No date? No problem. While Valentine’s Day is typically thought of as a time for couples, it’s essential to love and appreciate yourself first before trying to connect with another person. Here are some ideas for solo dating in Madison, for Valentine’s Day and any time you want to show your favorite person a little affection.
🧘Take a Meditation Class
Meditation can be a great practice to be present in your body and pay attention to how you’re feeling. Listen to the City Cast Madison podcast today as host Bianca Martin talks to Buddhist monk Khenchen Konchog Gylatsen Rinpoche about the benefits of the meditation practices he hosts through the Wil-Mar Center and the importance of self-love and community care.
💆 Get a Massage
Now that you’ve gotten your mind right with meditation, treat your body with a massage. Indulge Spa, Kneaded Relief, and A Healer’s Hand are three locally-owned options that will take good care of you.
🚶 Take a Nature Walk
Sure, it’s a little chilly out there, but if you’re bundled up and the sun is shining, a Wisconsin nature walk can be invigorating as well as beautiful. Stroll through the Arboretum (and maybe search for the Lost City), or take a walk out to Picnic Point and gaze out on frozen Lake Mendota.
📚 Browse an Indie Bookstore
A great way to spend an afternoon is looking for your next great read at an indie bookstore in Madison, like Lake City Books, A Room of One’s Own, and Leopold’s Book Bar Caffe. As the name implies, you can also get coffee or a cocktail at Leopold’s while you browse.
🍜 Have a Great Solo Dinner Out
It might feel a little awkward going out to dinner by yourself, but trust me – everybody’s focusing on their own thing and nobody cares that you’re all alone. My advice is to eat at the bar at a nice place like the Tornado Room, Merchant or Nattspil, and bring that new book you got at the indie bookstore for company. Also, just like you wouldn’t want to be constantly on your phone on a date with another person, put it away and enjoy being out on your own.
🍿Take Yourself to a Movie
There is nothing like seeing a movie on your own – you don’t have to negotiate with somebody else about what to see, and you don’t have to share your popcorn. If you’re in a romantic frame of mind, AMC Fitchburg is showing a restored version of 1990’s “Ghost” starting on Valentine’s Day, and Marcus Palace is showing, “Let the Sparks Fly,” an all-day marathon of Nicholas Sparks movies (including, you guessed it, “The Notebook”) on Saturday.
On Valentine’s Day, Union South Marquee Theater is hosting a double feature of two somewhat unusual love stories, “Lisa Frankenstein” and “Portrait of a Lady of Fire.” And it’s free!
