Tag: massage
If I could afford it, I’d go to the spa at least twice a month; once for a facial and for a massage the next visit. Going to the spa often looked at as decadent pampering but taking care of your skin and body (not to mention how the time at the spa can benefit your mental well-being) should be a priority.
For that reason, I was happy to discover Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa last month. I was invited to try a facial there in exchange for a review, and I’m surprised I’d never heard of or seen the spa before considering there are 20 locations in Ontario. One location is just a short walk away from my home so it was super convenient, huzzah!
The spa itself, in terms of set-up and decor, is pretty typical. Fairly clinical. Clean and quiet. I feel they’d benefit from less prominent stock photos of spa-ing. I think it detracts from the quality of the spa, especially considering they use premium skincare lines (Dermalogica, Yonka and Diego Della Palma).
After assessing my skin and learning I wanted to focus on radiance, my facialist decided to use Dermalogica on my dry (but oily in the T-zone) skin. She asked me whether I wanted quiet time to relax or if I wanted her to walk me through the facial as it progressed, which I appreciated (I don’t think all spas think to ask). Key to the facial that day and for my ongoing skincare, she said, was to exfoliate a couple of times a week. Which I know I should do, but I get lazy. I left the spa relaxed and my skin felt great.
What I like about Hand & Stone is that it aims to make facials and massages something you incorporate into your lifestyle. For your first introductory treatment, the cost is $64.95. And while you don’t need to have a spa membership, which is free, as a member you benefit from cheaper treatment rates (about $30 cheaper). The membership is based on going in monthly for a treatment, i.e. providing your credit card for a monthly spa treatment. Which if you can afford $69.95 each month, great (N.B. Adding on extras like a peel or serum, for example, costs more, and prices vary from location to location). But you’re not tied to going every month. You can cancel your membership at any time, cancel an appointment with enough notice (or else, yes, your credit card will be charged for the month), or put your membership on hold for six months to a year.
I see it as a way to get a monthly treatment that’ll do you good and in a more budget-friendly way than many spas. And if you can’t justify that cost on a monthly basis, you just need to be diligent enough to remember to cancel your standing monthly appointment (the way you used to for Columbia House back in the day, or more recently with companies like Mint where I’ve ordered shoes from). I’d just schedule a reminder each month into my calendar so I could decide whether I wanted a treatment that month, and cancel in time if I didn’t. Just calls for being organized. And worse comes to worst: you forget to cancel in time and you have to get a spa treatment. Hardly an ordeal.
My facial at Hand & Stone not only left my skin feeling great, but it was a good reminder to give my skin more TLC. I’ve applied a masque since the appointment, started again applying a serum or two at bedtime and have used the Dermalogica products I received after my facial. And my skin looks and feels better; it’s less dehydrated and a friend told me I looked more rested.
Want to learn more about Hand & Stone? Check out www.handandstone.ca.
November 11, 2016
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED FOR ENTRIES. Congratulations to Jennifer K., the winner of the Elmwood Spa Holiday Glow package! (Jennifer, check your email for more details about your prize, enjoy!)
Are you making a list and checking it twice? The past few years, I feel like I’m buying fewer gifts and choosing instead to give either something homemade (such as an addictive caramel popcorn that I make) or by taking someone out to dinner or to an amusement park, for example. And research shows that experiences, such as vacations, provide more enduring happiness than material purchases.
Which is why I think a gift card to the spa is a fantastic gift idea for the person in your life who could use a little me-time but rarely gets to indulge in it. Elmwood Spa (one of the first spas I ever went to in Toronto so it holds a special place in my memories) has several spa packages that would make a lovely gift for someone on your list. You could make it even more special by, say, offering your babysitting services so that your bestie doesn’t have to worry about finding someone to watch the littles. Or, even better, give your friend a gift card, and invest in the same package for yourself so that you can go together and decompress and spend some quality time together. Surely this will be more memorable than a pair of pyjamas, wouldn’t you agree?
To make your shopping a little easier, I’ve got one sweet giveaway (that you can choose to either give to a loved one or keep for yourself!). Enter to win one Elmwood Spa gift card for a Holiday Glow package (valued at $225). The Holiday Glow package includes one 50-minute Swedish massage, ElmLine Essential Facial, three-course lunch at the Terrace Restaurant, and water therapies in the spa’s pool, whirlpool and steam room.
To enter this giveaway, you must be a Canadian resident.
You can enter to win the Elmwood Spa Holiday Glow gift card in three different ways (you can enter once via each method):
- Email me at healthandswellness@gmail.com with your name and mailing address (please put “Elmwood Spa” in the subject line).
- Twitter. On Twitter, follow me (@healthswellness) and Elmwood Spa (@elmwoodspa) and tweet:
I want to get an #elmwoodglow this holiday season by winning this @healthswellness #giveaway! http://bit.ly/1MlvUvk
- Facebook: “Like” the Health and Swellness page on Facebook and comment on the Elmwood Spa photo about what your favourite spa treatment is.
This giveaway is open to Canadian residents and you can enter up until 12 p.m. EST, Thursday, December 24, 2015. The winner will be chosen at random and notified via the method they’ve won. If they do not claim their prize within five days, another winner will be selected at random.
Good luck!
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December 18, 2015
After two of my races this spring, I went for a massage the day after my race, most recently at the Elmwood Spa after the running the Nike Women’s Toronto 15k. I hadn’t been this spa in years and there’ve been some beautiful updates (like the women’s change room, where I spent some time in the pretty blue tiled jacuzzi as I sipped one of the spa’s delicious smoothies).
While there, I also took the opportunity to chat with an RMT at the Elmwood Spa, Margaret Keats, about how runners should incorporate massage therapy into their race regimen.
Is it OK to get a massage right after a race?
Keats recommends focusing on hydration and ensuring you’re replenishing your antioxidants and electrolytes and waiting until the day after the race to get a massage. “Your body may ‘resist” the treatment by muscle guarding and you may not get the desired result,” she explains.
How about the jacuzzi at the spa, should I use the jets to soothe my tired, sore muscles?
A hot tub right after a race may be too hot, she says. “Heat aggravates inflammation, and the extra sweating can cause dehydration and actually make you feel more sore.” Instead, she suggests an Epsom salt bath at a warm to tepid temperature so that you don’t aggravate inflammation, followed by a quick cool shower. And be sure, of course, to hydrate well after your race.
How much pressure is too much pressure for your massage therapy?
“Cues that the treatment pressure is too much: holding your breath and muscle holding–subconsciously holding or guarding the area–are signs to look for. If you can comfortably breathe through it, and you don’t feel pain, then it’s all good,” says Keats.
Is Swedish massage, commonly offered at spas, beneficial for post-run recovery?
“Swedish massage encompasses a wide range of techniques for different needs,” she explains. “Light to moderate pressure using circulatory strokes encourages circulation and waste removal, while moderate to deep pressure techniques incorporating stretches helps to restore muscle length and flexibility.”
(Photos of Elmwood Spa exterior and change room courtesy of Elmwood Spa/Richard Picton)
July 8, 2015
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