Smoothie Bowl Queen Alison Wu Shares the Coolest Hangouts in Portland

As part of our summer travel series with Cannuka, the beauty brand that's serving up skin care with a blend of healing CBD and Manuka honey, we tapped the food stylist and self-care obsessive to give us a tour of her adopted hometown (she's been a Portland transplant since 2008).

Why is it a spot you need to add to your travel list? "Portland has this innate sense of wellness," Wu says. "It’s always been a healthy city even before wellness became trendy. People here have long been invested in wellness and conscious consumerism."

Oh, and it's also a bustling food scene where you'll find everything from award-winning restaurants to eclectic food carts. Plus: "If you have any food sensitivities or eat according to a specific diet, have no fear because almost every restaurant here offers options for everyone," she says. Below, Wu point out the eateries and green spaces you need to hit up (check out our Austin and Chicago travel guides, too.)

Scroll down for recs for the best places to sweat, detox, and pick up plants in Portland.

Favorite juice or smoothie bar: Prasad is the OG healthy Portland spot with delicious juices, smoothies, and bowls. They have another location on the East Side and their sister restaurant Harlow on Southeast Hawthorne Boulevard. Canteen has yummy bowls, juices, and smoothies.

Favorite fitness studio: The Yoga Space is an insanely gorgeous studio. Take a class with Michele Loew if you can. Barre3—work off all the tacos here. They have several locations throughout Portland. The People’s Yoga offers affordable yoga with amazing teachers—take a class with Sarah Robinette or Suniti Dernovsek if you can. They have three locations!

Favorite outdoor hangout spot: Forest Park feels like you’re deep in the forest yet you’re practically in the center of Portland. Skidmore Bluffs is a great spot for a sunset picnic. Victoria Bar is great spot for a casual drink, and they have a nice patio for sunny days.

Favorite restaurants: Tusk is by far the prettiest restaurant in town—I basically want my haus to look like this place. Oh, and the salads/food are spectacular too. No trip to Portland is complete without tacos from Por Que No?. They have another location on SE Hawthorne too.

Favorite happy hour spot: My favorite place for happy hour is Angel Face, mostly where I like to go on girlfriend-only dates, but good for any kind of date.

Best brunch and neighborhood spots: Proud Mary is one of my favorite brunch spots in town, and Jacqueline is the cutest neighborhood spot. The food and drinks are delish and the vibe is just right.

Favorite coffee (or matcha!) shop: Good is the best spot for a Mizuba matcha latte! They have coffee as well.

Favorite self-care spots: Knot Springs is such a luxurious place to spend the day: yoga, sauna, soak. Do it! Loyly is one of my favorite places for a sauna. You can get single use Dr. Hauschka face masks to use while you relax, and they have two locations in Portland.

Favorite plant spots: Pistils Nursery is a lovely nursery with amazing attached greenhouse. Sell a bunch of ceramics, tonics and crystals. Solabee is the sweetest floral and plant shop. Serious #plantgoals and #plantladies.

Favorite shopping destinations: BackTalk has a beautiful collection of independent women designers’ wares and a curated selection of vintage. Beam and Anchor is truly special. Each item is beautiful and made by hand, and they have a really amazing selection of ceramics too. I also love Spartan Shop SO much. Amazingly curated collection of homewares, fragrances, candles, books, etc. Artifact is one of my favorite vintage shops in town—and everything is so freaking cheap!

Suntegrity Natural Mineral Sunscreen SPF 30 for Body, $36; Suntegrity Natural Moisturizing Face Sunscreen & Primer, SPF 30 , $45; Sun Potion Reishi Mushroom Powder, $53; Mizuba Tea Co. Daily Matcha, $20; January Labs Retexturizing Night Cream, $74; Outdoor Voices ⅞ Springs Legging, $85; Cannuka CBD Cleansing Body Bar, $18; Cannuka CBD Healing Skin Balm, $58; bkr TUTU 1L bottle, $48.

Favorite wellness essentials: I was first diagnosed with Perioral Dermatitis (PD) in 2014. PD is a skin condition that usually starts around the mouth and can move up around the nostrils and in some cases around the eyes. It is red, scaly, slightly bumpy and inflamed. It is often mistaken for acne. I also suffer from hormonal acne and find that with both conditions, less is more when it comes to skin care and makeup. I always opt for products without synthetic preservatives and irritating fragrances that attack the skin’s natural microbiome.

I always use bar soap in the shower. The Cannuka Cleansing Body Bar leaves my skin feeling clean and moisturized. I love that this one lathers really nicely and didn’t leave my skin feeling dry. I’ve been using the Cannuka Healing Skin Balm on dry patches on my hands and feet. The balm works into my skin really nicely. It’s helped with redness/inflammation as well as providing that extra moisture certain areas of my skin needs!

In partnership with Cannuka

Photos: Alison Wu