. 

In a pouch along with your spare Pro Kadima ball, SPF lip balm, weed, key (be it hotel/motel, locker, car or scooter) and Wet Nap, this is where your comb belongs. If you’re in need of a new comb or brush, which are all made in Italy and designed by Fabio, you’re in luck: he’s offering 20% off to The Skinny subscribers with code THESKINNY—link here to shop all. Happy brushing!

Bonus content: here’s how often you should wash your hair in the hot months.

Last Licks

This week’s newsfeed

• Guess what, says The Strategist? You don’t need a ginormous water bottle. Opt for a mini, instead.

• What link will knock the Boatkin tote off its crown? The“quiet luxury with a smirk” tote was our most-clicked link for three weeks in a row. 

• In honor of Bastille Day, Clare V—our preferred French AF brand thanks to its design-centric, coquettish vibe—brought back its most genius GWP promo: Buy a Bag, Get a _______ [can you guess?]. We love that, but what we love more is that they have a resale site (Le Resale).

• With the Business of Fashion proclaiming that “The Reign of Leggings is Over” and that they’re on the way out, here’s what appears to be IN: hype for Costco “dupes” as Lululemon files a lawsuit against the retailer.  

• According to the LA Times, the town’s hottest fitness ticket is the Lagree Method, which promises a strong, sculpted and toned bod and can be described as “if Pilates and bodybuilding had a baby.” If you’re ready to give it a try and jump on that Megaformer, here’s all you need to know.

• Have you heard of “Micro-Retirement,” and should you try it?  Speaking of, here are the niche retirement communities to ponder for the future, and—just because, of course—Hooters @ the Villages is killing it.

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