When the going gets tough, the modern girl heads for the spa. Evidently WonderBra Canada feels the same way, because they've collaborated with Spa Finder on a very special promotion happening from now until May 10th, and they're offering one lucky Solo Lisa reader the chance to win WonderBra lingerie and a $200 Spa Finder gift card. More details after the jump, and giveaway details at the end of the post!
Quick, hands up if you can use: a) a facial; b) a massage; c) some serious "me" time; or d) all of the above. Have I got your attention? Good, because I'm about to tell you that the new Holiday Facial ($80; available for a limited time until December 24th) at Skoah seriously delivers on all fronts. I was invited to try the Holiday Facial—which combines a typical Skoah facial with a hand exfoliation and upper body massage—last week, and I can definitely attest to the sheer bliss that followed.
If yesterday's post about my phenomenal first visit to CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La piqued your interest in the new Sea Therapy Facial treatment, you're in luck! One Solo Lisa reader will win a facial ($195 value) and be able to experience the luxurious facilities at CHI firsthand.
CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La is an oasis in the midst of an urban jungle and arguably the most luxurious spa I've ever visited. (And I've visited quite a few Vancouver spas.) I was there last month to try out the Sea Therapy Facial, a new anti-aging treatment which rejuvenates and hydrates skin with certified-organic whole seaweeds, marine minerals, and ocean mud. Hmm spas and seaweed facials—it's a tough gig, but someone has to do it.
Miraj Hammam Spa, located just south of the Granville St. bridge, isn't your run-of-the-mill Western spa. Instead, Miraj bases its treatments on the centuries-old steam and exfoliation treatments of traditional Turkish baths, or hammams. Having never experienced a real hammam or a spa experience based on one, I approached their media preview day (and my treatment two weeks after) with great curiosity.
As president and owner Surinder Bains Kassour explained during the media preview day, hammams originated in Islamic nations. Worshippers leaving their mosques would head to the closest hammam after prayer. Once there, their cleansing ritual began with relaxing in a steam room. They progressed to an even hotter steam room afterward to further open their pores and cleanse their bodies. Bath attendants then splashed the guests with cold water, exfoliated their skin, and massaged their weary bodies. The therapeutic benefits of hammams appealed greatly to Europeans, who in turn built steam baths in their home countries.
After filling in Miraj's paperwork and being shown the changing room, I showered, slipped into the proffered slippers and sarong, and entered the steam room. Inside, the air was languid and moist, and the steam hung thickly in the air. After sweating for 20 minutes in the steam room, I went into the glass-walled inner steam room where the temperature was even hotter. It was so warm, in fact, the attending esthetician gave me a pitcher of cold water and a glass and advised me to stay hydrated while I was in there. The steam treatment was followed by a rinse-down with cold water and a quick exfoliation with black Moroccan soap.
Then I was off to a massage room, where a massage therapist rubbed ylang ylang-scented oil into my skin and kneaded away residual neck and shoulder tension. The whole treatment was so relaxing, I was practically asleep when it was time to go to the Sultana Lounge, where I reclined on couches and cushions, reading magazines while enjoying hot tea and sweet cake.
Good points aside, Miraj isn't for everyone. Being a bit of a prude, I expected this spa experience to be like my previous ones, where multiple towels were layered on me and only flipped back to reveal the body part being exfoliated or massaged, one body part at a time. This is not the case at Miraj, so be prepared to be comfortable in the nude in front of your esthetician and massage therapist. That being said, the hammam's appointments are staggered so that only one client or group goes through at a time. Plus, there are separate appointment days for men, women and couples, so you don't have to share facilities with strangers of the opposite sex.
If my treatment is anything to go by, Miraj's Middle Eastern flavour is a unique spin on the traditional spa experience; spa enthusiasts should try a hammam at least once.
Special thanks to Miraj for letting me try their hammam and gommage treatment. For more information or to book an appointment, visit their website.
P.S. Entered my Shabby Apple dress giveaway yet? Do it now!
Known as a go-to destination for hair, Suki's on South Granville boasts another side that you might not know about. Downstairs from the hustle and bustle of hairdryers and stylists is a tranquil full-service day spa offering everything from facials and manicures to steams, massages and body scrubs. Recently they revamped their offerings and they now use only Dermalogica products for their skincare treatments. As a fan of Dermalogica and good skincare in general, I couldn't say no when offered a chance to try Suki's revamped signature facial.
My visit on a sunny Thursday morning began with the requisite paperwork and tour of the spa. Suki's has the relaxing day spa atmosphere down pat: the facilities are luxe, clean and comfortable, and the vibe couldn't be further from the frenetic pace upstairs. After that, it was time for me to change (robe, wraparound towel, disposable flip-flops) and head into my facial room where esthetician Tessa was waiting.
The signature facial feels a bit like an "everything but the kitchen sink" facial. It's good for the uninitiated who don't know what they want and are looking for some overall pampering, but less than ideal for seasoned spa-goers who want very specific things from their facials. Over the course of an hour, Tessa cleansed my skin, exfoliated, applied a masque and moisturized my face and neck. She alternated all of this with some light all-over massage and extractions, as well as plenty of steam and hot towels. In the middle of the treatment, she also performed a "skin mapping," a concept that Dermalogica pioneered. Breaking down my face into 14 distinct zones, Tessa analyzed the problems that plagued each zone. The assessment: a few broken capillaries, some congested pores and dehydration on my cheeks.
