Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., December 07, 2008 Kislev 10, 5769 | | Israel Time: 01:22 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate GA 2008 Travel Week's End Anglo File

And a side order of cat food By Rina Rozenberg Tags: Israel News Leaving the house and interacting with other people is part of normative life. But everyone has days he'd rather curl up at home, especially in winter, not that it's here yet, or sometimes our schedules don't permit us to indulge in the things we want. More and more sectors are finding ways to deliver service to your door. Home-delivered pizza doesn't impress anyone any more. Nor does paying the bills over the Internet or even summoning a doctor in an emergency. But there's a host of nifty things and services you might not have thought of, but which you can obtain in the comfort of your home without ever venturing outdoors. A personal stylist or visit from the vet? No problem. Nor is a cosmetician. Here are some of the things newly available without leaving the confines of your castle: Advertisement Gourmet cooking, but not by you If the local restaurants have ceased to excite, how about some gourmet cooking, but not by you? For that romantic occasion, the restaurant can come to you. Or rather, the chef can. Chef Hussam Abbas, for one, has cooked in caves and in forests, and has even gone to the Sinai in search of ingredients. He comes armed with pots, pans and ingredients and cooks in your home as he would at the restaurant.Price: Depends on the chef, the menu and the number of diners. Usually it's about NIS 500 per dish but the sky's the limit. Check the price thoroughly and don't forget to include the waiters' salaries, the alcohol, VAT, and a tip. Shiatsu in the kid?s room The peaceful ecstasy left after your massage tends to vanish all too soon - at the first traffic jam or after stepping on a piece of gum. How about a Shiatsu massage in the comfort of home, where you can completely lose yourself in the experience? All you need is a peaceful room with a bed.Even the HMOs have gotten into the game, under certain supplementary home-care plans. Before the therapist arrives, though, make sure he or she is accredited, and didn't just take a three-day course at the local gas station. You're best calling a masseuse recommended by friends, who should at least ask you if you have any particular (physical) trouble.Price: Can range from NIS 150 to NIS 250 for a 45-minute treatment, privately. As for massages via the HMOs, it depends. Leumit Silver, Gold: NIS 132 to NIS 154, and add a few more shekels if you want aromatic oil. Clalit Mushlam: NIS 113 for reflexology or shiatsu. Acne attack. Who you gonna call? It isn?t news that cosmeticians will work at home, but it?s usually their home, not yours. Cosmeticall - which calls itself a ?mobile spa service? - is a company that pooled a number of cosmeticians, make-up specialists and manicurists who will come to your home when summoned. ?Our clientele consists of pregnant women, career women who don?t haven?t time but need to look good,? says Dana Nayear, Cosmeticall founder. The Web site, which has an English version, notes that it?s also terrific for ?bachelorette parties? or ?fun days at the office.? The service providers work until 9 P.M. and service is available from Rehovot to Herzliya. Cosmeticall means to expand nationwide. Moran Zanzuri, satisfied customer, first summoned Cosmeticall when pregnant but is now hooked. Why drive into town and search for parking when you can call in for a manicure? Price: About the same as visiting a cosmetician. Minimum order: NIS 200. Stylist to the rescue You may greet home deliveries wearing a tattered bathrobe and an avocado mask on your face, but at some point you probably do leave home and want to look your best. Good grooming helps create a good impression, and there are stylists for hire to help us create a look.In fact, stylists can not only advise you what to wear: They can take your measurements and handle the shopping for you, too, after a few preliminary visits and preferably, a joint shopping trip."This isn't a service for the wealthiest 0.1%," claims Dorin Atias, stylist and fashion critic. "I come to the client's home, give some feedback on how to arrange the closet, then we go shopping. If the client's happy, next time I'll do the shopping myself."Plenty of clients would sooner eschew the trouble of shopping for themselves: their schedule is too tight, they hate shops, or they appreciate the stylist's taste.Moreover, the client can always reject clothes that the stylist has chosen for him or her: She'll take them back to the store. "The selection of stores is vast and bewildering," Atias says. "It threatens people. They get stressed, lose focus and wind up buying the wrong things."Starting price: NIS 1,000 to NIS 1,500 will get you a shopping trip, trying on the clothes at home, possibility of exchanging some items, and one more round of trying on. Shampoo and get going Most hair stylists will only visit your home on your wedding day, but Yossi Nachmias realized that a lot of women don't have the time to visit the salon. Nachmias, from Avi Malka's hair emporium, comes to the client's home with scissors and the various gels and whatnots. All the client has to do is choose a place in the house and wash her hair. Roy Hamo points out that not only can the client choose what she does while her hair is being cut or styled: She doesn't have to wait in line.Price: Some charge the same as at the salon, some charge up to 40% more. Roll out of bed onto the treadmill Unless you're a sports addict, it takes a lot of willpower to get out of one's warm bed at dawn and jog to the gym. But if the gym comes to you?"It's a lot more convenient to get out of bed, put on your sweats and start training than to get into the car, drive and find parking," says Adam Aviel, personal trainer from Core. The commitment is also very different when a trainer knocks on your door, and you don't miss urgent phone calls, Aviel adds. Nor do you have to cancel if the babysitter is a no-show.Liat Carmeli, personal and Pilatus trainer at the Go Active gym, adds that home-training is also the way for people who don't want to run into other people, or wait in line for machines, or just who really, really like to choose their own music. The trainer brings mattresses, weights and rubber bands.Price: NIS 150 to 250 an hour. Clalit offers a deal for Mushlam subscribers. For pets on the run, dial-a-vet Usually veterinarians will only make house calls in the case of an emergency. But there are a lot of vets in Israel and some of them are mobile, visiting the home even just to give your loved one her shots. Of course, if serious treatment is required, such as surgery, the pet will be transported to the clinic."Clients may seek service because of cats that are hard to take by car, or aggressive dogs who pick fights with all the other animals in the waiting room," says Dr. Netta Ben Dov, manager of a mobile veterinary service - www.mistovevet.co.il. There are also cases of people with multiple pets, who'd need a truck to transport the lot to the vet's office."Most of the dogs I treat at the clinic are in stress, which sometimes gets expressed in aggression," says Dr Ariel Sela. "A house call eliminates the element entirely." He runs www.zanavzanav.com. House calls are even more crucial for cats, which have to be caged for transportation and find the whole ordeal highly distressing.Price: Some vets don't charge extra for house calls. Others may charge a premium over regular clinic rates. From the bakery to your door For some people, fresh bread in the morning is the ultimate luxury. Tari al ha-Boker at distributes baked goods door to door. You can get bread, sandwiches, danishes and family cakes from Kiryat Gat in the south to Zichron Yaakov in the north. The company asks clients to call three or four days in advance the first time, after which, a day in advance will suffice to get a fresh product at 6:30 A.M. by your door.Price: About the same as at the grocery, plus delivery charge depending on place and amount. Lab work from your home Medical house calls are no great innovation, but lab tests at home certainly are. The Clalit health maintenance organization provides a service to its Mushlam members, and Meuhedet provides it to members of its Si program. The member has to be 5 years old or older, though, to be eligible.At this stage, Clalit provides the service in central Israel, Haifa and the Krayot, Jerusalem, Ashkelon and Be'er Sheva, but it means to expand nationwide. Meudehet provides the service to all its Si members throughout the country. The lab results can be accessed online or through the regular doctor. Cost: NIS 45 for Clalit Mushlam and Meuhedet Si members. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Violence on film Two settlers filmed shooting at Palestinians turn themselves in to police. Warning to Iran Bush: United States will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon.

