Health & Recreation
Best Bike Shop
Epicenter Cycling
1 Epicenter lets customers test-ride bikes as they look for the right fit.
2 The shop also offers professional fitting and unlimited lifetime tune-ups. “We’re the only shop in the immediate area that does that, and the reason we do is that we don’t want the bike to sit in that garage and be sad,” says Candice Covello, marketing director for Epicenter.
3 Shawn Wilson, the owner, grew up riding in Nisene Marks doing dirt jumps with Cam McCaul and others who have gone on to be famous.
4 Epicenter helped build the since-demolished pump track in Aptos, where Aptos Village will soon be. Wilson hopes to rebuild it soon in a new location.
5 If you google “cutest bike shop Santa Cruz,” Epicenter is the top result. Covello suggests it’s because there are house dogs and one house cat who sometimes hang out around the shop. JP
Best Gym
Toadal Fitness
1 Owners Christophe and Cecile Bellito proudly offer five facilities for the enrichment of life through better fitness.
2 Founded in downtown Santa Cruz in 1996, the first club was named Frog Fitness after a French tradition, and later changed to Toadal Fitness.
3 All five clubs—in downtown Santa Cruz, Westside, Scotts Valley, Live Oak, and Aptos (where it is called Cabrillo Fitness)—offer the Silver Sneakers program for seniors, as well as Zumba classes.
4 Cabrillo Fitness was opened in 1978 by a group of racquetball enthusiasts. To offer a more complete exercise program, the owner joined forces with Toadal Fitness.
5 New to Toadal Fitness members is a free screening offer from Precision Physical Therapy, which seeks to improve performance with movement-based evaluations and treatment techniques. JS
Best Martial Arts
Sanford’s Martial Arts
1 Opened in 1980, Sanford’s Martial Arts teaches traditional Japanese martial arts to students from age 4 and beyond.
2 Sean Sanford, now head instructor, joined his dad Ron at the studio at age 4.
3 With kids, emphasis is placed on character development, respect, self-discipline, and confidence.
4 Adults gain knowledge of balance and coordination, awareness skills and ways to relieve stress.
5 Three one-week summer camps in June, July and August are themed “Ninja,” “Samurai” and “Train like a Black Belt.” JS
Best Skate Shop
Bill’s Wheels
1 The first Bill’s Wheels location was on East Lake Avenue in Watsonville in 1977. The rent was $125 a month.
2 When Bill’s Wheels was in Watsonville, owner Bill Ackerman got so much business from Salinas that he decided to open up a second location there in the 1980s. He moved twice before closing his Salinas shop in 2013, after 26 years.
3 Bill’s Wheels used to have events in its Watsonville parking lot called Skate Jams, which sometimes drew up to 400 kids. They would set up ramps and have bands perform on the back of a flatbed truck. The store has events these days at its Soquel Avenue shop, on a smaller scale.
4 Ackerman, now 58, was an established local skater in the ’70s, and he got into skating drained swimming pools “when that became a thing,” he says. Ackerman’s skills shone on the high jump, where a skater rides up to a high jump bar, leaps off their board and lands back on it on the other side.
5 Ackerman has the walls outside his business dedicated to a rotating list of graffiti artists. “That’s another thing we’ve stood behind for years, is getting behind the artistic side of graffiti,” Ackerman says. JP
Acupuncture Clinic
Five Branches University
200 7th Ave., #115, Santa Cruz
476-8211, fivebranches.edu
RUNNERS-UP Flux Acupuncture Lounge, Nihal Kaur Acupuncture
Bike Shop
Epicenter Cycling
1730 Mission St., Santa Cruz,
423-9000, epicentercycling.com
8035 Soquel Dr., Aptos, 662-8100
RUNNERS-UP Another Bike Shop, Bicycle Trip
Chiropractor
Dr. Katie Griffin
543 Frederick St., Santa Cruz, 458-1940
RUNNERS-UP Dr. Marie Royer, McCollum Family Chiropractic
Dentist
A. Gavin McClure
525 Center St., Santa Cruz
426-1343, newstreetdentalsantacruz.com
RUNNERS-UP Dientes, Kevin Ippisch
Doctor (MD)
Rachel Abrams, MD
740 Front St., Suite 130, Santa Cruz
465-9088, santacruzintegrativemedicine.com
RUNNERS-UP Amy Solomon, MD, Mary Patz, MD
Esthetician
Peggy Humphries at Butterfly Esthetics
1045 Water St., Santa Cruz,
459-7546, butterflyesthetics.com
RUNNERS-UP Cheladee Bianchini at Cheladee’s Holistic Skincare Studio, Jennalee Dahlen at Santa Cruz Skin Solutions
Golf Course
DeLaveaga
401 Upper Park Road, Santa Cruz,
423-7214, delaveagagolf.com
RUNNERS-UP Pasatiempo, Seascape
Gym
Toadal Fitness
113 Lincoln St., Santa Cruz, 423-3764
1200 17th Ave., #108, Santa Cruz, 464-3764
6200 Soquel Drive, Aptos, 475-5979
2929 Mission St. Extension, Santa Cruz, 466-3764
269 Mount Hermon Road, Scotts Valley, 430-9200
RUNNERS-UP Capitola Fitness, In-Shape
Lasik
Furlong Vision
Bayshore Plaza, 2107 N 1st St., #101, San Jose,
408-453-5600, furlongvision.com
Martial Arts
Sanford’s Martial Arts
4626 Soquel Drive, Soquel,
475-9676, sanfordkarate.com
RUNNERS-UP Kaijin Mixed Martial Arts, LightSpeed Martial Arts Academy
Medical Marijuana Club
KindPeoples Collective
3600 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz,
471-8562, kindpeoples.org
RUNNERS-UP CannaCruz, C.H.A.I.
