Matt's List: five Sarasota secrets to looking incredible

Introducing Matt's List, an Owner's Guide to Sarasota. In this installment, TWIS Founder Matt Orr gives five tips on five Sarasota-based portals to gorgeous.

1) Belly Burning --- When you live in a city where the beach body season lasts all year, you need to know where to find the flab busters. My advice? Let Matt Freeland hand your ass to you three days a week. Training with Matt gets you three one-on-one sessions a week, three exercises you are required to do on your own (he calls you to make sure you did them), one group training class per week (they can be anything from paddle boarding to bayfront boot camps ), plus you get a massage every month by Richard Light. Total cost: $460 a month.

Okay, let’s do that math: Trainers to the high-end crowd charge $125 an hour. Um, that’s $1500 a month. Matt only takes on 10 clients at a time and they tend to be the Sarasota “who’s who,” so his attention to you rivals that of a Hollywood celeb trainer. I would argue this to be the best deal going in our tiny town on the bay. Call him at 850-566-0826.

 2) Coconut Oil --- Have you seen Wayne Rollins? He’s the hot guy who owns Blackbird Home Gallery on Main Street with his wife Mindy. I’m not sure of Wayne’s age, but I’m almost 100 percent sure he’s older than me ... so he’s pushing 40. Wayne's face is one of the most flawless in town, and when he talks I can’t hear what he’s saying because I’m thinking of ways to make my skin look like his. What does he do? Coconut oil.

According to this article, coconut oil can do anything from helping your skin look awesome to preventing STDs. I’m in no mood to experiment with the latter, so I’ve began rubbing it on my face after every shower. Kim Marlow (Sarasota’s skincare queen) has been telling me my complexion looks great. There are dozens of places to find this miracle potion, but I suggest heading to Starflower Organic Spathecary in Burns Square. They have the best oil in the country. While you're there, check out their entire line of handmade skincare products. It will change your life for the better.

 3) Full Moon Yoga --- As the sun sets and the full moon rises, Alicia Stevens is busy on Siesta setting up her once-a-month Full Moon Yoga class. What started out as a few people on the beach has turned into an event your body can't live without. Head to Beach Access #7 just before sunset and make a right once you get to the beach. As soon as you hear the peaceful music and see the flickering candles scattered on the sand, you know you’re there. The class is one hour so it’s perfect for a tone-up and a quick “find your zen” moment. When you’re finished, your body is full of happiness. If my insides could talk after a class it would sound something like this:

4) Aesthetic Arts Institute of Sarasota --- I was at a party a few weeks ago and a lady walked in. Everyone in the room began screaming with delight as she spun around in a tight dress to show off her new body that was aparently a few inches smaller. Her secret? She did lipo the day before.

Do you know what this means? No recovery time! The lady looked amazing and she was noticablaly thrilled with the results. For those who don’t believe in the “no pain, no gain” side to looking good, check out the AAIS website. This team of docs is already booking a few weeks out and the Institute has only been open for just over a month.

5) D.Cole Hair Design --- Listen up and listen well, because Dylonn is like the Edward Scissorhands of Sarasota. He pulls out his shiny scissors and lightly touches each side of your head like he’s Michelangelo about to carve the statue of David. Dylonn doesn't simply give you a haircut --- he studies every centimeter of your head; he accommodates the squareness (or lack thereof) of your jaw. Dylonn doesn't call your gray hair “gray;" he simply calls it “unpigmented,” and when you sit in his chair you're surrounded by tons-o-people that you probably want to network with. Dylonn’s chair is a throne of total hair glory for both men and women ... and he gives a splendid head message. Visit him at 1821 Morrill Street, Sarasota, FL 34236, or call (941) 954-2390.