So did the signature facial do its job? Indubitably. The stress-induced breakouts on the left side of my face appeared diminished, my skin was more even-toned and I felt infinitely more relaxed than when I first entered Suki's.
Thanks to Suki's for letting me try their signature spa facial. For more information about their services or to book an appointment, visit their website.
Nestled in the heart of Coal Harbour, Sabai Thai offers weary city dwellers a haven of relaxation, Southeast Asian style. It's a full service spa offering everything from facials to body wraps, exfoliation, waxing and pedicures. It's also renowned for its massage treatments, which draw on age-old Thai techniques to rid the body of muscle fatigue and tension. It was their 60-minute traditional Thai massage that I was there to try one Tuesday evening.
After filling out the requisite paperwork, my massage therapist Peerapan led me to one of the dimly lit massage rooms where soft music played and a faint scent of essential oils filled the air. I changed into a loose-fitting tunic and Thai-style wraparound pants and settled on the huge bed as instructed while waiting for Peerapan to return.
If the words "Thai massage" conjure up images of lying passively on your stomach while someone else kneads your back like bread dough, think again. Unlike the slow-paced massage practices of other countries, this is a rigorous process with intense pressure point work and stretching. As Peerapan put it, "It's like having someone do yoga for you."
Like yoga, Thai massage goes back thousands of years. With both of us on the bed, she used every part of her body--fingers, elbows, feet, arms--to target tense spots and contort my body. Yoga practitioners would feel right at home. Some of the postures she put me into felt like a wheelbarrow pose or a cobra--except in this case, she was pushing my legs over my head, or pulling on my arms to hold my body upright and yield more intense sensation.
At times I worried she'd push me too far and I'd sprain something, but Peerapan asked regularly if she was using too much pressure or putting too much strain on me. Don't worry if you're not flexible: Sabai Thai is used to working with people with limited flexibility, and their massage therapists will adjust to suit the needs and tastes of clients. Because I'm prone to severe muscle tension and I was curious about how deep the massage could be, I didn't ask Peerapan to lighten up on the pressure.
Some of the pressure point work bordered on uncomfortable, and the next day I had sore toes and glutes. (It's literally an all-over body massage.) On the bright side though, my neck and shoulders felt great. This isn't for everyone, but if you're prone to extreme tension and you've left massages feeling as though your muscles weren't worked hard enough, then perhaps one of Sabai Thai's treatments is for you.
A special thanks to Peerapan and Sabai Thai for letting me try one of their massage treatments. Sabai Thai has locations in Coal Harbour, North Vancouver and West Vancouver. To book an appointment or find out more about their services, visit their website.
Beauty treatments make you feel 110% more relaxed and pampered when you let someone else do the hard work for you. Or at least this was what I was thinking when I accepted an invitation to try the Be Smooth Body Scrub at Spruce Body Lab, a Yaletown spa located on Richards and Helmcken amidst a row of unassuming storefronts. Until my visit last week, my only body scrub experience had been DIY in-shower exfoliation. So imagine what a treat it was to be in the expert hands of Spruce's general manager/creative director and skin therapist, Kathryn Sawers.
Inside, the welcoming green-and-white decor was fresh, modern and soothing. Artwork and inspiring quotes filled the walls. On the far side of the space, skincare products lined the shelves. Open since 2005, Spruce Body Lab was previously featured in publications such as Flare, Fashion, Elle Canada and the New York Times.
After changing into the fluffy robe and flip flops provided by the spa, my treatment began in one of the private hydrotherapy rooms. Kathryn rubbed Spruce's in-house body scrub into my skin with medium-firm pressure to slough off dull, deadened cells. The scrub itself is composed entirely of natural ingredients: sugar; sunflower, sweet almond, rice bran and avocado oils; and blood orange, lavender, vanilla, geranium and sweet marjoram essential oils for a sweet fragrance.
As a spa newbie, I thought I would be quite self-conscious undergoing a treatment that I had to strip down for. But Kathryn was a true pro. She expertly flipped and folded towels to protect my privacy and only expose whatever body part she was exfoliating, and she made me feel completely at ease with her friendly and professional demeanour. When the scrub was done, Kathryn left the hydrotherapy room so I could rinse off the sugar particles in the luxurious shower stall. Picture a Kohler rain shower head above and the massage-like effect of the water coming from the water tiles all around you, and you'll understand why I wanted to stay in there much longer than was necessary. It was heavenly. The treatment then continued with body lotion application (again, Spruce's in-house formula), followed by a mini hand and foot massage, and finally a facial using Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant and other products.
I emerged from Spruce relaxed and glowing; my skin had never felt so soft and smooth, and my face was radiant thanks to the facial and colorescience SPF products. I'm definitely returning to Spruce in the future. If their body scrubs are this good, just think what their RMT massages and other services are like.
Thanks to Kathryn and Spruce Body Lab for the chance to experience the Be Smooth Body Scrub. For more information or to book an appointment, check out the spa's website.
