Sober in Tacoma: Mocktails, Sauna Sessions & a Night at Sober AF

Stephanie Housden wanted her shop to resemble her teenage bedroom. That’s why Sober AF is a bright teal and turquoise space with plush couches, a mural of a leopard with heart-shaped spots and actual indoor swings. Wait, did she really have a teen bedroom this great?! I don’t know, but it’s fabulous. I visited at the end of February on my Sober Travel Handbook tour to do a Sober Travel Night with some of my crew from The Sober Curator. It was a quick train trip from Portland to Tacoma with a single overnight. But I packed in a lot of fun times in that short window.

Tacoma has a special place in my heart because it’s my dad’s hometown. Growing up in San Diego, we used to make the drive up every now and then to see his people. Back then, the Pacific Northwest was a wonderland to me of ferns and trees and mist, so different from my arid homeland. I was particularly taken by blackberries growing everywhere in summer. I was like, what, you can just go out there and pick them? For free?! So now that I live just a couple of hours away in Portland, I’m always excited about the chance to visit.

Downtown vs. Point Defiance

My last three visits to Tacoma, I stayed downtown in the gorgeous Hotel Murano. I love this glass-themed hotel, which features a different artist on each of its 25 floors. It’s perfect if you want to walk to downtown museums like the Museum of Glass, the Washington State History Museum and the Tacoma Art Museum. If you stay downtown, don’t miss walking on the Chihuly Bridge of Glass at night.

But this time, I stayed at the Silver Cloud Hotel Tacoma at Park Ruston Waterfront, 5 miles from downtown by the enormous Point Defiance Park. I had a fabulous view of Puget Sound! I spent a lot of time watching the Majestic Island, a ginormous ship in from Panama, lazily turn in a circle as it waited at anchor just below me. This is a wonderful hotel if you want to spend your time in the park and walking on the 5-mile Ruston Way Trail.

The park houses many attractions, including Point Defiance Zoo (where you can ride a baby beluga whale on the carousel!) and Aquarium, Fort Nisqually Living History Museum and a Japanese garden. Created in 2019, Dune Park is an intriguing addition to Point Defiance Park. The manmade peninsula, named for the science-fiction book by hometown author Frank Herbert, was built over an accumulation of slag—once the source of the infamous “Tacoma aroma.” Now it’s a green space where people walk their dogs and gaze out at Puget Sound.

Svette Sauna

Svette Sauna opened late last summer. This was my first chance to experience it. A half hour walk from my hotel, this sauna-in-a-trailer is parked in the Owen Beach parking lot. Saturday morning is peak time, so all ten spots were full. Most of the people looked to be in their twenties or thirties, and some were regulars. One guy wore a Viking hat. Somebody asked him, “Do you know the other guy who always wears a Viking hat in the sauna?” He did. Maybe it will catch on.

If you visit Svette, the whole of Puget Sound is your cold plunge. Owen Beach is gorgeous, with clear water. But it’s rocky. So be sure to wear water shoes. My first plunge, I was so slow picking my way through the rocks barefoot that most of my heat wore off by the time I reached the water. I went in anyway, for about a minute. One of my fellow sauna bathers is so dedicated, she set her phone alarm on the beach for ten minutes. I would have died!

On that February morning, there were lots of people walking on the beach in puffer jackets and knit hats. So I felt sort of badass walking past them in nothing but a swimsuit and getting in the cold water. Even for only a minute. Even though they probably thought I was daft.

Sober AF

But back to Sober AF.  Stephanie Housden opened the nonalcoholic beer and bottle shop in April 2025. “The vision was to create a space where people could find community in the sober world,” Stephanie told me. She was newly sober but had been sober curious for many years and had a long-time sober partner. “Social life was hard for us to figure out how to go out and have a good time and be sober, so we wanted to have a space for that to happen here.”

The shop is mostly open daytime hours but stays open till nine or so on event nights. The four monthly rotating events are drag bingo, Lego building night, paint and sip, and karaoke. Drag bingo has been the biggest hit so far, with Legos just behind. When I was there, they’d just had a Back to the Future theme night where they built the Delorean out of Legos. Karaoke is a new addition and has already proven popular. “We have the earliest karaoke around from six to nine, and people love it,” Stephanie said. “Especially people that don’t drink. They’re like, I don’t have to be in the bar with other obnoxious people.”

Our travel night was lots of fun, with several Sober Curator contributors in attendance. Amy Liz Harrison did an excellent packing demonstration. I talked about my Sober Travel Handbook and ran a trivia quiz. My questions garnered snide comments of “nerd alert” from The Sober Curator founder Alysse Bryson. Sober curator Sarah Alaimo was also there cheering us on. We met Odessa Christiana, founder of the Underground Sound magazine that chronicles Tacoma’s artists and visionaries. And one of my old friends from elementary school showed up. I hadn’t seen her for decades. That was really special—and she brought along a friend in recovery.

Dining in Tacoma

I wasn’t in Tacoma long this time, but I managed to eat plenty of good food. If you’re traveling by train, stop by the international food court right beside the station in Freighthouse Square, which also houses many unusual, locally owned shops. I especially liked Little India Express, eating there first thing when I arrived and last thing before leaving. They can make most of the menu vegan and have an Indian street food section as well as the regular curries. I had samosa chaat –spicy chick peas served over cut up samosas—on arrival, and aloo tikki chaat—same but over hash brown cakes—on the way out.

If you stay at the Silver Cloud Hotel Tacoma at Park Ruston Waterfront (not to be confused with another Silver Cloud closer to downtown), there’s a sizable shopping complex right nearby. The highlight: a vegan hot fudge sundae with coconut-based coffee ice cream at Ice Cream Social. They also have a gift area. I’m still wondering if I made the right choice passing up a collection of glittery dinosaur-shaped barrettes. Okay, I regret it. But I don’t regret buying a donut from Jewel Box Cafe made by Dude’s Donuts. I had to contemplate that purchase for at least twelve hours before spending six bucks on a donut. Okay, that still hurts. But it was delicious.

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SOBRIETY IN THE CITY – TACOMA: Sober Adventures in Tacoma – a Must Stop When Visiting the Pacific Northwest

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