Read & React Avi Issacharoff: Hebron settler riots were out and out pogroms Responses: 232 Obama's 'Palestinian friend' laments catastrophic U.S. policy in Mideast Responses: 242 Israel braces for settler violence in wake of Hebron house evacuation Responses: 188 IDF soldier assaults Haaretz photographer in Hebron Responses: 115 More Headlines 21:24 VIDEO: Settlers filmed shooting at Palestinians turn themselves in 00:59 Clinton to Olmert: I will work for Middle East peace 23:36 Qassam fired from Gaza hits Ashkelon; IAF strikes rocket launcher 22:33 Israeli soldier allegedly assaults Haaretz photographer in Hebron 22:35 Egyptian paper urges top cleric to purify his hand after Peres handshake 21:49 Abbas slams Hamas for depriving thousands of Palestinians of haj pilgrimage 17:42 Infrastructure Min.: Demanding Olmert's resignation was a mistake 10:58 Report: IAEA chief says efforts to curb Iran nuke program 'a failure' 22:44 PA police: Settlers set fire to Palestinian home in Hebron 22:44 Islamic Jihad prods Palestinian factions to avenge Hebron settler riots 19:33 40 leftists arrested as they try to block Berlin neo-Nazi march 07:26 Bush: America will not allow Iran to develop a nuclear weapon 14:55 Israel eases travel restrictions at key West Bank checkpoint Previous Editions Select Day 05 dec 04 dec 03 dec 02 dec 01 dec 30 nov 28 nov 27 nov 26 nov 25 nov 24 nov 23 nov

Special Offers Advertisement Summer in Israel Israeli style - Tzofim Chetz V'Keshet 2009 Living in Israel Studying in English Click & Meet our students from all around the world Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Car rental in Israel Shlomo Sixt Receive $15.00 from our low rates. Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved