I recently visited the new, expanded Spoke & Weal salon on LA’s West 3rd Street. It reminded me why we are not planning any salon pages for our VitalGuide series. In the eight cities where Spoke & Weal operates, the list would have only one pick. After years of in-the-field research as a wellness reporter, trialing notable salons throughout the west coast, I’ve become a full-on Spoke & Weal devotee. In addition to offering a cutting-edge and client-first technique, a very cool company culture (perhaps a future blog post) and a low-key vibe, founders Jon Reyman and Christine Thompson are both totally plant-based. And since they’re jetsetting each week between their network of best-in-class salons, you bet they’ve become experts on the best spots to dine. So we asked them for their favorites:
Congrats on the new LA expansion of Spoke & Weal! What can you share about it?
JR: The L.A. expansion was dramatic. We doubled in size (from 2000 square feet to 4000 square feet) and renovated the entire space from the floors to the ceiling in about two weeks! The result is the best lighting we’ve ever experienced in a salon anywhere, an incredibly open and airy luxury experience, and acoustics that keep the salon relaxed and warm. Gone are any echos and much of the buzzing sounds of hair dryers.
What are your favorite spots to grab lunch when you're on your feet all day seeing clients at the LA location?
CT: You will find us in or ordering from these L.A. favorites: Kreation Organic, Erewhon, Gracias Madre, Sweet Greens, Cafe Gratitude.
How do you survive fashion week/s with standard American style catering?
JR: New York Fashion Week is fairly vegan-friendly because the city is filled with veg options at every level of dining. Juice Press is a go-to all fashion week. The grab-and-go is filled with fresh and raw juices and vegan snack options that pack easily and fuel the team very well. We do not depend on catering—we are too busy back stage to find provisions!
Eating during the day is minimal but we do plan great dinners. I'm at ABCV every week and in-between take out from JaJaJa, Double Zero 00, or the fake tuna salad from Le Botaniste—and the vegan Caesar from Scarrs Pizza is insanely good.
How often are you on the road each month and where? Where are your favorite vegan restaurants in those cities?
JR: As we see guests and train our teams together in most cities, much of our meals are together on the road. In San Francisco, we love Burma Love—veggie soups and Laphet-Tea Leaf Salad are delish. Also, bon, nene, Gracias Madre, NoJo ramen (the vegan ramen should not be missed), Beloved and Al’s Place. In Chicago, you can often find us at Althea or Veggie Grill. Whole Foods recently opened one block away from our Lakeview salon, the smoothie bar and salad bar always work.
Further south, our Nashville Spoke & Weal is located right above True Foods Kitchen which delivers the goods every time! We are newer to Nashville so looking forward to exploring more. In Boston, Juice Press is around the corner and always hits the spot. Falafel Salad with Green Goddess dressing will fill you up for many hours.
In London, we like Yautacha for veggie dim sum and Detox Kitchen.
Any favorite airport restaurants or handy tips for plant-based road warriors?
CT: Traveling through many airports has become easier on the snacks end of things—meals are not on our agenda. If the flight justifies more than snacks we will do grab and go from Juice Press or many of the places above. Most often snacks suffice and below is our short list and most options are available at Cibo Express, Hudson News, or other airport snack and gift shops.
The GFB gluten free bites in the PBJ favor
Banana Bites - PB flavor
Chrunchsters - Sea Salt
Smart Sweets - someone figured out how to make vegan gummies sweetened with stevia and monkfruit and they actually taste perfect!
Louisville Vegan Jerky
Dried Mango (unsweetened)
Any other vegan and/or healthy travel trips you can share?
Travel tip: we each have a pair of bamboo utensils and water bottles. The utensils come in a narrow nylon pouch and include a spoon, straw, chopsticks, a fork and knife. We do our best to avoid using disposable goods. Traveling already takes a large amount of resources. The straws - metal or bamboo are great. Yes, a couple extra steps in rinsing and washing but this easily becomes routine. Single use plastic is insane—and very difficult to avoid. Bamboo utensils and reusable straws is a no brainer.