Hallelujah St. Louis, it’s almost springtime! And with spring comes the beginning of many good things: warmer weather, more daylight, the emergence of green leaves, plants, and flowers (remember those?), and wedding season.  This also means that the time for bachelorette parties is upon us!

If your refrigerator is littered with save-the-date magnets, then you probably already have a few parties on your calendar. But even if you don’t have any friends getting married this year, every woman needs an occasional girls’ night out for some quality girl talk, good food, cosmos, and a reason to wear that sequined mini dress you bought on sale at Express last year. As far as female bonding excursions go, St. Louis provides a wealth of possibilities:

Momos in U City is a great place to start the night. The atmosphere is fun and cozy with tables for larger groups that are partially obscured and removed from the main dining room- making it feel like you’re in your own private restaurant. The Greek food (mostly served tapas style) is excellent, and the sangria and ouzo flow freely. They also have fairly extensive beer and cocktail lists. The best part? A resident belly dancer appears every half hour or so to jingle and gyrate her way through the restaurant.

If you and your girls are looking for something on the new and trendy side, Quintessential (also known as Q) on Main St. in St. Charles might be more up your alley. The slick and modern indoor dining area screams “girls’ night out,” as does the drink list, which includes female faves such as the Q-cosmo and Flirtini. The menu has something for everyone, and if you end up waiting a couple months to go make sure you check out the hip, rooftop bar- complete with huge comfy couches.

For some truly unique and delicious drinks, hit up Sub Zero Vodka Bar in the Central West End. I’m not sure what drink I ordered the last time I was there (I’m not sure about a lot of things that happened that night), but I do remember that it had a gummy worm in it, which of course was awesome. Wether you love vodka, martinis, champagne, or just cocktails in general this place is hard to beat. They have every fruity drink combination imaginable plus the classics, and the atmosphere is energetic and social. I have a feeling that if Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda had ever ventured to the Lou from NYC, they probably would have made their way to Sub Zero at some point.

If do you end up going to Sub Zero, you might as well end the night at Mandarin, a sleek nightclub within walking distance that offers the best of both worlds: cozy couches and lounge areas for those who just want to chill, and a rocking dance floor that attracts some of the best DJs in town. Don’t let the line to get upstairs and the initial air of exclusivity deter you. It’s all just part of the scene, and a group of girls is pretty much guaranteed to get in quickly and with no problems. As long as your feet can survive another couple hours in those stilettos, Mandarin is the place to go if you want the night to go from “good times” to legendary.

There are also great options for those who just want some low-key good ol’ fashioned fun. Double D Lounge in Brentwood is the place to go for karaoke. It’s super casual without the shadiness of Talayna’s (which is also a good time, but in a very different way). If you and your gal pals like music, but don’t want to be the ones creating it, The Jive & Wail piano bar, with locations in Maplewood and St. Charles, is a great place to hang out and sing along where no one can actually hear you.

Don’t forget, girls’ night out doesn’t actually have to be a night per say – if pampering and relaxation sounds a lot more enticing than drinking and dancing, the spa at the Four Seasons Hotel downtown will provide just that. By purchasing any of the spa services, you’ll receive all-day access to the relaxation lounges, steam rooms, whirlpools, and rooftop swimming pool. Get a signature pedicure, have some lunch, and spend the rest of the day catching up and bonding with your friends without having to yell over blaring techno music or deal with the morning-after hangover. Or, if you’re up for an all day event, do the spa during the day and hit up the town at night – a win-win situation in my book!

Carlie is the Food and Drink Editor for Girls Guide, and also blogs at carliecrash.com. By day she is an educational textbook editor, and she moonlights as a foodie and barfly.  You can email her at carlie [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and you can follow her on Twitter – @carbirwin.