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AN INTIMATE STAYCATION IN YALETOWN
Sept/Oct 2008
By Christine Germyn
Vancouver offers locals and visitors a new chic-urban trend in Yaletown. You can spend one day or two and experience world class spas, dining, and shopping in the former warehouse district.
Spruce Body Lab offers natural spa services such as the Seaflora body wrap enriched with 100 percent hand-harvest seaweed. The Sea Flora skin care is from the cold clean Canadian Pacific Ocean. The all-natural wild seaweed products are packed with vitamins and minerals from an exotic underwater garden off the coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
Sea Flora is the only Canadian spa line to blend wild whole seaweeds and natural ocean nutrients and combine them with the principles of European Thalasso Therapy to produce exquisite spa products that hydrate and feed the body through our most vital organ, the skin.
I tried a body wrap which began with a rock-weed exfoliation followed with an application of therapeutic firming seaweed gel. Afterwards, I was fully wrapped with a and had a mini face treatment. After twenty-minutes, you have a refreshing shower then an application of body and face cream. You'll feel like you've just had a relaxing day at the beach!
Next up was "Skoah" located at 1101 Hamilton Street. This professional spa came up with a specialized skin concept: "personal training for the skin," Here's how it works: the aesthetician is your personal trainer, gives you a facial and a workout program for your skin. Then you "train" at home with the new line of all-natural Skoah products.
The "Facialiscious" treatment is one of the services that will put you in another world of bliss. To begin, you get undressed, cozy up under the warm sheets and the personalized Facialiscious "workout" begins. It includes cleansing and toning, a gentle exfoliation with a 10 percent vitamin C and 2-percent AHA (glycolic-acid) gel that lends a slightly prickly feeling. No steaming or scrubbing is needed following the gel's natural sloughing power. Then there's a peel made from grapes and apples, some extractions, a calming mask to take down redness and add moisture, plus massages for the legs, face, hands and shoulders.
My intense workout started with getting cleansed and toned, then getting physical and ending with getting hydrated and protected.
The Facialiscious treatment lasts about an hour and your skin will have the Skoah glow-ah look. Afterwards, you will receive compliments on how good your skin looks.
I continued to pamper myself as I dined at the Elixir located at the Opus Hotel located at 322 Davie Street. I was seated in the Velvet Room, the perfect place to dine as it is private and has the reminiscence of European ambiance, with inviting rich red velvet curtains and seating areas. This plush-red room is the place for any romantic occasion or a special evening out.
To conclude this intimate staycation, I stayed at the Opus Hotel. The lobby and bar reminds me of Miami or New York. The bar and lobby both flow together well, with polished marble floors and mosaic columns, softened with plush velvet chairs and sofas in deep rich jewel tones of blue and red. The space is bathed in red and green from recessed ceiling lights. It's a great place to mingle!
This 96 guest room boutique hotel highlights stylish and modern rooms to suit your mood. It all depends on your lifestyle needs. As my occasion was focused on pure relaxation, the Indulge Penthouse suite was the perfect fit.
Spruce Body Lab
www.sprucebodylab.com
Skoah
www.skoah.com
Opus Hotel
www.opushotel.com
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