![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/IMG_0555.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n
Laura had never been to a GBK event with me before and loved it. She said, \u201cGBK was a very fun gifting lounge, with a party atmosphere. There was a female DJ spinning great tunes all day, and a few times I noticed guests busting out some dance moves.\u201d Yes, I do<\/em> know she was talking about my former hip-hop club promoting self! And proud of it!<\/p>\n I usually tell you about GBK\u2019s charities towards the end of the article, but there were a couple of very worthwhile organizations at this one that I feel I must tell you about right up front. (And after I wrote this, I learned that Gavin Keilly, the mastermind behind GBK, had just received the Innovation Award from Be Great Humanitarian Awards because of the millions he’s donated to over fifty charities in the past decade!)<\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Covenant House California<\/strong>\u2014Laura and I both have known of this charity for years, but she was more familiar with it than I, explaining, \u201cThey provide much-needed services for unhoused youth.\u201d We both loved what they were doing at the lounge, which was giving each guest a package of a blanket and toiletries to give to someone who’s homeless. That kindness chokes me up. Laura said, \u201cIt was thoughtful of them to enlist the guests at GBK to do something good.\u201d www.covenanthousecalifornia.org<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Worthy of Love<\/strong>\u2014This charity’s colorful, happy display, not to mention its upbeat reps, made us want to learn everything about them! They throw birthday parties for homeless kids. Laura explains, \u201cWorthy of Love’s mission is to change the way youth experience homelessness. When we think about the unhoused and specifically the youth, we think about the most traumatic issue that they are facing–the lack of a stable roof over their head. But what about all the other things they are missing out on in life? There are the small things the rest of us take for granted, like celebrations.\u00a0 I never thought about all the birthday parties my children have had and attended, and their importance. This organization is creating positive memories for kids who really need them.\u201d I love them for that! www.worthyoflovela.org<\/a><\/p>\n Then on the food front, GBK is known for always feeding their guests. The fare is never the same, so I always look forward to seeing what it is at each event. At this<\/em> one, I was rewarded with Mr. X and my absolute favorite sandwich shop of all time, Ike\u2019s Love & Sandwiches!<\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Ike\u2019s Love & Sandwiches<\/strong>\u2014Over the years, I\u2019ve introduced various friends to their delicious and creative sandwiches, so I was excited to do that here for Laura. She said, \u201cIt was very fun to meet Ike.\u00a0 He is a great spokesman for his delicious sandwiches. Having someone so personable at the head of a company gives it a soul, and makes the experience with them a total joy. I tried the Marshawn Lynch, which was delicious. And just as a side note, Marshawn Lynch, who is known as an outspoken football legend, was also a star running back at my alma mater, Cal!\u201d And Ike, being the uber-generous guy that he is, insisted I take a couple home to Mr. X, who once again raved about how superior these sandwiches are. I\u2019m so glad that he\u2019s some close-by locations have opened recently, so we have more chances for this deliciousness! www.ikessandwich.com<\/a><\/p>\n Now here are the highlights of the rest of the items we discovered there:<\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n California Caviar Company<\/strong>\u2014I had met Deborah Keane, the lovely founder of this company\u00a0from Sausalito, exactly three and a half years ago, and she kindly remembered me immediately! Once again, the GBK guests were clamoring for tastes of her domestic caviars, and then they received gift certificates for a \u201ccustom caviar gift set,\u201d with a choice of flavors. To me, that sounds like a New Year’s Eve party waiting to happen!\u00a0\u00a0www.californiacaviar.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n SalaHime Facial Gel<\/strong>–Laura tried-out this skincare line\u2019s Essence All-In-One Facial Gel right at the lounge, and says, \u201cI\u2019ve never felt a cream that absorbed into my skin so quickly. Within minutes of rubbing it in, my skin felt moisturized but not oily. And it didn’t feel like it was on the surface of my skin; rather, it was absorbed at a deeper level.\u201d And a deeper level is what Laura is on, vis a vis moi! I was just happy that their rep, Tianna, looked just like my adorable former best friend, and more coincidence\u2014they\u2019re both make-up artists! We could have stayed at this booth all day, chatting and learning about this company\u2019s Nanobubble technology! On top of all that, their gift bags were the most beautiful I’ve ever seen, and the plush make-up pouches that the gel came in were mouthwatering. (And contained a mini of the gel, to try out for skin sensitivity, to boot. How thoughtful.) I just hope their product make the guests as gorgeous as their display! www.salahime.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Hitch Bottles<\/strong>\u2014They were gifting their very attractive bottle and cup duo, for both hot and cold beverages, that Laura describes this way: \u201cThis company has elevated the insulated reusable bottle. It has a hidden cup that you can pull out of the bottom. Its sleek minimalist design looks like you’re holding not just a water bottle, but a piece of art.\u201d And the reps at the event could not been upbeat, which you know I<\/em> love! www.carryhitch.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Davi<\/strong>–This company was gifting satin pillowcases that are printed with art by James Peter Henry. Laura said, \u201cI really appreciate the bold black and white design; it’s so dramatic.\u201d And my<\/em> ten thousand pounds of tresses appreciate the material<\/em>, which means this is the smoothest<\/em> pillowcase to make sure your straight hair wakes up looking like it did when you\u00a0went to sleep! www.getdavi.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Serenity Organizers<\/strong>\u2014As ladies who hope to get back to air travel soon, we were especially happy to discover these travel organizers!\u00a0Laura speaks for both of us when she says, \u201cIt was so fun to meet the pair of founders of this company. Both ladies came out of retirement, after spending their careers in corporate America, to create these organizers.\u201d Since she’s a mom herself, who has traveled on airplanes with young children, she adds, \u201cI really appreciate this innovative product. It provides a place where you can organize all the things you need on a plane. My son has the tendency to drop his water bottle when we’re flying, and it’s pretty horrifying to hear it roll under the seat and know you’ll need to dig under someone’s seat to retrieve it. No more of that with Serenity Organizers.\u201d www.serenityorganizers.co<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Nicole Sassaman Interiors<\/strong>\u2014This designer, with a showroom on trendy Robertson, was gifting her very classy leather tissue box covers. As Laura says about them, \u201cSometimes you don’t realize you need something until you have it! I love these d\u00e9cor accessories. Who knew that tissues could be chic?\u201d I guess the answer is\u2014Nicole did!!! www.nicolesassaman.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Thin Energy Hydration<\/strong>\u2014This company was doing on-site tastings of their energy drinks, which come in a trio of flavors. And then each guest was gifted a pack of thirty servings of it. Laura tried it and said, \u201cI’m very sensitive to caffeine, and can’t tolerate much of it.\u00a0 So I was excited to find an energy drink that doesn’t contain it. And it tastes great, too!\u201d www.thinenergy.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n 99 Gens<\/strong>\u2014This is something I’ve never come upon before\u2014it’s A.I. generated artwork tailored for each guest. You told them what type of animal you want, and what it should be doing in the pic, and then they print it later and send it to you. The best part to me, of course, is that it was done by cute twin brothers. And I could even tell which one was a minute older! \u00a0www.99gens.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Mander by Karn<\/strong>\u2014This suit-maker was gifting, as Laura describes them, \u201cBeautiful classic ties,\u201d in a variety of styles, from ones in basic colors to crazy-patterned designs. I looked at some of the\u00a0guests and tried to figure-out which one each\u00a0would choose.\u00a0www.manderbykarn.com<\/a><\/p>\n Photo by Laura Saul.<\/p><\/div>\n Hobo Queen Art<\/strong>\u2014This display featured an artist doing a painting right on-site. Laura said, \u201cHer art was beautiful and colorful.\u201d Since she couldn’t do a work of art for each guest, she gifted them boldly-colored trucker hats, in some of the shades of the paints she was using that day. www.hoboqueen.art<\/a><\/p>\n A guest enjoying the Rasha treatment. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n Rasha<\/strong>–We spent a few minutes doing this \u201cmeditation technology\u201d treatment in a separate room in the back, (so none of the guests would see the others lying down; it was nice of GBK to let us have that privacy.) Laura, who’s actually a tech person, told me, \u201cI don’t fully understand the technology of this treatment; all I know is that it felt like I had a full body massage.\u00a0 I was relaxed and alert at the same time.\u00a0 I can’t wait to try it again.\u201d www.therasha.com<\/a><\/p>\n We ended our visit to GBK in the sweetest way\u2014we stopped by the dessert buffet which featured some of the hotel\u2019s tastiest tidbits. I could live on their chocolate chip cookies alone! What a fun way to leave an event!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" GBK BRAND BAR LUXURY LOUNGE IN HONOR OF THE 2022 EMMYS I love that GBK returned their annual gifting lounge in honor of the Emmys to my nostalgically-favorite hotel, the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. On the day my co-writer, Laura, and I attended, it was held in the ballroom, which was a pleasure for<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>