🤯🚣 These hot tub boats are WILD

🍨 Want just a *little* something sweet? Enter: these $1 Teeny Treats from Crescent Ridge at Boston Public Market. Yes, it’s literally a mini ice cream scoop in a salad dressing container, perfect for those who claim they want “just a bite” (liars). Bonus: Grab two for $1.50!

🥳 And a big ole’ HBD to B-Side Member Niny Phommachanh. Don’t worry, diva, you deserve a full-size scoop today. <3

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Here’s a sentence we never thought we’d say: “I’m standing in a floating hot tub in the middle of Boston Harbor.”

Well, that was us last week when we set sail in this new, wood-fired hot tub boat from Boston Hot Tub Boats in Winthrop — and accidentally went a little viral in the process … oops!

But is it actually worth the buzz? Here’s what we thought:

🇩🇰 Fun fact: Boston’s actually late to the hot tub boat party. Emily’s first go in a hot tub boat was ~10 years ago while studying abroad in Copenhagen (the Danes love their sauna-esqe activities). Plus, other cities like Chicago, Seattle, and the Bay area already have their own twists on the floating spas.

📝 OK, here are the deets on Boston’s version: The boat fits up to six people, is BYOB, and you drive it yourself (though your DD has to abstain from any booze). The tub can be heated up to 104 degrees, but you can choose a lower temp if you’d prefer  — a fab option for warmer days. Bonus: They also provide ice, waterproof phone pouches, and a wireless speaker (we were viiiibing to Olivia Rodrigo’s new album).

🦠 Now, let’s get the burning questions out of the way: Yes, they drain, sanitize, and refill the tub with fresh water for every session. Yes, there are changing rooms and bathrooms on site at the marina (pee before you go!). Yes, they show you how to drive the boat. Emily was a liiiiittle nervous as our captain, but got the hang of it in less than five minutes (thankfully it only goes ~3 mph lol). 

✈️ Hear us when we say: The views are a 12/10. Yes, you’ve got the always-gorg Boston skyline, but you know what really stole the show? Logan Airport. You’re cruising near the runway, which = BIG BOY jets, incoming! We were kids in a candy shop watching double decker planes flying overhead (FlightAware would go craaaazy here). 

😅 Fair warning: You might experience some sticker shock. It’s around $500 for a two-hour rental ($493 on weekdays; $557 on weekends). So if you’ve got a crew of six, that comes out to ~$85/person. TBH, we’ve spent more on less memorable dinners in Boston, and this is something we’ll truly never forget.

✅ Final verdict: B-Side Certified. You’re there to gab over drinks with your pals, watch the planes land at Logan, and see the area from an entirely new perspective. We will 100% be back again this winter. You can book your own res here!

✍️ Mass.’ late-term abortion rules just got a BIG update. Gov. Maura Healey officially greenlit a bill allowing abortions at *any* point during pregnancy based on a doc’s judgment. Not only that, this bill also bans any review processes that would override patients, their proxies, and their doctors. For context, the old law had a 24-week limit unless the pregnant person’s or fetus’ life/health was at risk. Now, we’re one of 10 states with no time cutoffs for abortions at all. 

🏡 Boston’s housing market is in its own class of whack. Despite our sluggish economy (think: higher ed cuts, more people moving away), rent prices somehow remain sky high. Experts say there are two big factors at play: 1. People really want to live here, and 2. We have a HUGE housing shortage. So even adding 34,000+ homes in 2025 didn’t really make a dent in rent. The silver lining: Demand to live in Boston is still strong (maybe a little too strong …).

🌃 PSA: Look up at the sky today!!! Dust off your solar eclipse glasses and step outside around 1-2 p.m. to catch a partial solar eclipse (yes, you still need glasses when it’s partial). Then pour yourself another large cup o’ joe for the main event: the Perseids, a.k.a. the cream of the meteor shower crop. You can best see it after midnight and before dawn, especially outside of the city’s light pollution (think: Blue Hill Reservation or Middlesex Fells). Bonus: You don’t even need a telescope or binoculars!

🍵 Boston's hottest matcha pop-up has a home for the next month. For the next four weekends, Naru is bringing their full bev menu to The Foundry in Cambridge. They’re also introducing pastries (hello, Earl Grey butter tteok!) and offering rotating secret items, starting with mango matcha this weekend. Plus, they’re having other small bizzes join them throughout the month, including Enso’s Taiwanese donuts and Burntloaf Café’s crab rangoon salt bread. Yum!

This month, B-Side Members can save more than $100 across our events, plus more monthly deals!

🦪 Aug. 18: B-Side Supper Club at Margeaux Supper Parlor, $55. We’re opening the last few spots up to all readers! And this one comes with something extra special: an oyster shucking class with wine pairings. Plus, of course, an intimate dinner with fellow B-Siders. Grab tickets here!

🕯️Aug. 20: Candlelit Yoga & Sound Bath, $15. Stretch out to a sound bowl meditation at Summer Street Wellness. Stick around after for mini Playa Bowls! Book here by navigating to our Aug. 20 class on the calendar. Use code BSIDESSW to book the drop-in class for $15.

💗 Sept. 19: Pause Festival, $50 early bird. Reset, connect, and treat yourself to an afternoon with your besties. Start with a B/SPOKE stretch-out; get pampered by Dry Bar, The Tox, Olfactory (for VIPs); and get inspired by a panel of local women leaders. Get your ticket here! Members save $20.

👀 Want to feature your upcoming event above? Click here.

This 4-year-old dancing boy just made our whole damn week. Chukwuemeka Ikesinachi-Nwogwugwu and his mom were just walking around the Common before they stumbled on a groovy pop-up DJ. And let’s just say, he understood the assignment.

Chukwuemeka actually hesitated showing off his moves, until he saw another girl dancing by herself. But after that, he locked in on the beat. One user commented, “He said give me a sec to catch the vibe.”

The rest of the 4,000+ comment section also passed the vibe check. One wrote: “Let the music take over little man. Stay free.” Preach!

But the best part? His mom’s reaction: “It was so funny to me because I've never seen him dance like that in public before.” Get used to it, Mama! You’ve got a star on your hands.

— Written by Kelly Chan and Emily Schario

🕺 Thanks for reading! Call us when he gets into Juilliard.

🤖 The results are in: A whopping 80% of B-Siders are v against AI schools … One reader even wrote: “This is the bad place.” We hear ya, Kristen Bell!

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and X. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] and [email protected].