Buy Idaho: Get Pampered, Go Out With Local Services

If you haven’t finished your Christmas shopping yet, there are still plenty of last minute deals to polish off your list. Local services can make great gifts for your friends and family.

Before you head for the corporate chains, take a look at what local services you can find in your back yard. Local First Outreach Coordinator Destiny Lynch said it is one of the best ways to support a community’s economy.

Pick up an oil change from a neighborhood mechanic, or think about a membership to a downtown yoga studio. If it’s time for a real treat, La Bella Vita’s full service salon and spa is there to pick up the slack.

“We do manicures, pedicure, facials, massage, body treatments, haircut, color, perming, anything, pretty much anything,” said Salon Manager Christina Entzel.

Buy three spa treatments at once, and La Bella Vita will order and pick up lunch for you from a local restaurant to eat in the salon. Entzel said that’s the beauty of buying local.

“It’s about relationship more than just getting how many people you can get through the door,” she said.

Despite that, the salon’s sales on its Aveda products will bring plenty of people in. “We predict to have a line out the door by Christmas Eve. It happens every year,” Entzel said.

Buying for someone who’s little more adventurous? Plan that favorite outdoorsy person a weekend getaway to a yurt. Pocatello residents can do it for just $60 at the Outdoor Adventure Center at Idaho State University.

“Spend the night. They’ve got Plexiglas skylights in them, so you’re staring at the stars, hopefully. Or the snow, whichever is coming down,” Director Brian Hetrick said with a smile.

Grab a gift certificate for snow shoes or cross-country skis and plan a day out for the entire family.

“You’ve got to have something to do because winter’s plenty long, so rather than be locked indoors all the time — and to stay active — you’ve got to get up and go outdoors,” he said.

Whether it’s booking a day at the spa or on the slopes, both can be found in southeastern Idaho.