Louisiana Nightlife

You're probably thinking, "That sounds great, but I've never bought a car or a computer without first reading the Wikipedia definitions for car and computer—I'm not about to buy a Groupon either without a briefing." Well, neither would we, and since this is everyone's first Groupon, allow us to briefly explain how it works.

Peppermint and pure sugar cane are on the menu, but they're not for eating. The peppermint fragrances a warm footbath, and the pure sugar cane acts as scrub for lips or tongues with no self-control. These indulgent ingredients appear in various services at Serenity Day Spa and Gifts, where guests can spend up to a full day relaxing and beautifying with spa packages that combine mani-pedis, facials, and massages. Body-contouring wraps detoxify while they tighten and tone skin, and specially designed facials address the common skincare concerns of men, women, and teens.

Whether your tire-turning extremities are located at home, at a hotel, or in a docked zeppelin cabin over the river, Big Easy Bike Tours will deliver the bicycle(s) to you and up to four of your cycling teammates almost anywhere in the city. All tours begin back in 1718 with sightseeing and narrated soundseeing throughout the French Quarter. From there, there is a spork in the road where you can choose between three touring fates. The first, Neighborhoods and Lower 9th Ward, takes a path past green homes built by Global Green after Hurricane Katrina, visits the levee and explains what led to its failure, and passes through St. Roch and Treme. The second journey lands you on the Esplanade Avenue of the Creoles, exploring Bayou St. John and the history of New Orleans cemeteries, European settlers, and early New Orleanians' struggles to colonize the undomesticated flavors of crawfish étouffée within its wild habitat. After pedaling through City Park and observing the Museum of Art and Botanical Gardens, you finish cruising through Mid-City. The final option, a tour of the American Sector and the Garden District, details some of the architecture, universities, and finest fine arts found in New Orleans.

Improv comes in as many flavors as there are forgotten MySpace passwords. The performers make up situations and details as they go along and what hilarity emerges is a result of training, audience suggestion, and underlying psychological issues. Experience this comedic instability first hand at one of NCC's shows. Their Fringe show at the Shadowbox is all ages and the oddest of the bunch, appealing to those with a taste for the weird and wild. The New Dinner show at the M.I.C.A. offers a chance to combine food and guffawing (softer, mashed foodstuffs are recommended for safety reasons). The Usual Saturday Night show at Yo Mama's is adults only and extremely competitive. Audience participation is not just encouraged but enforced; the crowd is split in two like a sentient watermelon with two mothers, and teams are pitted against one another in troupe-led games throughout the show.

AVIVA is owned and operated by Linda Strickland, a nationally certified massage therapist dedicated to de-stressing her home state's citizens. At AVIVA, customers are viewed as individuals, not bioengineered clones with exponentially crumbling genomes. This is why your hour-long massage will not consist of prepackaged muscle swabbing but rather a careful treatment tailored to your body's personal needs. Techniques may include the gentle Swedish, therapeutic deep tissue, neuromuscular plumbing, connective tissue-focused aid, or some combination of assorted traditions. All sessions include indulgent hot towels, tranquil music, and a nasal massage in the form of essential-oil aromatherapy.

Offering BYOB art classes in a welcoming, instructor-assisted atmosphere, Corks N Canvas provides a laidback setting for self-expression. Participants will receive step-by-step instruction to craft striking artwork they can take home at the end of the session and place above their mantle, secret trap-door bookcase, or army-men-figurine reenactment of the battle of Pork Chop Hill. Choose among several sessions (click on the address of your chosen location to see a calendar of events) that teach budding strokesters to paint vibrant doggie portraits, landscapes, or abstract-expressionist renditions of the DMV. The creative paintventure may finally spark the dormant artist within that’s been reclusively hiding like Boo Radley since the finger-painting period.