Massage Therapist
Tomek Walas
250 Blossom Hill Road #101, Los Gatos,
809-6059, tomekmassage.massageplanet.com.
RUNNERS-UP Dawn Grey, Melanie Sargent
Naturopath Doctor
Juli Mazi, ND
2840 Park Ave., Ste. A, Soquel, Santa Cruz,
731-5882, thrivenatmed.com/naturopathic-doctor–juli–mazi
RUNNERS-UP Aimée Gould Shunney, ND; Tonya Fleck, ND
Nutritionist
Jocelyn Dubin at Nourish
130 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz,
429-9355, nourishsantacruz.com
RUNNERS-UP Healthy Way, Jaimi Ellison, Ramona Richard
Orthodontist
Mark Joiner
1773 Dominican Way, Santa Cruz,
475-5500, joinerortho.com
RUNNERS-UP John A. Hedrick, North Coast Orthodontics
Outdoor Store
Outdoor World
1440 41st Ave., Capitola, 479-1501
136 River St., Santa Cruz, 423-9555
theoutdoorword.com
RUNNERS-UP Down Works, Patagonia
Personal Trainer
Rocky Snyder
rockysfitnesscenter.com
RUNNERS-UP Dio Santiago, Trenise Pot
Vitamin/Supplements
Way of Life
1220 41st Ave., Capitola,
464-4113, wayoflife.net
RUNNERS-UP New Leaf Community Markets, Staff of Life
Pilates
Agile Monkey
121 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz,
458-4125, agilemonkey.net
RUNNERS-UP Body in Motion, Pleasure Point Pilates
Running Store
Fleet Feet
26 Rancho Del Mar, Aptos,
662-0886, fleetfeetaptos.com
RUNNER-UP Santa Cruz Running Company
Skate Park
Scotts Valley Skypark
361 Kings Village Road, Scotts Valley
RUNNERS-UP Derby, Mike Fox
Skate Shop
Bill’s Wheels
1240 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz,
469-0904, billswheels.com
RUNNERS-UP Boardroom, Skateworks
Snowboarding/Skiing
Play It Again Sports
4770 Soquel Drive, Soquel,
475-1988, playitagainsports-soquel.com
RUNNER-UP Helm of Sun Valley
Spa (pampering)
Chaminade Resort & Spa
1 Chaminade Lane, Santa Cruz,
475-5600, chaminade.com
RUNNERS-UP Caress Day Spa, Well Within
Spa (soaking)
Well Within Spa
417 Cedar St., Santa Cruz,
458-9355, wellwithinspa.com
RUNNERS-UP Kiva Retreat House, Tea House Spa
Sporting Goods
Play It Again Sports
4770 Soquel Drive, Soquel,
475-1988, playitagainsports-soquel.com
RUNNER-UP Outdoor World
Stand-up paddleboard
SUP Shack
2214 E. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz,
464-7467, supshacksantacruz.com
RUNNERS-UP Covewater, Kayak Connection
Surf School
Richard Schmidt Surf School
236 San Jose Ave., Santa Cruz,
423-0928, richardschmidt.com
RUNNERS-UP Club Ed, Surf School Santa Cruz
Surf Shop
O’Neill
Multiple Locations
RUNNERS-UP Freeline, Pearson Arrow Surf Shop
Surf Spot
Steamer Lane
RUNNERS-UP Cowells, Pleasure Point
Swim School
Adventure Sports
303 Potrero St. #15, Santa Cruz,
458-3648, asudoit.com
RUNNERS-UP Seahorse Swim School, Simpkins Family Swim Center
Therapist
Farrah Dalal
736 Chestnut St. Suite E, Santa Cruz,
111 Errett Circle, Santa Cruz
332-6565, farrahdalal.com
RUNNERS-UP Daniel Blumrosen, Lucie Hemmen
Yoga Instructor
Victor Dubin at Nourish
130 Walnut Ave., Santa Cruz,
429-9355, nourishsantacruz.com
RUNNERS-UP Daniela Kosmalski, Hannah Muse
Yoga Studio
DiviniTree Yoga
1043 Water St., Santa Cruz, 421-0518
2805 Mission St., Santa Cruz, 458-8212, sc.divinitree.com
RUNNERS-UP Luma Yoga, Nourish
